There are many, many reasons that you need to be protected by insurance as a homeowner. Even if someone is trespassing on your property and gets attacked by your dog, you could be on the hook for the hospital bills. It’s crazy, yes, but that’s how the system works. Use these insurance tips to make sure you’re always protected.
A renter’s insurance policy for your home is inexpensive and will protect your valuables in the event of certain types of loss or damage. Although the structure of your home may be protected by your landlord’s fire insurance, your personal belongings won’t be. You should have your own renter’s policy to make sure everything you have is covered.
Check the provisions for “due diligence” on your homeowner’s insurance policy. If you have neglected to keep up with regular home maintenance, your insurance policy may not cover the problems that result from that negligence. Check with your insurance agent about what types of documentation is required to prove you have been doing the maintenance.
When considering home insurance, consider how important it is to have a higher or lower deductible. With a lower deductible, your rates will be higher throughout the year, but you’ll have to pay less for damages to your house. With a higher deductible, you keep more money in your pocket in terms of paying your premium, however most smaller claims will cost less than your deductible amount.
There are many things homeowners can do to reduce their premiums. The materials you build your home from can affect your insurance rates. Wood is cheaper than steel to build with, but wood is more of a risk and will drive up the cost of your insurance.
Before speaking with a claims adjuster about your homeowner’s insurance claims, get some repair estimates from trusted local businesses. This will give you some ammo against the insurance company when they tell you how much something will cost to repair or replace. Also, emergency repairs that you make to keep the damage from getting worse will be covered, as long as you keep receipts.
If your home is damaged severely with water, do not dispose of any destroyed property before your insurance adjuster can assess the damage. You can remove destroyed items from the home so that they do not cause further water damage to floors or other items, but leave them on the property. Failure to do so means you may not be compensated for those items.
Paying off your mortgage can save you a lot of money on homeowner’s insurance. This shows that you are going to take better care of your home. You are viewed as less of a risk, so your insurer may reward you with a discount on your yearly premiums. The sooner you pay off your mortgage, the better. Upon doing so, immediately contact your agent to apply the new discounts.
Make sure you have homeowner’s insurance that includes a guaranteed replacement value policy. Doing so means that the insurance company will have to cover the whole cost of rebuilding your home in case of disaster. Since these costs tend to rise as time goes by, this policy will guarantee that you can afford to replace your home.
Flood Insurance
In order to reduce your premium costs, think about increasing your policy’s deductible. Ensure you have the money on hand to cover smaller claims as your insurance will no longer pay for them.
You may think you don’t live close enough to a body of water to have to worry about flood insurance…but think again. Before you decide you don’t need it, assess the flood risk for your geographical area. You will be surprised at the unexpected parts of the country which have experienced floods in the past year or two, and if you live in or near on of these areas, flood insurance may be right for you. FEMA.gov is one site that provides information on flood risks for all parts of the U.S.
To protect your personal property in a rented residence, you need renter’s insurance. The landlord or property owner will have insurance to cover losses on the building, but not on the items inside your unit. This is your responsibility. Fortunately, renter’s insurance is quite affordable, and available from most insurance companies and independent agents.
Always have functioning smoke detectors in your house. They are usually already installed inside newer homes. If not, you should install a detector in your living room, bedrooms and kitchen. Besides the fact they can save your life in case of a fire, you will pay hundreds of dollars less each year on your home owner’s insurance premium.
Just about anything can happen and leave you on the hook for some big bucks. Unless you’re protected, you could end up losing your house for multiple reasons. Follow these tips and use them to work up a solid insurance policy that’s affordable and that provides ample protection for your home.