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How Homeowners Insurance Can Help Recover Damage from Wildfires

Having homeowners insurance can be a great benefit if there is a fire. The vast majority of policies have coverage that will be a great aid in getting your items repaired or replaced. Even though homeowners insurance can be expensive, house fires are a common occurrence that should not be taken lightly.

Estimates say the number of residential fires each year totals around 357,000 on average. Most of these are started from relatively simple issues, like a burning candle or a basic electrical issue.

It is important to know that homeowners insurance does cover fire damage, and it can be a great boost to you and your family as you recover. However, there are a couple of particulars that go along with it.

What Is Covered Under Homeowners Insurance?

Specifically, homeowners insurance covers the actual structure of a house along with any things that are attached, like a garage.

If your house is damaged or destroyed by a fire, many homeowners insurance companies will help pay for you to live somewhere else, like a hotel, until your can move into a house again.

Homeowners insurance also covers detached structures and personal property in the case of a fire. Detached structures can include items that are on your property but are not actually attached to a home, like a shed or fence. Insurance also extends to your personal belongings, which can include appliances, clothing, and furniture.

Usually, a homeowners insurance policy will help pay for the repair or replacement of these items if your house is affected by a fire or lightning strike. Some policies might even help you pay to replace shrubbery, grass, or trees that were destroyed during a fire.

Click here to learn why you need fire insurance!

What Type Of Homeowners Insurance Do I Need?

Ultimately, there’s no one size fits all policy for insurance. A policy will depend on how much you value your home and the belongings inside. For example, if you have a lot of valuable personal property, then it would be prudent to increase your limits for homeowners insurance across this area.

But you might need to buy additional coverage in top of this if you have valuables, like jewelry, that might have a lower coverage limit. One of the most important factors about homeowners insurance is the dwelling coverage. Homes and construction costs do change in value, so it might be more expensive to rebuild your house after a fire than it is now.

As a result, figure out dwelling coverage limits based on your house’s current valuation. Ultimately, even though there are a lot of house and dwelling fires each year, you can take concrete steps to prevent them. Be careful about open flames, especially from the stove or from candles, and always make sure to extinguish these before you leave.

Additionally, installing working smoke detectors can be a great deterrent against a fire, especially since they can help notify you if something goes wrong in the night.

Putting a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and out in the garage is another smart way to protect you and your house from a fire risk. Just check the expiration dates, as they might not work if they have been sitting around for awhile.

Do you have a question about how homeowners insurance can help recover damage from a fire? Click here to contact Partners Direct Insurance Services today!Courtesy of Cuselleration

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Make Sure You and Your Business Are Ready For Fall!

Photo Credit: Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com

 

As we approach the fall months during which the kids go back to school, the weather cools down, and the holidays are in sight, life can get pretty hectic. Making the transition into this time of the year is equally important for your business as it is for your family. In this way, it is crucial to make sure that you protect all of your prized possessions as soon as possible. Be sure to prepare your business, home, and family for the end of the year with a few tips from Partners Direct Insurance:

 

Get Your Vehicles Checked

Making sure your personal and business vehicles are prepared for different road conditions is essential going into the fall and winter months. Taking your cars and trucks to professional mechanics for a check up your tires, battery, engine, and lights will make you feel more safe on the road and may help reduce the likelihood of getting in an accident!

 

Get Your Heating/Cooling Systems Inspected

Before the weather cools rapidly, be sure to have both your heaters and cooling systems checked. Dust and dirt can often build up in these units and can cause poor air quality, which can lead to illness. Make sure that both your office building and your home are inspected by professionals so you don’t end up scrambling, sick, or freezing when the temperatures drop. This way, your family life and business operations can run smoothly without the need for disruptive repairs during the fall and winter months.

 

Have Your Roof Inspected

It is always smart to have the roof of your business and home inspected for any cracks or leaks before the fall and winter months approach. As the most exposed part of a building, roofs are subject to wear and tear by wind, rain, snow, and other damage. Roofs are also one of the most expensive things to replace, so make sure you check for any minor repairs before hurting your wallet on a replacement.

 

Make Sure Your Insurance Coverage Is Right For YOU!

At Partners Direct Insurance, our team of professionals listens to your personal needs in order to find an insurance plan that is perfect for you. Be sure to discuss any recent changes that may affect your current coverage! Assessing the needs of both your business and personal life and finding the right coverage will give you peace of mind and ease you into the winter months as well as the coming year!

 

Contact us TODAY to see how we can make sure your transition into fall is flawless!

 

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How Home Insurance Can Improve Your Way of Life

When was the last morning you woke up, knowing you had a great night’s sleep? It gives you energy, and gets you ready for the day-at-hand. None of us knows what the day will bring, but at Partners Direct Insurance, our team wants to be sure you can take “home insurance” off your late-night worry list.

 

It’s true all around the country, but especially in Southern California: your home is one of the largest financial investments you will ever make. But your home is vulnerable: we’ve seen that first-hand in the last few months with the voracious wildfires. We know earthquakes are always a possibility, but what about a freak storm, or a break-in? Are you covered if the unforeseen occurs?

 

You know that if you drive a car, by law you have to have auto insurance. But the same is not true of your home. If you are not insured, or underinsured, things that happen on your property will have to be paid straight out of your pocket. Now that will cause some sleepless nights!

 

There’s No Place Like Home

 

If you are buying a home and signing for a mortgage, often you are required to have home insurance. It just makes sense: the lender wants to be protected from the unexpected. So say you already have homeowners insurance. Are you adequately protected? Some new homebuyers get the minimal policy and are surprised when they talk with their agent and their new emergency isn’t totally covered. It’s important to get replacement coverage, so that items you need to buy now are priced at what they will cost now to replace, not when you originally purchased them.

 

Let’s Get Personal

So take out a calculator, and figure out how much it would cost you to replace:

  • All electronics, including desktops, laptops, phones, and TV’s
  • Appliances
  • Clothing
  • Furniture

If you don’t have homeowners insurance, this hits you squarely in the pocketbook. The great thing about this type of home insurance is that it even covers you if your stuff is stolen when you are not at home: in your car, in storage, on vacation, in the locker at your gym.

 

Why Did I Buy That Trampoline, Anyway?

A good homeowners policy also covers you for liability. Say your kids begged you for a trampoline, and a friend broke an arm while using it. His family comes to you for medical bills. With liability coverage on your homeowners policy, you can take care of slips, falls and breaks.

 

The really amazing thing about homeowners coverage is that liability can also extend past your home, including accidents away from your house. It really is peace of mind.

 

Looking For a Place to Stay

Let’s talk more about the devastating wildfires that swept through Southern California. If your home was affected, and you had to evacuate, not to return for several weeks, what if you had no homeowners insurance? Unless you have some kind relatives nearby, that hotel bill would be astronomic. If you have a policy in place, temporary living costs are covered while construction workers repair your home. The policy can cover not only living space, but laundry, storage, even cable or satellite charges so you can stay connected and working while dealing with a disaster.

 

So What’s It Going to Cost Me?

It depends on several factors.

 

  • How old is your home: older homes take more money to repair
  • How big is your home: the bigger the square footage, the more expensive to fix
  • Location of your home: are you close to a fire station? Or in a higher crime neighborhood?
  • Do you have a pool?
  • Do you have a burglar alarm system, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems?
  • Do you smoke? Smokers bring higher premiums because of the increased risk of fire
  • Have you submitted multiple claims in years past?

 

At Partners Direct Insurance, we take your well-being seriously, and want to be sure to give you the right insurance coverage for your individual needs, so you can sleep better…every night. Contact us for a quote today!

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Why It’s Important to Review Policies Every Year

You are responsible. Everyone knows that. You get your oil changed on a regular basis. You see your dentist once or twice a year for teeth cleaning. You even schedule a yearly checkup with your doctor. Your financial planner sees you once a year. You are amazing.

 

Not to burst the bubble, but when was the last time you had a yearly checkup with your insurance agent?

Why Do I Need to do That?

Changes. It is as simple as that. It can be changes in your family, changes in your home, or changes in insurance policies that could affect you. Have you:

 

  • Changed your address?
  • Added a driver?
  • Added a vehicle?
  • Added new people to your home?
  • Added on to your home?
  • Bought new speakers or other upgrades to your car or truck?

 

This is Step One, and the most important reason to meet with your insurance agent: to talk about any changes in your family’s life. If, for example, you have added on an outside kitchen complete with fire pit, and if something were to happen there, you might not be covered under your current policy. Your old policy would cover the original dwelling, but not the addition, unless you talk with your agent about the changes. Generally, adding on to your initial homeowners policy costs you very little, but keeps you totally covered.

 

Also, if you have added a new driver in your family but you have not updated your policy, and something happens, that can be seen as leaving out critical insurance information, which can have extremely negative consequences for you and your family moving forward. It is so important to keep your insurance agent in the loop as your family situation changes through the years.

 

Show Me the Money!

You need to meet with your insurance agent to make sure you are taking advantage of all discounts to which you may be entitled. For example, your rate could go down if:

 

  • You got married
  • A child on the policy recently graduated
  • Your child is now in college and no longer drives a vehicle
  • You purchased a renter’s insurance policy for your child, which can cut your auto premium

 

Where’s My Magnifying Glass?

Another reason to meet with your insurance agent is to go over your premium with a fine-tooth comb. Has your premium increased? If so, why? There are a lot of reasons why premiums can rise, and some make sense. You may have had tickets or an accident. Sometimes, premiums will rise and you haven’t had a ticket or accident or claim on your record. If, like so many people, you have the premiums automatically deducted from your checking account, you may not even notice the increase. It is good to have one-on-one time with your insurance agent to get clarification on any changes. Our team at Partners Direct Insurance pride ourselves on getting you the best insurance coverage for your individual needs. We consider our clients part of our extended family.  We know that providing you with a unique policy means giving you service that is personal, thorough and transparent.

 

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Helpful Insurance Tips for the New Year

Auld Lang Syne

Why do we attach so much significance to the changing of the calendar? We can thank Julius Caesar for New Year’s Eve parties, when he changed the calendar and everyone took notice. This unique time change gives us the opportunity to celebrate and reflect. We want to take stock of what went well in 2017, and make adjustments to bring forth a better 2018, and that includes insurance tips for the new year.

Whatever resolutions you have made for this upcoming year, one of the important things to do at the start of the new year is to take stock of your insurance, and make sure you have the coverage you need to protect your family. Our team at Partners Direct Insurance take seriously the task of making sure you have the right insurance for your home, auto and business needs.

Most people find an insurance policy that works for them, and then mentally check off that box and never think of it the rest of the year. But we think it is important to re-evaluate your policies and coverage to make sure it is the best fit for you. That’s why our company is dedicated to working with your individual needs to find the best fit for you.

So take the mental dust off those policies, and consider a few things:

Risk managers are essential to your family’s well-being. Yes, they will tell you to think about what could possibly go wrong in 2018. That’s their job. It’s important to listen so you can find the best coverage for your individual needs.

There’s No Place Like Home

For example, if your home was destroyed by a wildfire, what would it take financially to get you back on your feet? If you leave for a weekend and a water leak springs from your kitchen sink and half of your home is flooded, how well are you covered? It’s important to figure out what it would actually cost you to rebuild, repair or replace the structure with brand new materials of comparable quality. Does your policy include coverage that provides for your family if you need to relocate? Those costs can add up very quickly following a home emergency.

On the Road Again

If your car is totalled by a driver with no insurance, how soon can you get back on 4 wheels? One of the most common insurance pitfalls for drivers is being uninsured and not understanding the coverage they have already purchased. What if you are injured? Will your insurance policy pay for medical needs? What if you are at fault and others are hurt? Will your policy cover their medical needs? It’s estimated that 40 percent of drivers on the roads aren’t adequately covered by their insurance policies for bodily injuries. One mistake on the road can ruin you financially for years to come. How much car insurance do you need? Talk with our team to discuss your individual needs: sometimes it makes sense to increase your deductible. If you can save $200 by assuming an additional $500 worth of risk, it might be worth it.

Now Let’s Get Down to Business

If you run a business out of your home, you’ll want to check on your insurance options. If you store inventory at your home, or have customers coming in, you need to consider your liability in the case of theft, or if a customer would slip and fall. It just makes sense to protect yourself from the worst case scenarios.

We agree: not pleasant topics, but these insurance tips for the new year are essential ones to consider when talking with our team. At Partners Direct Insurance, we love our clients and make sure we match the best policy to their needs. Call us and let’s celebrate 2018!

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