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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

Earn Up To $500 In Rewards When You #StayHealthyatHome

While some aspects of life are slowly returning to normal, that doesn’t mean you aren’t still feeling the heavy impact of the coronavirus. The coronavirus has complicated life in ways we couldn’t have expected. That’s why resources like our online wellness and rewards program, Better You Strides, are helpful with staying connected and healthy while staying at home. To help you during this challenging time, we’re creating more opportunities for premium assistance through our Better You Strides program. If you purchased an Affordable Care Act plan for you and your family (not through your job), here are some ways you can earn money toward your premium. More Rewards And Flexibility Don’t let staying home stop you from earning rewards. Instead of $100, you can now earn up to $500 a year in rewards for doing healthy activities online. That’s an extra $400 toward your premium. We’re also making it easier to complete activities online and get rewarded. You can now complete all six reward activities any time you want. You are no longer limited to completing one per quarter. You and each of the dependents on your plan age 18 or older can complete the rewards activities. That’s $500 each, per year, toward the cost of your premium. So, if four people on your plan qualify and do the wellness programs, you could save up to $2,000 toward your premiums this year! Start your journey by taking 15–20 minutes to complete a personal health assessment. You’ll immediately earn $250 in rewards when you complete it, and it will set the path for the health and wellness activities, videos and quizzes you tackle along the way. The wellness activity topics can be educational or interactive and include managing your health conditions, healthy snacking, planning meals and managing stress—all things that could prove valuable right now. You’ll now earn $50 in rewards for each eligible self-guided health and wellness program you complete (up to four programs). When you finish one program, you’ll get choices for the next one. You can also earn an additional $50 in rewards by completing the “Reduce My Premium” journey card. You’ll have access to the activity immediately upon logging in to your Florida Blue account and clicking on Better You Strides. (Article Courtesy: Florida Blue) Contact Us

SWFL Insurance

How To Improve Your Home’s Window Security

It’s important that everyone keep their home secure, and to do so you might take numerous precautions. It might be as simple as locking your doors (even when you are at home) or installing a security system. Plus, you can buy home insurance to protect you in the event a problem ever does arise. Still, there are a few less obvious but necessary steps that you should take to further increase your home’s security. For example, the investment in more secure windows and additional window safety features can assist you in making your dwelling safer all around. Let’s take a closer look at how you should approach window security. Are You Vulnerable To Home Break-Ins? You want to make it as hard as possible for an uninvited person to enter your home. To do so, you must start out knowing exactly how they might be able to get into your dwelling in the first place. Ask yourself what your home’s most likely entry points are. These might of course be exterior doors (including cellar doors), but you must not forget that windows also can be entryways, particularly if they are on your ground floor. It might not be hard, after all, for someone to approach the home, cut your window screen and then push open your window. At minimum, you should leave your windows locked whenever you don’t have them open. It only takes a moment to do so, and there’s no benefit at all to have windows that are unlocked but closed. Though a simple task, locking your windows can do a lot to keep unwanted intruders out. But there’s always more you can do to keep your interior secure. Additional Risk Management Tips If you are looking for additional ways to keep your home’s windows, secure, consider a few of the following ideas. They’ll be easy to take on the next time you do home maintenance. Look for signs of window damage. Remove and replace broken windows (or single panes). Replacing broken windows helps save energy in addition to making the home more secure. Replace missing or broken screens. If you can see that there’s an easy way for someone to tear cut or slide the screen open, then the screen is no longer offering optimized security. Keep curtains closed or blinds drawn after dark. A passerby should not be able to see into a lighted home. By seeing what you have inside, they might be tempted to break in. Consider using smart window technology throughout the home. By applying smart sensors around windows and doors, you will receive a mobile alert when someone opens a window, and you’ll be able to act. If you want to invest in a high-end security system, you will likely receive window sensors and a monitoring service as part of this package. If someone were to break into your home through one of your windows, then your home insurance policy can help you repair structural damage and replace stolen belongings. Still, having coverage does not mean you shouldn’t do all you can to minimize break-in risks. Therefore, by keeping your windows secure, you’ll go a long way toward preventing break-ins in the first place. Get A Quote

SWFL Insurance

The Fundamentals Of Condo Insurance

Condominiums are as much homes as any other dwelling, which is why they need to always be insured appropriately. However, condos are also unique properties with unique features, which is why their insurance needs are a bit different from those of the average single-family home. Still, condominium insurance contains many of the benefits of homeowners insurance; it’s just customized to the liabilities specific to this type of property. Let’s take a closer look. Benefits Included In Condo Insurance If you own a condo, you essentially live in a property that is similar to an apartment (meaning it shares walls with other dwellings), but that is owned by you. While you are responsible for your own dwelling, your greater condominium association will take care of certain portions of the property on your behalf. Therefore, condo ownership tends to be a cross between tenancy and full home ownership. As a result, your property insurance needs are unique. Most condo insurance policies come contain three primary benefits: Personal Belongings Coverage: This provides compensation for personal items that are lost or damaged due to fire, lightning, smoke, wind, hail, theft or vandalism. Liability Insurance: This covers bodily injury and property damage someone else may suffer while visiting your home. This coverage can also help you in case of a lawsuit. Additional Living Expenses Coverage: This pays the costs related to temporarily moving while the condo is being repaired or rebuilt after a disaster. There is dwelling insurance available on condo insurance policies. However, it is different from the coverage contained within standard home insurance. It does not cover the exterior of the property, and the condo association will usually carry the coverage for structure damage within their master plan. Association policies cover structures in either all-in or walls-in terms. An all-in policy covers items within the condo – such as fixtures, flooring and appliances, on behalf of the client. A walls-in policy, however, does not cover these inside fixtures, and at this time the occupant will need to turn to their own policy. If your landlord only carries a walls-in policy, you must purchase your own property coverage within your condo insurance. Be forewarned, however, that even when the condo association has an all-in coverage, they might still require you to turn to your own benefits in order to repair the damage to the home. For example, if you are at fault for a house fire that damages part of the structure, the association might demand that you compensate them for the damage using your liability insurance. For help putting together the condo insurance that is best for you, contact one of our agents today. SWFL Insurance is staffed by a team of friendly, knowledgeable insurance experts who know how to dig into the details of your condo plan and ensure you get the best possible coverage. Get A Quote

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