Spring Cleaning Your Home? Make Sure Your Insurance Keeps Up

Daylight Saving Time has returned, and spring has officially arrived. As temperatures climb, many people are taking part in the ritual of spring cleaning. This practice often involves archiving or disposing of old documents, particularly as Americans gather their receipts and records for Tax Day. Consider taking this opportunity to freshen up your homeowners insurance.

Outdated policy documents may fall into this category, but please don’t think of your homeowners insurance as something that collects dust. Your insurance policy should evolve to reflect your current life and your present needs. Reviewing your policy regularly is the best way to make sure you have the right coverage in place.

Review Your Current Homeowners Insurance

The best place to start is with your existing coverage. What protection do you currently have in place? Has anything changed? Consider any repairs and upgrades, such as a roof replacement or updated kitchen. Review your policy documents, and highlight any areas that have changed or about which you have questions.

Also, take into account life changes—marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, death. Some circumstances may involve changing the name on the deed. Make sure the name on the policy matches the deed to avoid future headaches.

Make Sure Your Coverage Limits Reflect Rebuilding Costs

You’ve no doubt seen headlines about rising costs in recent years. While inflation has started to stabilize, rebuilding costs remain elevated compared to levels just a few years ago.

Earlier this year, insurance rating bureau Verisk reported that reconstruction costs, including labor and materials, increased 3.8% nationally between January 2025 and January 2026—down from a 5% increase the previous year.

However, these year-over-year changes don’t tell the full story. According to data from organizations such as the National Association of Home Builders and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction costs remain significantly higher than they were before the pandemic, with increases of roughly 30% to 40% over the past decade.

If you purchased your home—or set your insurance limits—several years ago and haven’t revisited your coverage, your limits may no longer reflect today’s rebuilding costs. Check with your insurance partner, who can provide updated estimates for your area.

Review Coverage for High-Value Items

Homeowners insurance includes various limits for different categories of property, including jewelry, fine art, and other collectibles. Check your policy limits against the current value of your possessions to ensure that you have adequate protection. You may need a special policy, known as a rider, to cover these high-value items.

Even if you already have riders in place, when was the last time you had your jewelry or art appraised? Most insurance companies recommend appraising jewelry, for instance, every two to three years. Up-to-date appraisals can help prevent both underinsurance and overpayment of premiums.

Reevaluate Your Insurance Deductible

Look at your current deductible (the amount of money paid out of pocket before insurance kicks in). If you’ve had your policy for several years, your financial situation may have changed, and you might want to rethink your deductible amounts.

As a reminder, higher deductibles reduce premiums, while lower deductibles mean higher premiums. Raising your deductible tells your insurance provider that you’re willing to absorb more risk and pay for small claims out of pocket. This move is one of the easiest ways to lower your insurance costs. But maybe things have changed, and you need to lower your deductible. Your premiums will go up, but you won’t have to pay as much in case of a claim. Once again, your insurance partner can provide the information you need to make the right decision for you.

Update or Create a Home Inventory

If your spring cleaning includes decluttering your home, now is the perfect time to update your home inventory. Having an accurate home inventory will help your insurance partner make sure your policy has the correct level of coverage, including special riders for high-value items. More importantly, this tool will also save you a great deal of stress in the event of a fire, theft or other loss.

If you have any questions about this article or your current homeowners insurance policy, please call us at 877-576-5200 or request a free, no-obligation policy review.