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)

Are You Insured for Hurricane Damage?

Do you know if your homeowner's insurance policy would have covered your home had Harvey come our way? The answer depends on the source of the damage and the type of storm deductible to be applied, that is, named storm deductibles, windstorm deductibles, or hurricane deductibles. The distinction between these types of can be worth thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.

Typically, damage caused by wind, downed trees and power outages are covered. However, flooding caused by rain or surface water is typically not covered.

In Massachusetts, the standard homeowners insurance policy typically covers damage caused by wind, which includes broken windows, roof and interior damage caused by trees or limbs falling onto the home. Tree damage to cars may be covered by your comprehensive auto policy coverage rate.

Flooding, which is defined as any water that rises from the ground or from the sky, is typically not covered by homeowner’s insurance policies. To be reimbursed for hurricane flooding damage, homeowners would have already secured Federal Flood insurance. The average flood premium is about $700 annually, according to the National Flood Insurance Program.

Unlike other types of insurance, flood insurance coverage doesn't begin on Day One. With few exceptions, you must wait thirty days after you first purchase a flood insurance policy before your policy will take effect.

So don’t delay. Call us today to discuss what options are best for you. You know the old saying: Better to be safe, than sorry.

October Is Fire Prevention Month

October is officially Fire Prevention Month. As your insurance agency, this is an issue that is very important to us! Unfortunately, we've seen clients suffer from home fires,  and we want to share some things you can do to prevent a disaster.

Beyond basic fire prevention, like checking electrical cords and not leaving a pot unattended on the stove, there are several important things to do with your children or grandchildren to make sure they're safe.

First, create a PLAN. When children know what to expect, they can remain calm, even during an emergency. Help your child know exactly what to do if a fire occurs.

Stress the importance of getting out of the house and to your family meeting spot.  Choose an area a safe distance from the house where children should go if making a fire escape. It could be a street light, mailbox, or neighbor's tree.

If you have pets, tell your kids that your pets will find their own way out safely and that they should never go back to rescue the pet on their own.

As a family, go through each room of the house and discuss TWO different ways to get out if a fire occurs. Let children practice opening a latch and unlocking doors too.

Now host a fire drill! Make the practice drills fun and informative. Create sample scenarios and build up your kid's confidence. They'll be better prepared for a fire and you will too!

When it comes to any sort of emergency situation, people are what matter most. Take precautions to protect your loved ones and let your professional insurance agents take care of protecting your home and belongings! Call us for a free quote on your Homeowner's Insurance today!

April Home Maintenance Tasks

April has arrived and brought spring with it!  There is no better time than now to get focused on home maintenance and spring cleaning.  Here are a few things you can do in April to protect (and organize) your home. 

Check For Damage - Winter can be really hard on your home.  A quick inspection around your property can reveal a lot of home improvement projects!  Look for any damage to your roof or outdoor window screens and doors.  Make note of chipped paint or areas that are in need of general maintenance.  Decide what you can do yourself and what will require a professional. 

Spring Clean - Now it’s time to tackle the inside of your home.  Start working on clearing out and donating unused items (Think tax deduction next year!).  This could be the perfect time to take inventory of any high value items that need to be documented for your insurance, like guns, artwork, and jewelry.  Take photos or make a quick video of those items and store it in a secure (and fire-proof) location. Knowyourstuff.org has a free online home inventory software. 

Organize Your Tax Documents - You probably just finished your taxes in the past few weeks.  Were all of your documents easy to locate?  What could make the process even easier next year?  Update your filing system or schedule a meeting with Dottie Booth by calling (508) 867-0478 and get prepared now.

Car Maintenance - April is Car Care Month.  If you've been putting off an oil change or a tune-up, get it scheduled now.  Your car will run better and maintain it’s value longer!

Spruce Up Your Porch - How does your front porch look these days?  Could it use a little extra care?  Buy a new welcome mat, plant a pot of flowers, and make sure you can easily read your house numbers. 

Get Great Homeowners Insurance - The best way to protect your home?  Having the right amount of insurance!  Let us give you a no-obligation review of your current policy.  Call 508-347-9343 to schedule your appointment today.


P.S. Your Invited to our Ribbon Cutting! All our wonderful customers are invited to our official ribbon cutting of our brand new office! I hope you’ll join us on May 8th at 4:00 p.m. for the ribbon cutting and the celebration of our 40th year serving our local communities. There will be food, beverages, local celebrities, raffles, and other surprises! Hope to see you there! 

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.

Why Should I Get An Umbrella Policy If I Have The Homestead Act?

Many people ask why they should have a Personal Umbrella if they already have the Homestead Act on their home. Many people underestimate the “coverage” that the Homestead Act provides. As of March 16, 2011, the Homestead Act will provide “up to” $500,000 of the equity in their homes for a judgement that is made against the homeowner so that residence is not jeopardized by creditors. Homeowners that purchased their Homestead prior to March 16, 2011 have the limit at that time of purchase. This sounds great, right? Maybe not so good, here’s the “catch”. In order for the Homestead to pay out; there has to be an actual judgement made against the homeowner. This does not include legal fees, it’s just the judgement. If you cannot pay the legal fees in order to protect yourself, what good was that Homestead? What if you’re falsely accused and no judgement is made? The Homestead doesn’t provide coverage at all. The Personal Umbrella provides legal fees and the judgement (up to the policy limits and exclusions) whether you’re innocent or guilty.

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.

Think Twice Before You Switch!

We hear it all the time on the radio and television, “Big savings on your auto and home insurance.” In these difficult economic times, we’re all looking for ways to save money and insurance is a place to start. But there are some things that we need to consider… Just because we can get a lower rate with another carrier doesn’t mean that changing companies is a good idea. Do you have the same coverages or did the new company give us lower limits of insurance? We also need to consider company loyalty because the longer you are with a particular company, the more likely you are to receive a credit for being with them a long time. And if you’ve been with one company for years, they are more likely to stay on your policy if you’ve had a loss or two (remember those tornadoes, snow storms, and ice storms that we had back-to–back in our area a few years ago?). If you are considering changing insurance companies, please discuss your concerns with your Insurance Agent before you make any changes that could affect your future.

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.

Have You Paid Off Your Home or Auto?

If you’ve paid off your mortgage or car loan, did you know that you should inform your insurance agent? Most people don’t know to do that until they have a claim and have to deal with the insurance company and bank to rectify the situation. If you have a loss and the bank is still listed on your home or auto policy, the claim check has to be written out to you AND the bank which leads to more work for you at a time that you don’t need the extra hassle. Once you receive the documentation that you have paid off the bank loan, get a copy to your Insurance Agent so that they can have the bank or lender removed from your policy to avoid having to deal with this at the time of a claim.

Wood and Pellet Stove Safety

The heating season is here and it’s time to think about wood and pellet stove safety. Wood stoves 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.