Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Theft Outside the Home?

True or false? Does homeowners insurance cover theft outside your home? If you said false, that's okay. Not many people know that in many cases, their homeowner's policy is a catch-all insurance policy for incidents that occur outside their home, including theft.

Many personal property losses due to theft outside your home may be covered by off-premises coverage, which is included standard in many policies. (And if it is not included in your policy, an off-premises rider to your coverage can be added for a small extra charge.)

Your homeowners insurance policy provides coverage for your items while you are traveling too,
covering you in the event of lost luggage, items stolen from your hotel room, and loss of any personal possessions you ship back home during your travels. So if you are planning to travel, make certain that your homeowners insurance policy coverage protects all the valuable items that you bring along on the trip.

By the way, did you know that if your children are college students, your homeowner's policy may even extend to losses from theft they suffer? That's right! Many policies include off-premises coverage that extends to the homeowner's children who are students and live in the dorm. So property stolen from a dorm room, or when they're studying, such as a laptop stolen while they were at the library, may be covered. (Any homework stored on the stolen laptop won't be covered. It is, however, a better excuse than the old "dog ate my homework"!)

(Sources: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/homeowners-insurance-cover-theft-outsidehome-
53333.html; https://insurance.freeadvice.com/information/home/article/290)

Replacement Cost vs. Market Value

How many times have you looked at your Homeowner's policy and thought that the coverage on your house was way too high? And that you could never sell your house for that amount.

With the housing market being what it is, people think that the coverage on their homes should reflect the market value -- but you couldn't be more wrong. The difference between market value and replacement cost is that market value reflects what a home can be sold for but replacement cost is what a home can be re-built for. Do you see the difference?

With the cost of services and materials, you want to make sure that you have enough coverage to rebuild your home in case of a loss. Some may say that they would never rebuild their house the way it is now, but let's consider the problems with that theory if you have a loss and the home is not completely destroyed. For example, say your home is insured for $160,000 but it should be insured for $200,000 and you have a kitchen fire that resulted in $50,000 worth of damage. The fact is, the insurance company will only pay you $40,000, less your deductible. That means that you’ll have to write a check for that remaining $10,000 in order to get your kitchen back in working order.   

The reason behind this is in the numbers.  Because you have only insured your home for 80% of its value, you will only receive payment for 80% of the loss.  If you have questions about replacement cost, contact your insurance agent.

October Home Maintenance Tasks

Every month, we share easy tasks you can do to keep your home in tip-top shape all year long. So here are a few simple tasks you can take on in October!

Pack Away The Air Conditioner - If you use a seasonal air conditioning unit, then now is the time to pack it up for winter! Make sure to spend a few extra minutes cleaning all the filters and coils well. It will keep the unit in great shape and it will last much longer.

Winterize External Plumbing Systems - It's much better to prepare for freezing temperatures before it's freezing! Winterize all exposed outdoor pipes and you'll avoid the trouble when there is snow or ice on the ground.

Check Your Carbon Monoxide Detector - This is an important one! October is a great time to check your carbon monoxide detector to make sure it is performing well. Change the batteries, test it, and replace older units.

Clean Up For Halloween - Trick-or-treating can be a liability hazard! Clean up any loose tree limbs, fill holes in the yard, and remove any fire hazard Halloween decorations before kids are running to your door.

Save on Home Insurance - Homeowners Insurance is an important part of protecting your belongings. To make sure you have the best coverage, call us today for a free, no obligation quote.

Protect Your Family During Severe Weather

Protect Your Family During Severe Weather

Did you know that March is Severe Weather Preparation Month? 

While it may still feel like winter outside, it won’t be long until spring arrives.  And with it comes spring storms!  Is your family prepared?

First things first, make sure you have designated a safe place to go to if the weather gets bad.  It could be a basement, closet, or room with no windows or outside walls.  Make sure this space is cleared out enough that you could easily get your family inside if needed.  (You don’t want to be clearing out the closet if there is a tornado!)

Next, put together a small emergency kit.  What would you need if the power was out?  Consider putting in flashlights, extra batteries, canned food, and plenty of water.  (Don’t forget supplies for your pets too!)

Keep emergency phone numbers in your cell phone contacts, including the phone number for your insurance company!  You could even save a note in your phone with your policy numbers too.

While we can’t prevent bad weather, it’s always great to be as prepared as possible.  Take care of your family first and know that we’ll be there to protect your belongings.  

Out with the old, in with the new!

When was the last time you looked closely at your oil tank?

Does it look more like this?                                                            

Or like this?

The McCurdy Group has recently upgraded our oil tank, and we would like to encourage you to consider doing the same. Did you know that when fuel oils leaks, it has the potential to ruin concrete floors, wood support beams, and even beneath floors and walls. If the area is saturated with fuel oil, demolition and removal can be your only option. And if the fuel oil leaves the house though cracks in the floors, drain tile systems, or sump pump, an environmental investigation may be necessary to check for soil and ground water pollution. The fuel oil can also cause damage to anything that is being stored near the tank.

If your tank look's questionable, you can call River Air HVAC at 774-230-6880. They did a wonderful job replacing our tank, and will be able to help you too.
If you are worried about a leak in your fuel tank these damages may be covered under your homeowners policy or the coverage may be available for purchase, you should contact your insurance agent.

Replacement Cost vs. Market Value

    How many times have you looked at your Homeowner’s policy and thought that the coverage on your house was way too high? And that you could never sell your house for that amount.

     With the housing market being what it is, people think that the coverage on their homes should reflect the market value -- but you couldn’t be more wrong. The difference between market value and replacement cost is that market value reflects what a home can be sold for but replacement cost is what a home can be re-built for. Do you see the difference?

    With the cost of services and materials, you want to make sure that you have enough coverage to rebuild your home in case of a loss. Some may say that they would never rebuild their house the way it is now, but let’s consider the problems with that theory if you have a loss and the home is not completely destroyed. For example, say your home is insured for $160,000 but it should be insured for $200,000 and you have a kitchen fire that resulted in $50,000 worth of damage. The fact is, the insurance company will only pay you $40,000, less your deductible. That means that you’ll have to write a check for that remaining $10,000 in order to get your kitchen back in working order.   

    The reason behind this is in the numbers.  Because you have only insured your home for 80% of its value, you will only receive payment for 80% of the loss.  If you have questions about replacement cost, contact your insurance agent.

Kids Going Away to College

Well it’s that time of year again to prepare for our kids to go back to school and if you are sending them away to college, you have so many things to think about. If you child is not going to be commuting and will be living on campus you need to consider a few things.

Does my homeowner’s or tenant’s policy cover my child while they’re away at college? Well that depends…does your child live in a dorm or do they have their own apartment? If they’re in the dorm room then they would have 10% of your Personal Property coverage limit from your policy BUT if they have their own apartment; then they will need a tenant’s policy for coverage.

Most students have computers that they will be taking with them, do you have that computer scheduled? The basic homeowner’s policies don’t cover the computers if they are dropped, lost, or are damaged by that glass of soda that may get spilled on it. Scheduling that computer will give you peace of mind which is something that is in short supply in these times of change.

Should I Change My Homeowners Insurance Policy if I No Longer Live in It?

A homeowner’s policy is a homeowner’s policy, right? Wrong! If you are planning on moving out of your home and having someone else live in it; you need to contact your Insurance Agent Professional before you do so. The homeowner’s policy covers “owner occupied” homes so once someone else is living in it, the policy is no longer valid. Your property now needs a rental property policy in order for you to have the proper coverage.

Grave Marker Insurance

With the Memorial Day holiday just around the corner, we often visit our deceased family members' plots in the cemetery.  Did you know that your homeowner’s policy covers your relative’s grave markers or mausoleums? Unfortunately, vandalism and theft happen to grave markers and even though your homeowner’s policy won’t cover your emotional upset, it will cover the damage to the grave markers anywhere in the world. The standard Homeowner’s policy pays up to $5000 but check with your Insurance Professional to see what your particular policy covers. 

Should I Contact My Agent If I’ve Made Changes to My Home?

Have you put an addition on your home or updated your kitchen or bath? Should make changes to your insurance policy? The answer is yes. A simple kitchen update from laminate counter tops to granite, installing new cabinets, or adding that jetted tub that you’ve always wanted could increase your home’s value considerably. If you’ve made any updates or added any square footage to your home, please contact your Insurance Agent to discuss whether or not you have adequate coverage to cover all the changes that you’ve made.

Changes to your Home Deed

If you’ve made any changes to the deed to your home, make sure to contact your insurance agent to inform them of the change. Often times we don’t always think to contact our agent if we’ve paid off our mortgage, re-financed our mortgage, added our son or daughter to our deed, got married and added your spouse to the deed, or divorced and removed a name from the deed. Any changes such as these require a change to your Homeowner’s Policy to avoid issues at the time of a claim. If you’ve made changes that affect your deed, please contact your insurance agent to discuss those changes so that your homeowner’s policy can be updated accordingly.

A Vacant Home, Doesn’t My Homeowner’s Policy Still Cover It?

Say you purchase and move into a new home but your old home still hasn’t sold.  Or you have inherited a house and cleaned out all the contents.  Should you be concerned about the homeowner’s coverage on these homes? YES! The moment that you move everything out of the home, that home is no longer occupied and your homeowner’s policy needs to be changed.

After 30 days of being vacant, the following coverages are no longer available:

• Vandalism
• Malicious mischief
• Glass

After 60 days of being vacant, the following coverages are also removed:

• Fire
• Lightening

Can you see where these vacant homes are vulnerable?  If you have a home is vacant for any reason, please contact your Insurance Agent to discuss your options before a loss occurs.

Speak to Your Insurance Agent about Home Improvements

Did you know that you may be able to save money on your homeowner’s insurance if you’ve updated your home? If you’ve updated your electric service, roof, or heating system, you may qualify for a more competitive rate. If you’re not sure if you qualify, contact your Insurance Agent to review your account.  Other improvements such as updating your kitchen or putting on an addition will probably increase the value of  your property and you should certainly discuss this with your agent to be sure your homeowner's policy has adequate limits.

It’s always good to review your personal account with your Insurance Agent from time to time to make sure that your home and auto policies are up to date and any questions can be discussed. Not only could your rate be affected, but you may discover that you don’t have coverage for something that you thought was all set.

What If You Disagree With a Claims Adjustor?

If you’ve had a claim and disagree with the claims adjustor, you have the right to discuss your concerns with the adjustor.  You need to be prepared to show the adjustor why you disagree with them; you can’t just say that you think you should get paid more for your claim. If you have an auto accident, for example, and think that the adjustor’s figure is not enough to replace your vehicle, research the book value on Kelly Blue Book at kbb.com.  Make sure that you input all of the correct information on your vehicle. If the book value is different from what the adjustor is offering, provide that documentation to them. Sometimes you may have better information than the adjustor.

If you have a homeowners claim, get estimates from 2 or 3 licensed contractors for comparison. When you’re in the middle of a claim, you may be upset and may not realize the true value of your home or vehicle.  Taking these steps can reassure you that what you’re being offered is fair and correct but if not, make sure you have the necessary documentation to back up your position.

Fire Extinguisher Safety

A portable fire extinguisher is great to have in every home to prevent a house fire from spreading and causing devastating damage.  But they have limitations that all consumers need to be aware of. The standard, all-purpose fire extinguisher is meant for small fires that are confined to a small area and not spreading rapidly, such as a fire in a waste basket.  If a fire is growing quickly, it’s safest for the residents to get out of the house immediately and call 911 and not try to battle the fire themselves.

All homes should have an all-purpose extinguisher that is light enough for the users to be able to use easily. Also make sure that the extinguisher carries the label of an independent testing laboratory to make sure that it’s up to code. Make sure to read the instructions before you have a fire so that you’re familiar with how to use it. Local fire departments and fire equipment distributors offer demonstrations on how to use fire extinguishers but if that isn’t available, remember the word PASS:

  - Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle
    pointing away from you, and release the locking
    mechanism.
  - Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
  - Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
  - Sweep the nozzle from side-to-side.

Ordinance or Law

If you have a home that is 15 years or older, you need to think about a special coverage for your home. The coverage is called “Ordinance or Law” and it covers you at the time of a loss if you have to make updates to your home because the building codes have changed since your house was built. This applies even though the changes have nothing to do with your loss. For instance, if you have a loss and your town ordinance requires that you replace all the wiring in your house, your coverage may not be enough for this without the Ordinance or Law coverage being added to your policy.  Your homeowners policy coverage will pay for the damage according to the limitations and exclusions of your policy but there is no coverage to repair or replace what is not damaged but is simply not up to code anymore.  That's where Ordinance or Law kicks in. If you are not sure if you have this coverage, please contact your Insurance Agent to discuss your options.

Are Solar Panels Covered on a Homeowner's Policy

Many people now use solar panels and wonder if the panels are covered on their Homeowner’s Policies. The answer would be yes BUT.   We need to consider where the panels are installed in order to make sure that they have the appropriate coverage limits.  If they are installed on the house, they are considered part of the Dwelling limit but if they’re installed on the lawn and not connected to the home itself, they could be considered Other Structure or Personal Property Coverage depending on the company’s view. In any case, you need to make sure that you have enough coverage to handle a loss. There are also situations where the electric company pays you for supplying energy back to them; this would be considered a business and needs special attention. There are some carriers that offer the liability and physical coverage to protect this new “business” exposure. It’s best to discuss your needs with your Insurance Agent Professional to have the peace of mind that your interests will be covered.

Does My Homeowner’s Policy Cover My Housekeeper, Nanny or Home Health Aide?

If you have a housekeeper, nanny or any kind of Home Health Aide who cares for an ill family member coming to work at your home, there are some things you need to know. Your homeowner’s policy does not cover employees so you should make sure that the housekeeper, nanny or aide provide you with some proof that they are bonded and have Worker’s Compensation insurance - or you should provide the Worker’s Compensation coverage yourself. Domestic employees get hurt or steal from their employers more than you think and you need to protect yourself. If you decide against getting the coverage for your employees, you may want to hire someone who has their own coverage to avoid costly issues should a claim occur.

Wood and Pellet Stove Safety

The heating season is here and it’s time to think about wood and pellet stove safety. Woodstove and pellet stoves need to be cleaned every year or when there’s 1/4” creosote buildup on the chimney walls. The more often you use the stove, the more often you’ll have to clean it. Make sure to clean the ash and dispose of it in a fire-proof container before each use. Also be aware of the fuel limitations of your stove. Most wood stoves are meant to burn wood only. Do not burn driftwood, trash, treated wood, artificial logs, or any product containing zinc, sulfur, lead, or plastics as they will damage the catalytic combustor. Burning trash in a wood stove is dangerous for its potential to start a chimney fire, and also because the trash could contain plastics or other elements which emit harmful gases.

If you’re thinking about installing a wood or pellet stove for the first time, make sure to have a professional install it.  Also make sure that it’s inspected and you get proof of that inspection certifying that the stove is up to code and safe for your family. If you would like more information on this matter, go to the National Ag Safety Database at http://nasdonline.org/document/333/d000132/proper-installation-operation-and-maintenance-of-a-wood.html.

Insurance Coverage for your Computer

Why should I have Special Coverage for my Laptop? Doesn’t my Homeowner’s policy cover it? Insurance agents hear these questions all the time. The basic Homeowner’s policy does not cover laptops that have been dropped, lost, or have had liquids spilled on them unless you have purchased special coverage for them. Let’s face it, how many times have you been working away to meet a deadline and are eating and drinking at the computer? How easy is it to knock over your coffee onto it because you get distracted or are frazzled? It’s quite easy actually. Or what about the students that carry their laptop around with them at school and put it down for a minute and walk away, forgetting that they have it – or drop it because their attention is elsewhere??? All of these situations are not covered on the standard homeowner’s policy. Please contact your Insurance Agent to discuss your options to have the coverages that you need so that you can have the peace of mind that you won’t have to be paying out of pocket for another laptop.