With the market changes, your home insurance should be considered hazard or catastrophic insurance, not the source to fix a maintenance issue such as a leaky toilet or crack in your driveway. Home insurance is designed to protect you from unexpected losses or damage from fire, theft, or other major accidents.
In today’s market, filing too many claims could lead to a non-renewal from your insurance carrier. Here are a few ways to control your insurance costs and retain your coverage:
Take proactive steps to protect and maintain your property. Focus on maintaining your roof (your first line of defense against the weather). Trim any trees close to your home, clear gutters of leaves and debris, and repair any potential hazards.
Install risk mitigation devices, such as automatic water shut-off devices, water sensors, electrical monitoring and more. It’s very likely that installation of these devices will soon become as standard of a requirement as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are today.
Let us know of any renovations to be sure your home is insured to it’s current value. Only use responsive, responsible contractors who have been recommended and are insured.
Additional Ways to Save
• Raise your deductibles.
• If we aren’t writing all of your insurance, you could be missing a multi-policy discount. Ask us about it.
• Ask about potential discounts for paying in full, moving to EFT, or going paperless.
• Call us before filing a claim. If your cost to repair your damage isn’t much more than your deductible, you may want to consider paying out of pocket. We can advise you of your options.
