When starting Krynkle we wanted to solve some a hard problem with an easy solution. Keeping track of your home documentation with an easy approach to store items in the cloud.
Part of getting ready for a disaster means getting your financial house in order.
Thousands of people who lost homes in the 2017 California wildfires discovered too late that their insurance coverage had not kept up with the rising cost of lumber, labor and other rebuilding materials. Talk to your insurer to make sure you have enough coverage but, for a quick reality check, ask a local contractor how much it costs to build per square foot and multiply that by your home’s size.
One of the most painful post-disaster tasks is compiling an inventory of possessions so you can seek reimbursement for the contents coverage. It’s far easier to put the list together beforehand.
Safeguard your documents with Krynkle
Keep a copy of your will, trust, birth and marriage certificates, Social Security cards, insurance papers, medical information, most recent tax return, receipts for high-ticket items and other important documents with Krynkle. Take a picture, scan and save items into your Krynkle folder for a safe secure space.
Break out the camera
Your insurance will pay for everything you lost — up to your policy limits — as a result of a covered “peril,” such as fire or windstorm. To get reimbursed for your personal belongings, most companies require a detailed inventory of every item lost, although some will advance a portion of your contents coverage without this list. While your house is still standing, use an online inventory or app or print a blank one from the California Department of Insurance or consumer group United Policyholders. Store it away from your home or better yet, in the cloud. At the very least, take photos or videos of everything in your home and outbuildings, including the inside of drawers, cabinets and closets.
Know your coverage
Most policies will pay for losses from fire, smoke, wind, hail, water (excluding floods), vandalism and theft. They do not cover losses caused by earthquakes and floods. Those require separate policies.
Make sure you have replacement cost coverage. This will pay to replace your building and contents — up to your policy limits — with new ones of similar kind and quality. Avoid actual cash-value policies, which pay only the depreciated value of what you lost.
It’s good to have extended replacement cost coverage, which will pay a certain amount — 20 percent or more depending on the insurer — above your policy limits. This can help pay for the surge in local building costs that often follow a widespread disaster. Also opt for building code upgrades, which will pay an amount over your policy limit to comply with new code requirements. A guaranteed replacement cost policy will pay to replace your house no matter the cost, but these are not common and very expensive.
Since the recent wildfires, more mainstream or “admitted” insurers are not renewing policies in the urban-wildland interface. Homeowners in those areas may need to seek coverage from a “non-admitted” carrier, such as those affiliated with Lloyd’s of London. Also called surplus lines, these insurers are far less regulated than admitted carriers and do not participate in the California Insurance Guarantee Association, which pays claims if an admitted carrier fails.
Krynkle is a transformative way to manage—and build equity in—your most important asset: your home. It calculates the right amount to spend on remodeling projects, and stores your important project documents and images for you. Learn more at Krynkle.com.
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