Everyone knows that homeowners insurance will cover any structural damage done to your home inside and out. Your roof gets hit by lighting and has damage? Homeowners insurance will cover it. A nasty storm knocked a tree into your kitchen and destroyed it? Homeowners insurance will cover it. But that’s not all homeowners insurance will cover. There are some surprising little known coverages in your homeowners policy. Such as:
- Any mandated upgrades. If an ordinance passed stating that all homes needed to have solar paneling, and you needed to get your roof fixed, homeowners insurance would cover the addition of the solar paneling. Check with your policy, because there generally is limits.
- Food replacement. Yup, that’s right, your homeowners insurance will replace any food that is no longer edible. Most policies will have a $500 limit.
- Are you getting sued for slander? Your homeowners insurance will defend and cover you.
- Did Marmaduke bite the postal worker? Your homeowners insurance will all damages associated with your pooch.
- Did your neighbor hit run over you with her bicycle? Some homeowner’s policies will cover your medical expenses. Homeowners insurance will cover a number of accidents similar to this. Scurich Insurance Services can help you navigate through the specificities of your policy.
- Rough winters. Rough winters can damage your pipes, the weight of snow on your roof can cause damage and other winter damages, can cause you to have to find temporary shelter with additional living expenses. Your homeowners insurance will cover your additional expenses.
To find out everything else that your policy covers, contact Scurich Insurance Services today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/things-your-home-insurance-covers.aspx#slide=1
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There are several steps you can take to ensure you are getting the best Homeowners insurance rates possible for the coverage you need:
- Before purchasing a home, it is wise to learn about its insurance loss history. If there have been past losses, be sure to inspect the home closely to determine if proper repairs were made. The CLUE and A-PLUS databases enable insurers to check the claim history of the property as well as that of the homeowner.
- Raising your deductible is a great way to reduce your premiums. Higher deductibles on your Homeowners insurance could produce savings of 25% or more.
- Consider upgrades to your home. Do you need to modernize your heating, plumbing, and electrical systems to reduce the risk of fire and water damage? Are there upgrades you could make that would reduce the risk of damage in windstorms and other natural disasters? You might be able to save on your premiums by adding storm shutters, reinforcing your roof, or buying stronger roofing materials. Older homes can be retrofitted to make them more capable of withstanding earthquakes. If you do make home improvements, be sure to make your insurer aware of the changes.
- Improve your home security. You typically can get premium discounts of at least 5% for installing a smoke detector, burglar alarm or dead-bolt locks. Some companies will cut your premium by as much as 15% or 20% if you install a sophisticated sprinkler system and a fire and burglar alarm that signals the police, fire department, and other monitoring stations. These systems are not inexpensive and not every system qualifies for a discount. Before you buy such a system, find out what kind your insurer recommends, how much the device would cost, and how much you would save on premiums.
- Buy your Home and Auto policies from the same insurer. Some companies that sell Homeowners, Auto and Liability coverage will take 5% to 15% off your premium if combine policies with them.
- Maintain a good credit rating. Most insurers use credit-based insurance scores to determine Homeowners and Auto coverage premiums. All else being equal, a person with a good credit score will pay much less for insurance than someone with a lower score.
Contact our office today for more information.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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Three teenagers were arrested yesterday for their parts in a residential burglary on the 200 block of Brennan Street.
Watsonville police were dispatched to the house at 1:07 p.m. after a witness reported seeing one male acting as a lookout while two other males had entered through the backyard of the residence, Sgt. Mike McKinley said.
Both the lookout and the two boys inside were quickly detained and arrested.
Officers determined that the duo in the house entered through an unlocked kitchen window. They were unable to steal anything before police arrived, McKinley said.
The suspects, (14, 14, and 15-years-old) were arrested for burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. The 15-year-old was on probation and also charged with probation violation.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to call the Watsonville Police Department Investigation Division at 768-3350 or the Watsonville Police Tipline at 768-3544.
Scurich Insurance Services did not create this content. This article was taken from www.watsonville.patch.com written by Jacob Bourne.
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Although gun control remains a controversial issue, when it comes to insuring firearms, Homeowners coverage offers some clear guidelines.
If you have rifles and pistols in your home, your policy will insure them against fire damage or theft, usually up to $2,500. Although a Homeowners application might not ask specifically about firearms, the higher liability risk that guns present means that failing to inform your agent or insurance company in advance about them could result in denial of a claim for loss or damage to them.
Because of this greater liability exposure, your insurer might require you to show that you’ve taken such sensible precautions as installing trigger locks, securing firearms properly in locked gun cases, and keeping them away from children. If you have a collection of guns that’s particularly valuable (for example, antique sidearms), you might need to buy a policy rider that ensures their replacement or reimbursement — much as with other big-ticket items, such as jewelry and fine art.
If you shoot someone else or yourself accidentally while in the home, your policy might pay for some or all of the damages, (medical bills, property damage, liability claims, and so forth), depending on the amount of coverage. However, to guarantee full protection, you would need additional policy riders, such as “Sporting Firearm insurance,” “Collector’s Firearm insurance,” or “Gun Club Liability insurance.”
To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is important to work with a professional in this area. Additional questions? Ask us, we’re here to help! For additional information about our insurance products, no-cost advice or for your free, no-obligation insurance quote, please contact the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services today at 800-320-3666 and we will be more than happy to assist you.
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Homeowners insurance in California, is a necessity when it comes to buying a house. In fact, most mortgage companies will not finance a real estate transaction unless you provide proof that you have the proper coverage for most if not all of the property you intend to purchase.
Over the next few weeks, Scurich Insurance Services would like to give you a few tips when it comes to purchasing homeowners insurance as well as some cost saving ideas that can actually help reduce your insurance costs.
This week we will be taking a look into the different types of discounts you can receive when it comes to your homeowners insurance policy.
You’re probably familiar with the basic discounts that most insurance companies offer on Homeowners coverage, such as bundling Home and Auto insurance, loyalty rewards, and installing smoke detectors and/or home security systems.
However, a growing number of companies offer significant premium discounts on Homeowners insurance to policy holders who are:
- Senior citizens. If you’re 60 or older, you could lower your premium by as much as 15%.
- Non-smokers. If you’ve given up the habit — or have never picked up a cigarette, cigar, or pipe — you might qualify for a discount.
- Married couples or widows/widowers. Could be eligible for discounts of up to 5%.
- New buyers who have closed a home purchase within 60 days.
- Willing to increase coverage to reflect a rise in inflation.
- Ready to buy coverage for the full value of a home.
- Prepared to buy from a new carrier before the policy with your current insurance company expires.
- New policy holders with the company (the “welcome” discount) and purchasing coverage for the entire value of your home.
You might also be eligible for a discount if you don’t have a Property damage claim for a specified period, such as three years.
Bear in mind that many insurance companies might not offer some (or any) of these discounts.
To see if you’re eligible for any of these policies simply check with the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California. We might be able to save you some big dollars.
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If you wanted to, you could build a panic room for protection from robbers or kidnappers. But what about protecting your belongings when you’re not home? Perhaps you really don’t want to install an alarm system — or maybe you do. Either way, here are some no-cost and low-cost tricks to make your protection more complete, and help keep your belongings away from thieves.
Outside Areas:
Begin with the landscaping, which is the first thing a burglar sees and the first thing he will assess. To make it harder for a burglar to hide and gain entry:
- Prune lower limbs from any big trees.
- Trim bushes so a person could not use one for cover.
- Move any decorative trellises away from windows or porch roofs so they cannot be climbed for second-floor access.
- Consider planting thorny bushes below first-floor windows, and be sure they are close enough to the house so that an adult could not wedge behind one to jimmy a window without getting scratched.
- Remove any trees or bushes beside exterior doors. They can hide a burglar from passing cars and they can also hide intruders from your sight when you answer the door.
- Make sure all ladders and tools are secure inside the house, not inside a garden shed.
- If your yard is dim at night, install the biggest, brightest lights you can afford for all entries to your house. Use them. Turn them on when you leave the house at night; set up motion detectors to turn them on when you are away.
Inside the Home:
Windows generally provide easier access for criminals than doors. Here are some window tactics:
- Buy special window locks at your hardware store for all first-floor windows and any second-floor windows accessible from a porch or garage roof. DO NOT hang the keys on clever little hooks or nails beside the window. Crooks know that one and will simply break a pane and reach around until they find the key (but be sure the whole family knows where the keys are in case of emergency).
- Don’t demonstrate the easiest window to enter by climbing in it. If a family member regularly forgets his or her key, consider leaving keys with a trustworthy neighbor for emergency use. DON’T CLIMB IN THE WINDOW EVER. Even amateur burglars can figure that one out, especially if they’ve seen you do it and figure the neighbors won’t notice.
- For sliding windows, use the same techniques as for sliding doors, below.
Some burglars like to enter like a guest, through the door. Here are some ways to discourage that sort of burglar:
- Make every entry door solid core wood or metal; hollow-core doors are easily kicked in. The door should fit the frame snugly, with no more than 1/8 inch between door and jamb. If the gap is larger, replace the door, or install a heavy-gauge metal strip available at the hardware store.
- Replace doors with decorative glass windows or panels. If that’s too expensive, install break-resistant plastic panes, or install a decorative grille over the glass.
- It’s unlikely, but if an entry door has hinges on the outside, rehang it with hinges inside. If that’s impossible, re-install it with pin-less hinges. Burglars can pop pins and take off the door to enter.
- Make sure locks on all sliding glass doors are sturdy. Then use a solid stick of wood or broom handle in the track of the closed door.
If you would like to obtain a new Homeowners insurance quote simply contact the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services located in Watsonville, California today at 800-320-3666, or fill out the form below!
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