A fallen tree can cause damage to your property especially if it falls on your house. Your homeowners insurance coverage may cover the expenses of removing trees and the required repairs. Contact the insurance company immediately to enquire if your policy covers the situation. Some insurers cover the removal of trees in order to prevent damage in future while others cover the removal of trees that have fallen and caused damage. If the tree removal is covered, then you should start the claiming process. Make sure you note and take the contact of the agent you have talked to in relation to making your claim. The information could be useful in the future. This person should also let you know what to expect in your claiming process.

Have evidence of the fallen tree

Let the tree remain where it is. Only remove it if it is blocking the way or is in unavoidable situation. To have the evidence of the damage, take pictures showing the fallen tree and the damaged caused to the property. Make sure you have many pictures and from different angles. Chances are that the insurance company will send someone to take their own pictures showing the damage. However, having your documentation can come in handy especially if the insurance company pays less in relation to the damage caused by the tree. Get an independent estimation of the repair costs. You can use the services of a contractor. If possible, look for someone trustworthy and who is willing to provide you with a timely estimate for free or at a small fee. This will ensure that you have the correct estimate and you do not end up spending a lot of money on it. Keep the copy of estimates with your for the record. You might need them to justify your claim in case the insurer underpays you.

Let in the adjuster

Your insurer will send an adjuster to examine the damage caused by the fallen tree and to provide you with an estimate of the damage. If you are not in, make sure you schedule a particular time when the adjuster can come. If the damage can be accessed without getting in then there is no need to arrange for the time. Inform the adjuster that you have many pictures of the damage and you have an estimate of the damage. You can offer to share the information.

Follow up on the claim

After filing a claim and the adjuster comes to your home, it may take some time before the insurance company contacts you. This is due to the many claims the adjuster has to deal with and on the extent of the damage. It is therefore up to you to contact the insurer once every few weeks to check on the progress of the claim.
Your homeowners insurance coverage should pay for the removal of the tree and for repair of any damages that the tree may have caused.

Taking homeowners insurance is an important step towards protecting your home in case there is a disaster such as fire, vandalism or theft. However, the insurers should avoid some mistakes in order to reap the full benefits of insuring their homes. Some of those mistakes include:

Under insuring

One of the biggest mistakes that homeowners make is to under insure their homes. They fail to make enough coverage for rebuilding their homes. For an insurer to rebuild your home in case there is a disaster, you need to have provided the full coverage of rebuilding. That is why you should know how much it would cost to rebuild your home so you can insure accordingly. Most homeowners only insure the home at the value of the mortgage or at the current value, which can be much less than the value of rebuilding. When the disaster strikes is when you realize that the amount that the insurer gives you is not enough for rebuilding. To curb this, you can request an insurance agent and if possible, a home replacement cost estimator to provide you with an accurate figure of what it would cost to rebuild your home. You can also get the average cost of rebuilding per square foot from builders, real estate agent, building association or a contractor from your area. After you have the rebuilding cost figures, you should check if your home owners insurance coverage is enough and if it is not, you should increase it. You should also ensure that you have enough coverage for your personal possessions. If the figure it is not enough you can include riders especially for valuables such as jewelry.

Assuming you are covered for flood

The standard homeowners insurance does not cover against flood. If you live in flood prone areas, you should get coverage. The coverage is easy to get considering it is a federal program and the rates depend on the amount of coverage that you want and the risk of flooding.

Thinking that your deductible is flat

A deductible set as $500, $800 or any other figure may not be the maximum you pay in case of a disaster. If a major disaster such as a hurricane, windstorm or earthquake occurs, the deductible can become a percentage of the coverage. To be on the safe side, you can ask the insurer if the policy is based on changing deductible and if it is, you can get a policy with a flat deductible if it is available. If your deductible is the changing one, ensure you have enough savings to cover it in case there is a disaster.

Thinking that homeowners insurance covers you for sewerage backup or mold

Standard home owners insurance policy does not cover for molds or sewerage backup. In case it has, there are claim limits. You can enquire about additional coverage if your policy does not have the coverage. Sewage coverage cost is low to about $50 per year. Mold coverage is more expensive and you should assess if you need it before taking it. This is if your home is in a humid area or you have an old house that has not been built with materials that are mold resistant.

Many homeowners insurance companies provide insuring services. You should therefore be keen in finding the insurers with covers that will meet your full satisfaction when it comes to matters of protecting your property at an affordable price. A policy with insurers will shield your house against the losses that one incurs when incidents such as fire, hostile weather and also theft occur.

Insurance coverage provided

Policies last for twelve months with a number of ways in which a member can pay for the premiums. With some insurers, a member should have an online account in order to make online payments. You can also pay your premiums by writing a check to the insurer. All these are services offered by the insurance company to make it convenient in meeting the needs of its members. If you have an insurance cover with a home owners insurance company and your property is damaged, lost or stolen depending on the loss covered, the company arranges how to compensate you or repair your property. It is evident that if you get damage at your home due to an accident, quick action to rectify the situation is required to prevent further damage. Most homeowners insurance companies cater for this as one has access to them twenty-four hours each day through their emergency number. It also offers one with an opportunity to cover other valuable items that one may be having such as jewelry, sculpture or any other form of art one may be having. At other times, accidents do happen and there is no remedy to accidents that is why if one of its members accidentally damages a property of another it shields one from any claim and compensates the damages caused until it reaches the limits of its member’s policy with the company.

Insurance discounts

Due to the variety of discounts offered at homeowners insurance company, one could be at a point of saving a lot of money. For example, they offer the multi policy discount that when one insures not only his/her home but also his car. Because of this, a discount is given to the member. If you have a cover and you have installed protective devices such as the alarms, extinguishers and deadbolts you certainly receive a discount. In addition, if you also uphold a record of loss-free for a period of three years you are also given a discount. This is to encourage the members to try as much as possible to be more responsible when handling their property to reduce damage. With some home owners insurance companies, houses that have been recently renovated also are advantaged as they get a discount and those houses have not been in use for long. When a member also proves to be keen on keeping up with the inflation and adjusts the amount he gives as premium a discount is given to him.

Every homeowner can use these home insurance tips to help in knowing more about what insuring a home is all about and to get more out of it. Insuring your home can help you to have peace of mind knowing that in case a disaster strikes, you have a backup and you do not have to worry about getting back on your feet. This is because homeowners insurance covers the home against damage from various perils. The home insurance tips below will help you know more about insuring your home.

Know exactly what your insurance covers and does not cover

Make sure you read the fine print of your policy and understand every bit of it. This will ensure that you know what is covered. You will also know what to make a claim for in case of a disaster. You should know what the policy does not cover. There are various types of home insurance policies and insurers cover different disasters. There are also exclusions from the standard policies. Know them so you do not make a claim for what you do not qualify.

Know how to reduce premiums

There are ways you can reduce your premiums without affecting the kind of coverage you get. For instance, installing a burglar alarm, a smoke detector or a deadbolt can reduce the premiums by up to 20%. This is because you have reduced the risk of insuring your home.

Report a claim on time

There is a time limit to filing claims. Ask your insurer the time limits so that you abide by them. Waiting for a long time can make a claim invalid and you will lose the benefits.

Have it written down

Keep records of what takes place during a loss especially what you did to mitigate the loss. Keep a record of phone calls that you have made. Remember to save contracts, receipts and appraisals in a safe place including online. This can help you when making a claim.

Know how valuables are covered

Valuables are usually not covered by the standard policy and if they are, it is up to a particular limit. If yours are very expensive, you should include an additional cover to the policy to cover them.

Do regular maintenance

Regular maintenance can help to detect problems in your systems such as air conditioning and drainage systems. Insurers also require the systems to be maintained and can deny claims based on that. To be on the safe side perform regular maintenance of the home systems.

Know when you should file a claim

Filing frivolous claims can result to high premiums. This does not mean that you should not file claims, just make sure they are worth it. You should handle small damages that will not cost much to repair and leave the large ones to the insurer. If you are in doubt about a claim, do not be afraid to contact your insurer.

If you are running your business from home whether part time of full time, you should take home business insurance. This is because your business is not covered by your homeowners insurance and you may end up suffering losses. For instance if a delivery person is injured while bringing you a business parcel, your homeowners insurance does not cover you and you may end up paying a lot of money. Home business insurance provides protection on your business depending on the kind of policy you have taken.

Below are three types of policy that you can use.

A rider to your homeowners insurance policy

You can include an add-on in your homeowners insurance or even renters policy to insure your business. This is a cheap solution because it costs about $100 per year to get additional coverage for about $2,500. Due to its low coverage, it is suitable for a small business that does not have many valuable types of equipment or many business visitors. You should also not suffer a lot of loss if you are not in a position to operate your business for a while due to a disaster.

In home policy

An in-home business policy has more coverage than the rider does on homeowners policy. The insurance rates range from $250 to $500 with coverage of up to $10,000. It provides coverage for theft even for business equipment and liability for injury. It also covers up to three employees. Some of the coverage provided is in loss of crucial documents and theft of money when being taken for banking. This policy is suitable if you are in a home based business that is more serious especially if you have people coming in and out of your home. It should however be a part time or a low revenue business due to the low coverage. When taking the policy, you should get the one suitable for your business in your state. States have their rules about insurance coverage provided to home based businesses.

Business owner’s policy

The policy is suitable for a large business that needs coverage of more than $10,000. Other Business owners who do not run their business at home also take the policy. Some of the coverage provided by the policy includes loss or damage to the business equipment and other business assets, liability for injuries to customers and employees, losing critical records, professional liability or malpractice claims and even loss of income. It also protects the business against interruption due to a natural disaster or power outage. It might also provide protection when you are driving a personal car for purposes of business. This home business insurance policy has a higher coverage than the rider on homeowners insurance or in-house policy. Due to the diverse nature of businesses, each business should take a business insurance that is suitable for it.