UPC Learning Center

Talk about urban legends…this is a big one! Every property is in a flood zone, but some are more likely to flood than others. Lenders require flood insurance if your home is located in a higher flood hazard area (A and V zones), but not if it’s in a lower flood hazard area (B, C, and X zones). Just because the lender doesn’t require flood coverage doesn’t mean your house can’t flood. According to National Flood Insurance Program statistics, more than 25 percent of all floods occur in lower flood hazard areas. Even minor flooding can cause significant damage, and it can be covered only by purchasing a separate flood policy.

Your deductible is the part of the loss that you are responsible for. If your loss is less than your deductible, your insurance pays nothing. Deciding on deductible amounts is different for each person, but you should consider what your potential financial condition may be after a loss occurs. The higher the deductible amount or percentage, the heavier the financial burden is when you have a loss.

The deductible amount is your responsibility and is subtracted from the amount of the claim. For example: if a fire causes $10,000 in damage and your deductible is $1,000, the company will send you a check for $9,000

Only you have the right to request cancellation of your insurance policy. In order to cancel the policy, you should notify your agent, in writing, to process the cancellation.

Changes in coverage or lenders can be made only by you, since you are the insured. Any type of change that needs to be made should be done in writing to your agent. Your agent will notify us so that we can make those changes on your behalf.

Insurance policies are there to pay claims when they happen. It’s not typical for a company to cancel a policy just because you file a claim. Most claims are not preventable, and insurance companies understand that. However, when claims happen because the person insured doesn’t properly maintain the property, or the same type of claim happens over and over, then companies take a closer look and will often not offer a renewal for that policy. Insurance companies pool every policyholder’s money together to pay claims. When someone has claims as discussed above and does not try to keep the same type of claim from happening again, it ultimately drives everyone’s premiums up. In order to keep rates fairly level, it’s in the best interest of all the other policyholders for some policies to be canceled.

Immediately notify UPC by:

• Calling 1-888-CLM-DEPT (888-256-3378)
• Filing a new claim on the UPC Insurance website
• Contacting your insurance agent

When contacting UPC Insurance about a claim, be ready to provide:

• Your name, address, and phone number
• Names and addresses of witnesses or injured persons
• General loss information
• Your policy number (if available)

• A UPC claims professional will review your report and start the claims process.
• We will assign a claim number for tracking purposes.
• We will assign the claim to an adjuster who will contact you and answer any questions you may have concerning the process.
• Depending on the type of claim and your needs, we may offer emergency services from one of our approved vendors.
• If you have any questions after completing your claims report, you can contact us by calling 1-888-CLM-DEPT (888-256-3378) or submit an existing claim inquiry online.

An adjuster will be assigned to your claim, and they will make direct contact usually within the next business day. When warranted, the adjuster will coordinate an inspection of the damages. The adjuster will prepare an estimate of the damages, review all investigative material, review the policy coverage, and handle accordingly. Certain types of claims do not require direct inspection and will be handled by other methods.

• The adjuster assigned to your claim will contact you directly; or
• You may call 1-888-CLM-DEPT (888-256-3378) or log in to the Policyholder Center.

• If the claim is reported with a valid policy number to UPC over the phone, a claim number will be provided at the completion of the call.
• If the claim is reported online, a claim number will be emailed to you within one business day.
• If the claim is reported to your agent, the claim number will be provided by your UPC claims professional.
• If you don’t receive a claim number as outlined above, you may call 1-888-CLM-DEPT (888-256-3378).

• You may contact your adjuster directly by calling
  1-888-CLM-DEPT (888-256-3378); or
• You may submit an existing claim inquiry online.

Your Duties After a Loss:

In case of a loss to your property, please follow the duties below:

1. Provide immediate notice to UPC or your agent of how and when the loss occurred by calling 1-888-CLM-DEPT (888-256-3378), filing a new claim on the UPC Insurance website, or contacting your insurance agent.
2. Notify the police in case of theft or vandalism.
3. Protect the property from further damage. If repairs to the property are required immediately, you must:
   1. Take pictures of damages.
   2. Make reasonable and necessary repairs to protect the property.
   3. Keep an accurate record of repair expenses.
   4. Prepare an inventory of damaged personal property showing the quantity, description, actual cash value and amount of loss.
   5. Maintain receipts for additional living expenses incurred and records that support the fair rental value loss.
   6. If the loss is related to a credit card, or a bank electronic transfer card, notify the financial institution.

Please refer to your policy for all Duties After a Loss conditions.

UPC Insurance will email and text you the home self-inspection link within ten days from the effective date of the policy. You can use either the email or text message option to start the process. It's an easy step-by-step process that follows the format of a 4-point inspection. You have 14 days to complete the home self-inspection.

Yes, the home self-inspection is required. If you are unable to complete the inspection, forward the email/text to someone who can complete the inspection on your behalf.

There will be three notifications sent to you. The initial notification is sent to you within ten days after the policy effective date via email and/or text message. If there is no response, a reminder is sent three days later. A third and final notification is sent within seven days of the second reminder. 

The agent will receive a notification at the time of binding if you have been selected for a Home Self-Inspection. The agent will not receive a copy of the emails or texts sent to you.

You should only complete the parts of the inspection you are able to easily access. For example, if the air conditioner unit is in the attic, you can simply add a comment regarding the location to bypass the photo requirement.

UPC Insurance will send three different communications to you regarding your home self-inspection. However, failure to respond to the third self-inspection attempt will result in policy cancellation due to failure to inspect. The agent will receive the cancellation notice in their respective policy administration system.

We will consider a full home inspection or 4-point inspection as an exception to the UPC home self-inspection. The inspection cannot be older than 12 months and must contain pictures and inspection notes outlining the condition of the home (including the roof, air/heating system, plumbing, and electrical system at minimum).

UPC Insurance responds with strength and diligence.

Bridging the gap between homeowners insurance and the threat of flood damage is half the story. Dependable flood coverage requires a strong, knowledgeable company to quickly process diverse claims.

Handling claims is even more critical in areas where disaster can strike with the suddenness and selectivity of lightning and storms. As a stable company, UPC Insurance has the experience, the strength, and the will to do whatever it takes to help when you need it most.

Our quick response is one of the reasons that UPC Insurance continues to grow while serving the protection needs of the American family. 

Federal assistance isn’t always available.

Only 50% of all floods generate federal assistance. Then, even if you do qualify, and the President declares a disaster emergency, the support is usually in the form of a loan that you will have to pay back with interest.

You can’t afford not to have it.

Although the damage caused by floods can be extremely debilitating to anyone, the cost of flood insurance is relatively low. When you live in a low- to medium-risk area, flood insurance is less expensive than it is for those living in high-risk areas. Nevertheless, you obtain the same benefits of security and peace of mind.

Insurance scores are an objective tool that are predictive of insurance claims and losses, which is why UPC Insurance and other insurers use this information. Insurance scores help streamline our decision process in order to offer better coverage and pricing to our customers and keep our overall rates competitive. Some of the variables used in calculating an insurance score are:

• Outstanding debt
• Length of credit history
• Late payments
• New applications for credit
• Types of credit used
• Payment patterns
• Available credit
• Public records
• Past-due amounts

An insurance score cannot employ any personal information to determine your score. Race, color, national origin, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, address, education level, salary, disability, occupation, title, employer, date employed, or employment history are not used for scoring purposes. Additionally, inquiries made for account reviews, promotional inquiries from credit companies, or any information not found in the credit report are not used in calculating an insurance score. Finally, other variables that, by law, may not be considered, are also disregarded.

Although the insurance score is based, in part, on a consumer’s credit information, an insurance score measures the potential for future loss, while a credit score measures the probability of repayment, of the likelihood of default, on a credit obligation. Obtaining an insurance score does not negatively impact your financial credit score, as running a credit score does.

An insurance score is provided to UPC Insurance through third-party vendors; however, these third-party vendors neither make the decision regarding UPC Insurance’s rates, nor can they provide you with any reason a particular underwriting decision was made.

If UPC Insurance determines you will not receive our best rate, or coverage is denied, a notice will be sent to you in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The notice will explain what information from your credit report or loss history information impacted your insurance premium.

The notice will also explain your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and provide you with instructions to contact the consumer reporting agencies, dispute any inaccurate information.

This is what it will cost you to buy new items to replace damaged ones.

Actual cash value is what your things are worth today based on their expected lifespan and age.

Liability insurance covers you if someone comes into your home and is hurt, either because of something you did or because you didn’t prevent it. Without insurance, liability can cost you big if someone is injured in your home.

Insurance companies know that if you are underinsured, everyone loses, so they charge you a penalty for being insured for less than 80 percent of the value of your home.

Replacement value is what it would cost you to rebuild your home exactly as it was. Replacement value can be determined via an appraisal or by checking out the Cost Calculator on this web site.

Market value is what you would get if you sold your home—but that number is not the same as rebuilding and replacing a home!

Insurable value is the amount of coverage you purchase, which should be equal to the replacement value. It doesn’t include the value of your land because that should still be there after a loss.

The variety of things you can do to your home to make it safer in a storm and save you money.

When a home must be rebuilt, it must be rebuilt to current codes and laws—even if your original home did not meet those codes