homeowners insurance

SWFL Insurance

How To Protect Your Home Against Tropical Storms And Hurricanes

Whether it’s a Tropical Storm or Category 5, preparing for a storm is imperative for the safety of you and your loved ones. Proper preparation can also reduce the risk of home and property damage. Consider the following tips as soon as you know a big storm is headed your way. Know Your Evacuation Zone Evacuation zones are areas where storm surge may go. Your zone will tell you the likelihood of being affected by storm surge and if you should evacuate. If you don’t know what zone you are in, contact your local government-emergency management office, or search for your Evacuation Zone. Remember there is a window of time in which it is safe to evacuate. Decide if you will evacuate or stay well before the storm reaches you. Unless otherwise instructed by emergency responders, do not attempt to travel during the storm. Know Your Risks How vulnerable is your property to flooding from storm surge? Homes with higher elevation are less likely to be impacted by storm surge. Search your address in FEMA’s Preliminary Flood Hazard Map. If the preliminary data search tool is unavailable, please visit the alternate site to view your data. Learn more about the hazards of Storm Surge. Review Your Insurance Coverage Do you know your deductible and policy number? Contact your agent to make sure that your policy is current, and payments are up to date. Make sure you have notified your agent of any changes or renovations that have been made to your home. Obtain a digital copy of your policy from your agent. Know your coverage and deductibles. For example, are you covered in the event of a flood? Do you have adequate coverage for your home and personal property? Due to coverage limitations on jewelry, works of art, and some other content categories, it is recommended you speak with your agent regarding scheduling high-end items to ensure they have adequate coverage. Create a handy reference sheet with your policy information in the event your property is damaged during the storm including your agent’s name and phone number, best way to file a claim, and your policy number. Take A Personal Inventory Of Your Home And Major Possessions Take photographs and/or a short video of all areas of the home (inside and outside) including its contents and create an inventory list. Store contents in structurally sound, waterproof containers to help reduce the likelihood of damage. Make sure photos are time-stamped or include the current newspaper in the photo for time stamping. This will help during the claim process. Develop A Family Emergency Plan Before the storm occurs, sit down with your family or close friends and decide how you will stay in contact with each other, where you will go, and what you will do in an emergency. Document and keep a copy of this plan in your Hurricane Supply Kit or another safe place where you can access it in the event of a disaster. A great resource to help you formulate your plan is the Ready.Gov emergency plan page. Create a list of emergency phone numbers (doctor, veterinarian, animal shelters, Red Cross, etc.) to include in your emergency plan. If your home does not have a safe space for individuals to be during the hurricane, make different living accommodations to ensure safety. Homes with higher elevation are less prone to be impacted by storm surge. Prepare A Hurricane Supply Kit Gather personal hurricane supplies such as water, non-perishable food, batteries, radio, flashlight, and first-aid kit. Refer to our Hurricane Supply Checklist for a list of items we recommend. Be sure to include your personal “must-haves” in case you need to evacuate. Keep your kit in a designated place and have it ready in case you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all household members know where the kit is kept. Store a reserve supply of drinking/washing water in clean bathtubs, containers, and non-breakable bottles. Place valuables and important documents in a plastic bag or waterproof container and store them at the highest level in your home. Buy extra supplies in case of unexpected damages during the storm and keep your car’s gas tanks as full as possible. Secure the Outside of Your Home If you don’t have storm shutters, board up all vulnerable accesses such as doors, windows, and garage doors. Prior to every storm season hire a professional tree service to trim all trees that are near or hanging over your home. Bring in outdoor hanging and potted plants and objects such as lawn furniture, toys, and garden tools; anchor objects that cannot be brought inside. It is not recommended that you throw outdoor furniture into your pool- this practice can damage both your furniture and pool. (Article Courtesy: UPC Insurance) Get A Quote

SWFL Insurance

Spate Of Sudden Policy Cancellations Impacting Florida Homeowners

You wouldn’t want to head into Hurricane Season without this necessity. Some homeowners insurance carriers are canceling thousands of policies with little notice to their customers. When Becky Ghrist’s homeowner’s insurance dropped her just weeks before hurricane season was set to begin, she was floored. “This isn’t just. I thought it was just happening to me because my house was older, but that’s not the case at all. I’m finding out that it’s happening to many people all throughout the state,” Ghrist said. “Especially the coastal areas. A lot of these companies are pulling out because of risk assessment they say. And they just don’t, you know, it’s not profitable for them anymore,” said Ghrist. Tens of thousands of Florida policyholders are in that same boat. They are now in search of new homeowner’s insurance carriers after several Florida-based companies dropped them. The Insurance Information Insitute says the reason for this is over-the-top expenses hitting insurers, who lost $1.6 billion last year alone. Mark Friedlander works with the Insurance Information Institute. “What led to those losses primarily were roofing schemes, door to door solicitations for roof replacements, where they don’t necessarily need to be roof replacement,” Friedlander said. “More than 100,000 property lawsuits were filed against Florida insurers last year,” said Friedlander. These lawsuits, plus costs from last year’s record-setting Hurricane Season put heavy pressure on insurers. Now, they are looking to reduce risk by canceling policies, policies like Ghrist’s. “And even what I was told if I even do get a policy, I can expect rates to go up 30 to 50% which is a huge increase,” Ghrist said. “And it makes you wonder how you were going to afford it. But like I said you know you have to have coverage. Especially with hurricane season coming. It’s a very scary thought not to have coverage.” Joyce Ramos’ insurance company told her to put on a new roof or she’d be canceled. “It’s upsetting,” Ramos said. “I just think that’s it’s very unfair.” After she complained, the company changed its tune and renewed her policy. If you’ve received a notice of your policy being canceled, the Insurance Information Institute says the best thing for you to do is talk to your insurance professional to see what your options are before making any decisions. (Article Courtesy: WINK News) Get A Quote

SWFL Insurance

Why You Should Work With An Independent Agency When Buying Home Insurance

When you buy a house, you will spend a lot of time, money and effort over the years maintaining it and adapting it to fit your unique needs. Still, you are not immune to numerous risks and liabilities that threaten all homeowners, no matter how careful you try to be. That’s why you should be able to rely on your homeowners insurance to provide exceptional benefits when you need them most. The best way to get such optimized coverage is to work with an independent insurance agency like SWFL Insurance. We know that you have a choice of agencies, which is why we will work hand in hand with you to earn your trust, find perfect coverage solutions and help you maintain your home insurance for years to come. Consider just a few of the advantages of working with an independent agency like SWFL Insurance. 1. Choices Of Plans From Multiple Carriers Because our agents are independent, they are not bound to sell only the policies of a single insurance carrier. Instead, we are partnered with numerous major carriers, all of which offer customizable and competitively priced homeowners insurance packages. We’ll do a comprehensive comparison of all plans within our network to help you find the one that offers you the most optimized coverage. 2. More Access To Savings Potential An affordable plan particularly comes in handy when it comes to your homeowners insurance. After all, you never want to run the risk of your coverage lapsing due to nonpayment. Still, just because two insurance policies look alike, that does not mean that they are priced the same. Two similar policies from different carriers might be priced differently depending on the quote each carrier is willing to offer. With our help to compare different policy options, you’ll always be able to land on the one that is best for your budget. 3. Local, Personalized Services Whether you need to file a claim on your home insurance or just want to check to see if your plan still offers you optimized benefits, you shouldn’t have to deal with long hold times and impersonal agents. At SWFL Insurance, we’re your one-stop shop for all your policy needs, and we fully believe that the best way to satisfy our customers is to be responsive to them when they need us. That’s why when you work with us, you’ll always talk to someone who understands your situation, empathizes with you, and is committed to helping you solve your problem. We are rooted in our community, and we know what our customers are looking for in their homeowners insurance. We’ll make sure you get both the general and specialized coverage you need to always protect your home, possessions and family in the best possible ways. Also Read: Homeowners Insurance And The Responsible Dog Owner Get A Quote

SWFL Insurance

Homeowners Insurance And The Responsible Dog Owner

Your homeowners insurance protects you from the unexpected. As much as your fur baby is a member of the family, cover your assets. Read on to see how this can affect your homeowners policy. There’s no bones about it, if you are like me, no home is complete without man’s best friend. They bring us joy, they give us unconditional love. They give us companionship, and there nothing better than their excitement when we walk through the door at the end of the day. U.S. households include almost 90 million dogs with their intelligence and desire to please it’s no wonder they are the number one species chosen to be service and therapy animals. That said, the Center For Disease Control estimates that 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in this country. Over half of these bites occur at a home with dogs that are familiar to the victim. The average cost for these claims paid out was $44,760 in 2019 and this number is increasing yearly. With that in mind, many look to their own home, renters, or condo policy to provide protection against liability claims brought about by dogs, but do they? When in doubt consult with your agent who can advise the best way to protect you, your assets, and your four legged friends. ~Tracy Lynne Rennspiess – SWFL Insurance Homeowners Insurance and Animal Liability In Florida, many insurers exclude animal liability, ironically Florida is #2 in dog bite claims annually in this country. Carriers offer it on a case by case basis taking into account the dog breed, temperament, size another factors to determine insurability. Some insurers will not insure dogs of a certain breed, even if the breed is mixed with other more insurable breeds not on the insurance industry’s canine “hit list”. Breeds commonly refused liability coverage are Pitbulls, Dobermans, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Wolf hybrids, and many others. Some are excluded by carriers due to the aggressive nature of the breed like the American Staffordshire Terrier (Pitbull), while others may be excluded due to a large bite radius like a Great Dane or Mastiff. While some insurers/agents won’t ask for your dog’s breed, once there is a dog related incident, your insurer may non-renew your homeowners insurance policy, surcharge your policy, or exclude your pet altogether. What to do if you have a dog on the insurance carrier breed “hit list”? Have an honest discussion with your agent about what is and is not covered by your homeowners insurance policy. If animal liability is excluded you need to know to protect your assets. Even if animal liability is covered once your liability limit is exceeded by an animal claim you are responsible for the exceeded amount. If you find out animal liability is excluded from your home policy, have your licensed, independent agent look for a new carrier, though you may still have a hard time finding coverage if you have a Pitbull, Rottweiler, or other breed on the list. That said, if your dog is trained as a service animal, therapy dog, or a member of the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program some carriers may make an exception. Ask your independent agent for a stand alone canine liability policy. This policy covers liability claims caused by your dog even if your home owners insurance carrier wont. Pricing for this type of policy ranges from $125 annually for a small mixed breed dog to $400 annually for a spayed/neutered Pitbull. You can have multiple dogs on the same policy and many carriers discount for more than one pet. We Live In Florida And This Is Fairly Obvious But Needs To Be Said: As a side point to our discussion on animal liability some in the state of Florida own what is termed in the insurance industry as “Exotic” animals. Almost all carriers exclude “Exotic Animals”, this includes alligators, snakes, wolves and wolf hybrids, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and other species of wildlife kept as pets. When in doubt consult with your agent who can advise the best way to protect you, your assets, and your four legged friends. Lastly, there are some who will criticize my use of the insurance industry’s term “aggressive” in describing American Staffordshire Terrier (Pitbulls). I respond to this by saying this is Kendall…and I’m her Mom. I used to think we rescued her, now I know she made it her job to complete our little family, keep us safe from geckos, make us laugh, and feel loved and missed when we walkthrough the door at the end of the day. Mission accomplished, my good girl.

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