Mia Plitt, Author at Amaden Gay Agencies

IMPORTANT INSURANCE TIPS

Water damage to a home is one of the most common types of insurance claims. Your home is vulnerable to water damage all year round. While it’s impossible to completely prevent water-related losses, these tips will help minimize your risk:

1. Have your roof inspected periodically and clean your gutters and drains regularly.

2. Perform regular maintenance on appliances including water heaters, dishwashers, ice makers, refrigerators and air conditioners.

3. Install metal braided hoses to your washing machine with an overflow pan beneath it. Faulty or old rubber washing machine hoses are one of the leading causes of water damage in homes, as rubber hoses can dry, crack and eventually break.

4. Install a condensate pump and float switch on your air conditioning unit.

5. Drain the water from your faucets, and manually shut off the main water supply before leaving for vacation.

6. Have someone regularly check on your home while you are away, especially during cold weather.

7. Install a water leak detection system that automatically shuts-off the main water supply and activates a central station alarm or sends an alert to your smartphone.

8. Install a low temperature monitoring system that activates a central station alarm.

9. Speak with your insurance advisor about the water damage-related coverages that your policy provides, such as “Water Back-up and Sump Discharge or Overflow” and “Mold Remediation.”

10. Consider buying flood insurance even if your home is not near a body of water or in a hazardous flood zone. It’s important to protect your home against flooding from heavy rain.

IMPORTANT INSURANCE TIPS

The increase in both frequency and severity of natural disasters in recent years will have a broad impact on the insurance market. Although events, like the California wildfires and East Coast hurricanes, are regional, they affect the overall pricing of insurance worldwide.

Insurance companies use a portion of premiums to buy coverage from other insurers, known as reinsurance, to protect themselves from catastrophic events. The heightened risk of events like wildfire, flood and hurricanes, will cause reinsurance rates to skyrocket which will likely result in increased rates for homeowner and flood insurance.

Here are a few tips on how to lessen the risk of having your car stolen:

1. Think of your insurance policies to cover large claims and, if possible, try to pay for smaller damage out-of-pocket. Frequent claims, even smaller ones, can lead to increased premiums.

2. Save on your premiums up-front by taking a higher deductible and put the savings in a fund to pay for small losses.

3. Consider adding protective devices to your home that will mitigate loss and reduce your insurance premiums. For example, adding an automatic water shut-off valve to your water main will prevent a large water damage loss and save 5% or more on your homeowner rates.

4. Review your policies with your insurance broker so you understand your coverage, deductibles and look for areas where you may be able to reduce your costs while maintaining comprehensive coverage.

Author: Mia Plitt

WATER DAMAGE: THE MOST COMMON INSURANCE CLAIM

IMPORTANT INSURANCE TIPS

HOW DO NATURAL DISASTERS AFFECT INSURANCE RATES?

IMPORTANT INSURANCE TIPS

Here are a few tips on how to lessen the risk of having your car stolen: