Did you know that homeowners’ insurance can help keep you protected against frivolous lawsuits? Let’s say some buffoon decides to take a jump over your fence and into your swimming pool. If he hurts himself, he could sue you and win big. This is one of the many reasons you need insurance and one of the reasons you need these tips to help you find the best deal on a package.
Many renters fail to acquire renter’s insurance. While a home’s structure might be covered under the landlord’s fire insurance, the contents inside will not be. Shop around and compare the types of coverage and costs you can get on a renter’s homeowner’s insurance policy to protect your valuables.
If you have expensive landscaping around your home, consider purchasing separate insurance for it. Most basic homeowners insurance policies will not cover damage from wind or other environmental factors to landscaping. This means that if your expensive imported trees come down in the wind, your homeowners insurance policy will generally not cover it.
When buying a home, don’t forget to purchase flood insurance. It is not a given that your policy will include flood insurance. If you lose your home and its contents in a severe flood, you will be faced with anxiety, grief and frustration as it is. If you do not have adequate coverage, these emotions will no doubt be increased tenfold.
There are two ways to save money on homeowners insurance. The first step is to have a quality security system installed. Your annual premium could potentially be reduced by 5%. Be aware that you have to show your insurer a bill or contract as proof that a security system is working in your home. Also, make sure you have smoke alarms installed in the house. You could save up to 10% every year.
To reduce the price of your home insurance, you need to decrease the risks of accident. You can start by buying fire proof furniture and materials. Install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Your insurance company will consider your home as safer, and in case of fire you should be able to contain the fire more easily.
Before talking to a claims adjustor, get quotes from contractors in your area. Retain all receipts for any emergency work done. Keep receipts of all money spent on any temporary lodging, since these might be totally reimbursable under your coverage.
Your jewelry, electronics, and other valuable items will be very difficult to replace in a homeowner’s insurance claim if you don’t make the effort to document each of them with photographs. Documenting all your possessions takes a lot of time, but it is the only way to make sure you will get what these items are worth if they are damaged or stolen.
Value Items
If you have high-value items, they may not be covered completely by typical homeowner’s insurance. For example, expensive jewelry may need to be appraised, and then the insurer will issue a rider to cover the item in case it’s stolen or damaged. Make sure to mention high-value items to your agent, to make the process of filing a claim easier, should you need to do so.
If you’re worried about flooding and you don’t live inside a designated flood area, you can research the cost of adding this kind of protection to your homeowner’s insurance coverage. About one-quarter of the federal disaster claims made for flooding come from homes and residences outside of high-risk areas. When your area is at low risk of floods, you’ll save money on flood insurance, too.
You can save thousands of dollars and years of payments by making your mortgage payment on a bi-weekly basis, instead of monthly. Ask your mortgage holder about setting you up on this payment program. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, you will end up making an additional couple of payments without breaking the bank or your budget.
Pay your home insurance yearly instead of monthly. Breaking it in to monthly payments may make it seem to be cheaper but if you save the money to pay it in full for the year, you will get a discount for making that payment. This can save you a good bit of money over the years.
If you have other people living in your home, check your homeowner’s policy to find out what the coverage is in case of a disaster. There are policies that cover everything on site, and there are other policies that only protect your belongings. Confirm the extent of the coverage if you do not want to pay your roommate’s losses out of pocket after a disaster.
Don’t wait around until someone attempts to take you to court for something out of your control. Make sure you’re always protected with the best homeowners coverage possible. Use the tips we outlined in the above article to save money on a quality insurance plan. You never know when something bad or very strange is going to happen.