A median of $206,700 across housing that in places is more than a century old. When a loss opens up an old building, what is found inside it can cost more to deal with than the damage did.
Asbestos and lead remediation after a loss is frequently limited or excluded. On old housing that is a live gap.
Three things about repairing a building made of old materials.
Opening a wall in a house built before the 1980s can expose asbestos in insulation, flooring or texture, and lead in paint. Once disturbed, those materials must be handled by licensed contractors under specific rules. The remediation can cost more than the original repair and it is a direct consequence of the claim.
Most homeowners forms restrict or exclude cover for pollutants, and asbestos frequently falls inside that wording. Some carriers offer a limited amount for remediation following a covered loss, and the figure is usually modest. It is worth knowing whether yours offers anything at all.
Where code requires the work to be done to current standards, ordinance or law cover can address some of the additional cost. On old housing it is one of the more valuable endorsements and it is commonly absent because nobody raised it.
The materials the building is made of.
It predicts what is likely to be in the walls.
Usually limited, sometimes absent, rarely discussed.
It reaches part of the code-driven cost.
Tell us roughly when the house was built and what has been renovated.
We look for remediation cover, which old houses need and rarely have.
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