Ok so I have taken way to much time off the blog… I guess that is the issue with adding to your normal workload. The “extras” get put on the side (on in this case under a pile) when you get busy. Well here are some tips to keep your house in tip top shape!

Enjoy longer days and warmer nights while protecting your investment.

Fall Maintenance

Prepare your home for cooler days ahead.

Vacation Checklist

A vacation is your time to relax and enjoy life.

Swimming Pool Safety and Maintenance

Protect your friends and family as you beat the heat.

Something as little as a leaky hose on the back of a fridge can cause so much damage that it is unimaginable to pay for the repairs yourself. Good thing you have home insurance!

A client of mine had a claim in August of 2010.  It was a water damage claim due to a refrigerator leak. This leak caused damage to the custom-made flooring in the kitchen (fully replaced), cabinets (partially replaced), china, crystal, paintings in the kitchen and the floor below the kitchen.  The insurance company paid out a total amount of $181,000.   The last payment made on the claim was on January 2011.

Another client had a water claim a few years back that was similar only this was at a second home that was not visited during the winter months and the damage racked up to over $250,000 in repairs. 

So the moral of the stories is to make sure to stop the water damage as quick as possible to reduce the dollar amount of the loss. Simple things like checking hoses yearly for wear and tear or having a water shut off valve installed (for a small fee a plumber can install this and if the water pressure goes above a set limit the system will shut the main water line off to prevent further damage) and if the home is unoccupied for lengths of time have a neighbor or property manager check in.

Bottomline these types of claims are why you have home insurance but they are preventable.

Believe it or not Hill slides due to excessive rain is considered a claim to be covered under flood insurance not youR home policy.Local Bay Area homes threatened due to Hill Slide with no coverage to repair will the city be able to help them?

Only Flood Insurance Will Cover Your Flood Losses

If an individual relies on a homeowners insurance policy to cover whatever flood damage occurs, the result will not be favorable to the property owner. Only flood insurance will cover such losses. Because flood insurance has a 30-day waiting period, property owners should not let an imminent flooding force a decision to obtain this insurance.
There are two basic insurance policies that deal with a homeowner’s damage due to water — a flood insurance policy and a homeowner’s insurance policy. Losses not covered by one of these policies may be covered by the another policy. Knowing the losses to which your home could be exposed will help you decide whether to buy one or both of these insurance coverages.
While insurance policies may differ in the coverages provided, often there are basic features common to all policies. The homeowner should ask his or her insurance professional about the specifics of one’s specific insurance policy. In the meantime, the following general information is based on standard insurance policies.

FLOOD INSURANCE

As the name implies, a standard flood insurance policy, which is made available by the National Floor Insurance Program, provides coverage up to the policy limit for damage caused by flood. The dictionary defines “flood” as a rising and overflowing of a body of water onto normally dry land. For insurance purposes, the word “rising” in this definition is the key to distinguishing flood damage from water damage. Also important to note is that flooding must be general and temporary, and it must affect more than just one property.
Generally, damage caused by water that has been on the ground at some point before damaging your home is considered to be flood damage. Examples of flood damage may include:

• A nearby river overflows its banks and washes into you home.
• Surface water caused by a heavy rain seeps into your basement because the soil can’t absorb the water quickly enough.
• A heavy rain or flash flood causes the hill behind your house to collapse into a mud slide that oozes into your home.

 

Flood damage to your home can be insured only with a flood insurance policy — no other insurance will cover flood damage. Flood insurance is available through your insurance professional. To determine if your home is located in a flood plain, contact your county planning office. If you are living in a flood plain, flood insurance may be an excellent purchase.

HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE

A homeowners insurance policy does not provide coverage for flood damage, but it does provide coverage for many types of water damage to your home. Just the opposite from flood damage, for insurance purposes, water damage is considered to occur when water damages your home before the water comes in contact with the ground. A few examples of water damage may include:

• A hailstorm smashes your window, permitting hail and rain free access to your home.
• A heavy rain soaks through the roof, allowing water to drip through your attic or ceiling.
• A broken water pipe spews water in your home.

 

Even if your homeowners insurance policy doesn’t cover the water or flood damage you’ve experienced, losses from theft, fire or explosion resulting from that damage are covered. For example, if a nearby creek overflows and floods your home, and looters steal some of your possessions after you’ve evacuated the house, the theft would be covered by your homeowners insurance. However, the flood damage would be covered only if you have flood insurance.
Flood insurance and homeowners insurance do not duplicate coverage for water damage. Instead, they complement each other. It is up to you to talk to your insurance professional about flood insurance and homeowners insurance and then decide which insurance coverage you need to protect your home, its contents and your family.

So if you are not one of the 4 million plus people who have clicked on the video here you go Guilty Dog. As a dog owner I know my dog would never do harm to a person, not that she is not ferocious in her own right.  We have all seen videos or heard stories  about a dog who was the best animal in the world then something went terribly wrong and can have sever consequences, not only emotionally for the victim and the dog owner but financially. Below is some info on when your home policy can do for you in the event of this type of tragedy.

Dogs have become an important part of the American family; considering that 63% of all households have at least one dog. Although dogs bring priceless memories and convenient protection, the costs of owning one are certainly no secret: food, veterinary bills, treats and even kennels. Dogs however, have a classic hidden cost to home owners though; they can affect the cost of a homeowner’s insurance policy.

Just like adding a swimming pool to your homeowner’s policy, owning a dog is a policy underwriting factor that insurance companies take very serious. Carriers aren’t concerned that Fido will necessarily flood the house by chewing a garden hose or suddenly break every window in the house without cause, but rather that they will inevitably bite somebody. Simply put: dogs are liability risks to homeowners policies.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were approximately 4.7 million dog bites in 2005 accounting for roughly $317.2 million in insurance claims. Who would know this more than the mail carrier? In 2004, the US Postal Service reported over 3,400 dog-related injuries — that’s an average of 11 mail carrier injuries every day!

Homeowners and renters insurance policies typically cover dog bite liability, as long as your dog is disclosed to your insurance company.

Insurers may charge more or even deny your application if you own specific types of dogs. These are determined by the frequency of dog bites for the breed, whether they are large dogs that can inflict a lot of damage, and the breed’s general reputation.

Some of the breeds that raise red flags for insurers are:

• Pit Bulls
• Rottweilers
• German Shepherds
• Siberian Huskies
• Malamutes
• Doberman Pinschers
• Chow Chows
• Great Danes
• Saint Bernards
• Wolf Hybrids.

Adequately insuring a home with a dog is a common oversight by many homeowners. Some try to save money by omitting the information from the application, and others simply neglect to report the pet since they’re already committed to an affordable policy. Don’t be foolish, the only decision you can make is to disclose the dog to your homeowners insurance company since any claim will most likely be denied if you don’t. Knowingly omitting relevant liabilities to your insurance company constitutes grounds for policy cancellation, which is certainly not in your financial interests.

You may find that adding a dog to your homeowners policy will be negligible to your premium, however, if the opposite is true, it’s time to shop around for new coverage. Homeowners insurance rates can vary by hundreds of dollars between carriers, as extra charges for dogs can also differ dramatically from company to company.

Well I am sure this is no shock to you but it is raining  and raining hard… AND is not supposed to stop anytime soon. This can muck up your weekend plans but can also really cause havoc at your home. Here are a few tips to help prevent major issues:

Heavy rain damage can cause all sorts of problems in a home. It can flood basements, rot wooden furnishings, and set off mold growth in the dark areas of the house. On top of that, water from heavy rain can also bring in all sorts of infectious waterborne diseases and pose a serious health threat to the inhabitants of the home.

Prevent heavy rain damage by conducting an inspection of the entire house. Here is a checklist of the things and places in a home that should be included in the inspection

-      The rooftop

• The rooftop is the main structure that keeps rainwater from entering the house. Check every inch of the rooftop and ensure that all materials are not damaged in any way. Any small crack or hole in the rooftop is enough space for rainwater to leak through.
• A pitched or a sloped roof is the best design for preventing heavy rain damage. Use this design for the house if it does not have it already. This type of design directs the water downwards and does not allow rainwater to collect on the roof.

-      The chimney

• Check the chimney’s construction and see if it is well-made. The bricks should have no gaps and should be tightly sealed together.
• Also check if the chimney’s bricks have been waterproofed. Non-waterproof bricks can easily absorb water and moisture from the outside and bring them to the inside areas of the house.
• Consider using a chimney cap during the rainy season. This will prevent rainwater from coming in and causing heavy rain damage.
• Inspect the seals in the area where the chimney is attached to the roof. If it shows any signs of damage, repair or replace it as soon as possible.

-      The doors and windows

• Doors, windows, and other entries to the house would benefit from having some sort of covering over them. Rain rarely falls straight down and the wind can easily push water in through exposed doors and windows. A covering would keep water away and prevent heavy rain damage from starting.
• Ensure that doors and windows have been installed properly. They should not let water into the house or let water soak in through their seals.

-      The building and construction materials

• The materials used for the house should not have gotten wet during the construction. If they did get wet and were not dried properly, then they could cause all sorts of problems for the homeowners later on. Preventing heavy rain damage would prove a lot more difficult if water damage starts from within the house.

-      The outdoors

• Poles, columns, and trees with heavy branches can easily fall on a house if blown by strong winds. As much as possible, build house structures far away from poles and cut off branches that are hanging dangerously close to the rooftop.
• Houses that are built on low grounds may be more prone to heavy rain damage. If the ground slopes towards the house, water can collect near the foundation and weaken it. Raising the downward sloping areas surrounding the house can remedy this problem.

 Enjoy the rain filled weekend!

One day the recovery has begun the next day your 401k takes a 10% hit… I don’t know how to keep up other than to be the most efficient and responsible I can with my own self and just see what happens.  With that being said it is times like these when you have to decide “are you the turtle or the rabbit”. Are you slow and steady or jumping on the next big thing?  I am in insurance who am I kidding… I have energy like a rabbit but am a full blown turtle! I like to think of myself not just as a turtle but a ninja turtle or even better Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! What do I mean by this? I have no idea… just thought that if I threw out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in my blog it would spike my hits, just kidding. I mean I am slow and methodical but still agile and motivated to get “stuff” done! How will this relate to insurance? I am getting there… I keep getting calls from  clients asking ”how can I save money” or “I think I am going to go to Joe Shmoe insurance agent because they can save me 5 cents on my insurance” (sorry if your name is Joe Shmoe) it is just for comic relief… I have to then go through requesting the client send me the quote they have and compare it with the current coverage and  the way the other company saves them money 9 times out of 10 is because the other agent cuts coverage… this is a major NO, NO, especially now. Think about it, we live in a very litigious society and with the economy being unstable and constantly changing, people are unsure of where their next paycheck is coming from much less a meal so do you think that law suits are going to decrease? NO! It is very much the opposite. We are seeing tons of very questionable  (putting it politely) claims of slip and fall, personal injury and so many more.

 I tell my clients and friends to not reduce coverage but change things around… consider increasing your home deductible to $2,500 or $5,000 and save 20-30%! Another thing to do is review your policies and make sure you are getting all the discounts possible (alarms, multi policy, claims free, occupation, longevity, the list goes on). The point is to be proactive about your insurance, as a consumer I get it no one wants to deal with insurance but it is a necessary evil, but we have to have it so make the most of it!

So for those Northern California people go out and enjoy our snow storm aka sunshine, nice storm warning 

In the last month or so I have had a very high number of clients/friends getting into auto accidents. Thankfully no one has been majorly injured but none the less it is a pain for them. So it has brought up a ton of questions on how to handle, what to do and what to expect from their insurance company as well as the other parties company. Here are a few of the questions that have come up:

 Q: If I am not at fault will my insurance rates go up if I file a claim on my own policy?

A: No. If you are in an accident you have the option to go through your own company or the other driver’s policy. Some people like to use their own company as they feel their best interest will be protected. Others prefer to go with the other company if they are not at fault so they do not have to pay the collision deducible and hope they get it back in subrogation (yes, if you have an auto accident and your insurance company pays for the repair to your car you are subject to the collision deducible) if you are not at fault it would most likely be reimbursed when your company is paid back from the other insurance company, but it is not a guarantee.

Q: What is the time frame to repair or total a car?

A: There is no set amount of time. There are many factors that go into settling a claim: Confirming fault, collecting the police report, figuring out the value of the car vs. the repair, Time frame of the auto body shop, and on and on. The safe thing is to say it can take a month or more… If your car is going to be totaled the insurance company is going to work as fast as possible to settle as they do not want to pay for the rental car longer than necessary!

Tips on how to file a claim?

To file a claim, follow these steps: 

1. Call your insurance agent as soon as possible, regardless of who is at fault. Find out whether you’re covered for this loss. Even if the accident appears minor, it is important that you let your insurance company know about the incident.
2. Ask your agent or company representative how to proceed and what forms or documents are needed to support your claim. Your insurance company will require a “proof of claim” form and, if there is one, a copy of the police report. Increasingly, companies allow you to monitor the progress of your claim on their web site.
3. Supply the information your insurer requests. Fill out the claim form carefully. Keep good records. Get the names and phone numbers of everyone you speak with and copies of any bills related to the accident.
4. Ask your insurance agent or company representative the following:

• Does my policy contain a time limit for filing claims and submitting bills?
• Is there a time limit for resolving claims disputes?
• If I need to submit additional information, is there a time limit?
• When can I expect the insurance company to contact me?
• Do I need to get repair estimates for the damage to my car?
• Will my policy pay for a rental car while my car is being repaired? If so, how much?

So the best thing to do is ask tons of questions! Don’t expect every claim to be handled the same. When you hear from a friend that they settled the claim in hours and then got tons of money remember Everyone has good intentions but the circumstances could have been different and you never know all the details unless it is your claim!

I  cautght a fish and it was thing bigor was it this big….

As an insurance geek I get all kinds of Jokes or stories from friends and clients to read and comment on or pass on to you my friendly readers. The below came from a fellow insurance Geek and co-worker. JF is a rock star Commercial insurance Guru with a sick sense of humor that I really appreciate!  Below is a testament to how ironic insurance can be or is it just to confirm you don’t want to have an attorney as a client… yes that is a Joke I have tons of Attorney clients. they keep me on my toes, got to love the “hypothetically speaking” questions.  :)

The lawyer sued – and WON! (Stay with me.)

Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable ‘fire’ and was obligated to pay the claim..

Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars that perished in the ‘fires.’

NOW FOR THE BEST PART…

After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

 This true story won First Place in last year’s Criminal Lawyers Award contest.

 ONLY IN AMERICA …..

I have become a road warrior… Costello and Sons has started a relationship with a real estate firm out of the South Bay and I visited 3 offices this week (San Mateo, Saratoga & San Jose). While the meetings were great, I can’t help but think of all the daily commuters as I was completely exhausted after my driving around the bay area this week. It is a fact of life that you may not be fortunate enough to live and work in the same city or even adjoining city. I realized that I really took my normal commute for granted. On average it takes me 15 minutes to get to work or home, I don’t have to get on the freeway and I have the option to race home if I forgot something or drop by the office on the weekends just to grab something. Thursday morning I drove to San Jose then stopped by our Sand Hill Road office and then back to San Rafael, a round trip of 150 miles and 4 hours of my day.  With all that time on my hands I started counting how many times the same songs played on the radio and how many fellow Prius drivers I saw (good news for the environment; there were too many to count so I started counting Gray ones like mine )

So with a lot of “alone time” in the car I racked my brain to figure out what to share with you this week that would add value and of course entertain you…. I saw a lot of crazy driving so safety and defensive driving was the first thing that came to mind. Then back in the office I got the below email:
It was about 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to
visit a friend. An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her
and put his lights on. Lauren’s parents have always told her never to
pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road,
but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc.

Lauren had actually listened to her parent’s advice, and promptly
called 112 on her cell phone to tell the police dispatcher that she
would not pull over right away. She proceeded to
tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a
flashing red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked
to see if there were police cars where she was and
there weren’t, and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that
he had back up already on the way.

Ten minutes later 4 police cars surrounded her and the unmarked car
behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded
the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to
the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and was wanted for other
crimes.
I never knew about the 112 Cell Phone Feature, but especially for a
woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car.
Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a safe
place.
*Speaking to a service representative at Bell  Mobility confirmed
that 112 was a direct link to State trooper info. So, now it’s your
turn to let your friends know about 112.

You may want to Send
this to every woman (and man) you know; it may save a life.

This applies to ALL 50 states

1. snopes.com: Cell phone 112 Emergency ••
Will dialing 112 connect you with an emergency call center when your
cell phone has no signal?
  …Claim: Even when your cell phone signal is blocked, dialing 112
will connect you with an emergency call center. Example: [Collected on
the Internet,…
  …your mobile phone has no signal (so even if you were in a tunnel)
if you dial 112 it diverts to a satellite signal and puts you through
to the 999 call…
  …The global mobile emergency number, 112, is “special” in the
sense that (unlike other local emergency numbers, such as 911) it will
use any tower your…

This was a great reminder to me to be extra aware especially in an area you are not too familiar with (my GPS actually told me to go on a one way the wrong way…) along the way I saw cars broken down and thought to myself what would I do… I then remembered my auto insurance policy provided $75 per occurrence for roadside service. Also when I bought my car I apparently paid for roadside service through Toyota until 2013 or 75,000 miles, which I am still under… for now! We will see how long I am a road warrior!

Safe and happy commuting to you all!