Posts Tagged ‘Poor Maintenance’
Homeowners Insurance
What is Homeowners Insurance?
Homeowners Insurance provides you with the coverage in case of a disaster. In the event of a disaster your homeowners insurance will provide you with financial protection. A homeowners insurance policy insures the home in which you live along with the possessions you keep in it.
Home Insurance is a Package Policy
Homeowners insurance is purchased in a package policy. A package policy means that it covers both damage to your property and your liability or legal responsibility for any injuries and property damage you or a member of your household cause to other people. Homeowners insurance also covers damage caused by household pets.
A homeowner’s insurance policy covers most disasters, however there are some exceptions such as floods, earthquakes and poor maintenance (Also known as wear and tear). If you want coverage for floods or earthquakes, you will have to purchase separate policies. However, maintenance related problems are the homeowner’s responsibility to take care of. In fact, keeping up with the maintenance of your home will help to reduce the likelihood of a loss in the future. A good example of this is the replacement of a roof that is showing signs of wear.
Overall it is very important to have homeowners insurance coverage that suits your specific needs. You never know when a loss is going to occur and you are going to need the money to fix it. Take Hurricane Katrina for example; there were many of people that were without homes because they didn’t have flood insurance. That is why it is very important that you get the proper coverage.
Remember that standard homeowner’s policies do not cover flooding so you will have to purchase that separate through your homeowner’s insurance agent. Discuss all of the possible exposures with your agent, broker, or insurance company.
Replacement Cost
Replacement cost coverage is available for the structure of your home; This allows you to repair the home to the state that it was before the damage took place. Actual cash value coverage is replacement cost less depreciation. The older your possessions are, the less you will recover from the homeowners insurance company.
Renters Insurance
Not only is insurance coverage available for homeowners it is also available for the people who rent apartments or houses. If you rent a house and you have a renters insurance policy, you will be covered in the event of a loss. The coverage for a renter is relatively inexpensive and will cover your property, your liability, and loss of use of the home due to a covered loss.
Coverage Types
The standard homeowner’s insurance policy includes four different types of coverage.
1)The coverage for the structure of your home is offered by the homeowner’s insurance company. This means that they will repair or rebuild your home in the event of a covered loss.
2)The coverage for your personal belongings that you have in your home is also covered by the homeowner’s insurance company. This means in the event of a claim that is covered by your insurance policy, your personal belongings will be able to be replaced. Note: It is a good idea to carry replacement cost coverage for your contents. This way, your items are not depreciated if there is a loss. With replacement cost coverage, your property can be replaced with items of like kind and quality.
3)Liability protection covers you in case of a law suit against bodily injury or property damage that you are your family members caused to another party.
4)Additional living expenses if you are temporarily unable to live in your home because of an insured disaster.
There can be more to a home insurance policy and there are limitations for certain types of property. It is best to discuss these options with a representative at the time your are applying for coverage.
Tags: Disaster Insurance, Earthquakes, Exposures, Flood Insurance, Floods, Home Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Household Pets, Hurricane Katrina, Insurance Agent, Insurance Company, Insurance Coverage, Insurance Homeowners, Insurance Policy, Legal Responsibility, Likelihood, Poor Maintenance, Possessions, Proper Coverage, Wear And TearRelated posts
Homeowners Insurance
What is Homeowners Insurance?
Homeowners Insurance provides you with the coverage in case of a disaster. In the event of a disaster your homeowners insurance will provide you with financial protection. A homeowners insurance policy insures the home in which you live along with the possessions you keep in it.
Home Insurance is a Package Policy
Homeowners insurance is purchased in a package policy. A package policy means that it covers both damage to your property and your liability or legal responsibility for any injuries and property damage you or a member of your household cause to other people. Homeowners insurance also covers damage caused by household pets.
A homeowner’s insurance policy covers most disasters, however there are some exceptions such as floods, earthquakes and poor maintenance (Also known as wear and tear). If you want coverage for floods or earthquakes, you will have to purchase separate policies. However, maintenance related problems are the homeowner’s responsibility to take care of. In fact, keeping up with the maintenance of your home will help to reduce the likelihood of a loss in the future. A good example of this is the replacement of a roof that is showing signs of wear.
Overall it is very important to have homeowners insurance coverage that suits your specific needs. You never know when a loss is going to occur and you are going to need the money to fix it. Take Hurricane Katrina for example; there were many of people that were without homes because they didn’t have flood insurance. That is why it is very important that you get the proper coverage.
Remember that standard homeowner’s policies do not cover flooding so you will have to purchase that separate through your homeowner’s insurance agent. Discuss all of the possible exposures with your agent, broker, or insurance company.
Replacement Cost
Replacement cost coverage is available for the structure of your home; This allows you to repair the home to the state that it was before the damage took place. Actual cash value coverage is replacement cost less depreciation. The older your possessions are, the less you will recover from the homeowners insurance company.
Renters Insurance
Not only is insurance coverage available for homeowners it is also available for the people who rent apartments or houses. If you rent a house and you have a renters insurance policy, you will be covered in the event of a loss. The coverage for a renter is relatively inexpensive and will cover your property, your liability, and loss of use of the home due to a covered loss.
Coverage Types
The standard homeowner’s insurance policy includes four different types of coverage.
1)The coverage for the structure of your home is offered by the homeowner’s insurance company. This means that they will repair or rebuild your home in the event of a covered loss.
2)The coverage for your personal belongings that you have in your home is also covered by the homeowner’s insurance company. This means in the event of a claim that is covered by your insurance policy, your personal belongings will be able to be replaced. Note: It is a good idea to carry replacement cost coverage for your contents. This way, your items are not depreciated if there is a loss. With replacement cost coverage, your property can be replaced with items of like kind and quality.
3)Liability protection covers you in case of a law suit against bodily injury or property damage that you are your family members caused to another party.
4)Additional living expenses if you are temporarily unable to live in your home because of an insured disaster.
There can be more to a home insurance policy and there are limitations for certain types of property. It is best to discuss these options with a representative at the time your are applying for coverage.
Tags: Disaster Insurance, Earthquakes, Exposures, Flood Insurance, Floods, Home Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Household Pets, Hurricane Katrina, Insurance Agent, Insurance Company, Insurance Coverage, Insurance Homeowners, Insurance Policy, Legal Responsibility, Likelihood, Poor Maintenance, Possessions, Proper Coverage, Wear And TearRelated posts
Home And Contents Insurance. Poor Maintenance Can Invalidate Your Cover.
Most home and contents insurance claims proceed smoothly, except perhaps for occasional disagreements about how much something was worth. But another re-occurring difficulty is where damage is due to poor building maintenance. The homeowner has a duty of care and the insurers take a dim view of claims that the homeowner could, and should have, avoided. AS a result insurers may scale down or even reject your claim.
To avoid such problems you should give your house an annual Maintenance MOT. A springtime check would be good. By carrying out just a few simple checks, it should be possible to find problems at an early stage.
Rain, wind, snow and frost place some of the biggest day-to-day strains on the structure of your home. Consequently, most homes develop a few problems in the autumn and winter months, so a springtime check can save much time and expense further down the line.
It’s not as if you’ll be paying money that you could claim later on an insurance claim. Indeed, any costs you claim that were really a maintenance issue, will be rejected by your insurance company.
Here’s our 10 point springtime MOT for your home:
• Clean out the gutters. Autumn can be especially hard on gutters as lots of debris can accumulate. That must be removed. Blocked gutters and down spouts can quickly cause enormous damage if water is left to overflow and penetrate the structure. But please be careful with this job. Working up ladders is dangerous so why not get your window cleaner to do the job!
• Now get your binoculars out and check the roof. Search for cracked, loose or slipped tiles. A leaking roof can result in costly damage. Ceiling damage, rot, redecoration can quickly swallow up money. Then there’s the a safety issue. If a tile slips off, someone could be badly injured. Even your car could take a direct hit!
• Check out your exterior paintwork. Any cracked, peeling, or blistered paintwork needs attention. Touch it up to preserve the wood from damage. Summer time can be surprisingly hard on paintwork. High temperatures and big temperature changes create expansion and contraction cracks ready to let in the following winter to do its worst.
• If you’ve heavily used an open fire during the winter, get the chimney swept. Heavy build-ups of soot can easily catch fire and during the summer the soot absorbs damp.
• Take a walk around the house and make sure that nothing is covering over the damp course. Pilled up garden rubbish is the most common offender. Grass cuttings are not your home’s best friend! If damp gets past the damp course your walls inside will get damp resulting in damaged to plasterwork decoration. Over time, rot will set in.
• When you are planting shrubs and trees you need to ensure that their roots are not going to cause future damage. If roots penetrate your drains or get into your foundations you’re in for horrendous bills. Willow and Popular trees are some of the worst offenders. Are you aware that you shouldn’t have a Popular tree within 150 feet of your property? If a new house is built within this distance, it has to have specially reinforced foundations!
• Whilst on the subject of trees, you probably think that your buildings insurance will cover damage caused by falling trees. Yes they will - if the tree was well maintained. But what happens if the tree was rotten or already damaged? Yep, you’ve guessed it, that’s a maintenance issue. You’re liable! Unless you can show that you took reasonable care of the trees, the insurer can refuse any subsequent claim. If have big trees you could have big problems. You are advised to get an annual report from a tree surgeon detailing any work that is needed – and don’t forget to carry it out and keep the paperwork! Such action demonstrates that you have taken due care and therefore, any related claim will be accepted.
• Do you have any climbing plants on the house? Check out that they haven’t caused damage to your brickwork or render. Ivy is the biggest offender. And never let climbing plants get onto your roof – that’s a recipe for disaster!
• Now go inside your house. Remember to have your central heating boiler serviced – it’s been a hard winter! And get its carbon monoxide emissions checked. Whilst the engineer’s there, also get him to give your radiators the once over.
• Finally, up into the loft. Check for signs of leaks and rodent damage to the wiring. Squirrels love warm lofts and they love the insulation around wiring! The fire brigade hate squirrels! And a dirty job. Whilst you there, remove any old bird or wasp nests and block up the openings.
Take these steps and you’re unlikely to run into a problem with any structural insurance claim. Your home will also love you!
Tags: Annual Maintenance, Autumn And Winter, Building Maintenance, Costly Damage, Dim View, Duty Of Care, Enormous Damage, Frost Place, Home And Contents, Home And Contents Insurance, Insurance Claim, Insurance Claims, Leaking Roof, Maintenance Issue, Occasional Disagreements, Poor Maintenance, Rain Wind, Redecoration, Springtime, Stage Rain