| Standard homeowners policies have gaps that affect custom homes in Connecticut, especially in Fairfield County. We discuss why and offer some better options |
In Fairfield County, Connecticut, homeowners with high-value homes, whether historical or custom-built, may need a customized homeowners insurance policy to fill important gaps. Standard policies are designed to meet the needs of a typical home with typical risks. But a custom-built or historical Connecticut home may have high-end finishes, structural details that would be expensive to replicate, and a replacement value that exceeds what a standard homeowners policy covers.
The Coverage Gap Most High-Value Homeowners Have Never Tested
Limits on most homeowners insurance policies are set at binding (when the policy becomes active) using automated valuation tools rather than independent appraisals. These tools estimate the replacement value based on construction costs for a typical home in a given region and property type. They do not account for the actual specifications of any given home, and they do not update automatically as construction costs rise.
In Fairfield County, Connecticut, the cost to rebuild a home typically ranges from $500 to $800 per square foot for custom residential construction. A policy limit set by an automated tool three or four years ago will fall well short of those numbers. And as construction costs rise, the gap between what a policy will pay and what a rebuild actually costs will continue to widen without any notice from the carrier.
Where Standard Policies Fall Short for Custom Connecticut Homes
Standard policies fail to meet the needs of many high-net-worth homeowners in Fairfield County, particularly regarding replacement-cost caps and personal-property sublimits.
Replacement Cost Caps
When the replacement cost exceeds the policy limit, the homeowner must absorb the difference. No claims, dispute, or complaint process will change that. The policy pays up to its stated limit and stops, regardless of the actual reconstruction costs.
For a home with a replacement value meaningfully above the limit on its insurance policy’s declarations page, that gap represents uninsured exposure the homeowner is carrying. Often, no one has measured that gap since the policy was first written.
Personal Property Sublimits
Standard policies have per-category sublimits for personal property, regardless of the policy’s overall coverage amount. Jewelry, for example, is typically capped at $1,500 to $2,500. Fine art coverage is typically capped at $2,500 to $5,000. A household with significant collections, meaningful jewelry, or high-value furnishings will find those sublimits fall well short of what they need to cover their loss.
These caps are not shown prominently on the declarations page, and they apply whether or not the homeowner is aware of them.
Liability Exposure That Scales With Net Worth
Standard policies typically cap liability coverage at $500,000. For high-net-worth households in Connecticut, that ceiling is increasingly insufficient. A serious injury on the property, a domestic staff incident, or a dog liability claim can lead to damages that exceed standard limits before the matter reaches trial.
An umbrella policy extends liability protection beyond the base policy, building on whatever the base policy provides.
Why Fairfield County Homeowners Experience This Problem More Than Most
Fairfield County has a concentration of custom-built, waterfront, and historical homes that standard insurance policies were not designed to price accurately. A carrier that competes effectively on a standard colonial in another part of the state will produce a conservative, automated valuation on a custom waterfront home in Greenwich or Westport.
Standard carriers competing on price in this market have an incentive to set conservative replacement values at the time of binding. A lower stated replacement cost produces a lower premium, which wins the account. The homeowner has no independent basis for comparison at that point and no particular reason to question the figure on the declarations page. The resulting gap grows with each renewal cycle and remains invisible until tested by a claim.
What High-Value Home Insurance Provides Instead
High-value home programs address the specific gaps that standard policies leave open. For example, guaranteed replacement cost coverage pays the full cost of rebuilding the home to its original specifications regardless of whether that cost exceeds the stated policy limit.
High-value home programs also cover personal property on a scheduled basis, with limits that reflect actual appraised values rather than standard sublimits. Liability coverage starts with higher base limits, and domestic staff coverage is included as a standard component rather than a policy add-on that must be purchased separately.
The premium difference between a standard policy and a high-value home program is smaller than most homeowners expect once they compare what is actually covered. While a policy with guaranteed replacement and higher liability costs more than a standard policy, that cost is usually far less than the uninsured portion of a significant claim.
Secure Better Protection Through the Right Broker
Many homeowners accept the policy their carrier offers and renew it each year without question. Some may not realize the construction market has outpaced their coverage until it’s too late and they’ve had to file a claim.
For over a century, JMG Insurance Corp has been helping homeowners in Connecticut enjoy knowing their homes and property are financially secure. Contact us today for a high-value home review and find out whether your insurance policy actually protects what your Connecticut home is worth.
