Protecting Your Kennesaw Home: Why Building Codes Insurance is Essential

As a Kennesaw homeowner, you take pride in your property and want to ensure it’s protected from every angle. You likely have a homeowners insurance policy in place, which is a great start. But have you considered what happens if your home is damaged and needs to be rebuilt to today’s building codes?

This is where a crucial, yet often overlooked, coverage comes into play: Building Codes Insurance, also known as Ordinance or Law Coverage.

What is Building Codes Insurance?

Standard homeowners insurance typically covers the cost to repair or rebuild your home to its original state. However, building codes in Kennesaw and Cobb County, like most places, are updated over time to improve safety, energy efficiency, and structural integrity.

If your home was built years ago, a fire or a severe storm could reveal that your electrical, plumbing, or structural components no longer meet current requirements. Without building codes insurance, your standard policy might only pay to rebuild your home using the outdated materials and methods from when it was first constructed. This leaves you with a significant financial gap to cover the difference out-of-pocket to bring your home up to code.

Building Codes Insurance helps bridge that gap. It’s an optional add-on to your homeowners policy that pays for the additional costs to repair or rebuild your home to meet the latest building codes and ordinances.

Why is this coverage so important for Kennesaw homeowners?

• Older Homes: Kennesaw has a rich history with many beautiful, well-established neighborhoods. If you live in an older home, it’s highly likely that it doesn’t meet the current building codes. A covered loss could trigger a requirement to update your home’s infrastructure, from wiring to insulation, and without this coverage, the costs could be staggering.
• Cobb County Regulations: Cobb County, which includes Kennesaw, has adopted and enforces various state minimum codes for construction, including the International Residential Code and the National Electrical Code. These codes are continually updated, and any significant repair or reconstruction project will require compliance.
• Peace of Mind: Knowing that you have this coverage can provide immense peace of mind. It protects you from unexpected, expensive surprises during a stressful time after a major loss. You won’t have to choose between financial hardship and a home that isn’t safe and up to current standards.

How does it work?

Let’s say a fire damages your Kennesaw home. Your homeowners insurance policy will cover the cost to rebuild the damaged portion. However, if a building inspector requires you to update the entire electrical system to meet current codes, your standard policy won’t cover that additional cost. With Building Codes Insurance, your policy would help pay for the necessary upgrades, ensuring your home is rebuilt not just to its original condition, but to the safe, modern standards of today.

Do I need it?

While Building Codes Insurance is typically not required by law in Kennesaw, it is highly recommended, especially for homes that are more than a decade old. It’s a small investment that can save you from a major financial burden in the event of a covered loss.

Here at Hembree Insurance Agency, we’re dedicated to helping our Kennesaw neighbors protect their homes and their futures. We can review your current homeowners policy and help you understand if adding Building Codes Insurance is the right choice for you.

Contact us today for a free policy review and a personalized quote. We’re here to help you get the coverage you need to keep your Kennesaw home safe and sound.