Homeowners and Renters–Tips for Holiday Security
The FBI reports that nearly 400,000 burglaries occur between November and December each year in the United States, but some burglars can be deterred; here are some tips:
- Do not hide spare keys under flowerpots or doormats.
- Use a timer to turn household lights on and off even if you’re not home. Burglars watch for occupancy cues especially unlit homes.
- Do not display your Christmas tree and presents in front of easy-access windows.
- Keep your windows and doors, including sliding doors, secured and locked.
- Make sure you’re home to accept any packages that are scheduled for delivery. If not, request that the packages are left with a trusted neighbor, the post office, or shipped to your work address.
- Request to suspend your mail if you are going out of town or on vacation.
- Do not leave notes on your door announcing that you’re away from home.
- Do not leave empty boxes from high-priced items outside your home for trash collection. Burglars would love nothing more to swipe your brand new flat screen TV, your children’s newest game system, and your computer.
- Ask a trusted neighbor to check up on your home if you’re out of town.
- Arm your security system if you have one installed and monitored. Studies show that homeowners with security systems only arm them 50% of the time.
Fact or Fiction? Only some renters need renters insurance.
If you are currently renting your home or apartment, it’s time to learn more about renters insurance!
Homeowners insurance covers the house itself and the items inside. But if you don’t own the home, you don’t need insurance to cover it. All you need is coverage for your actual personal belongings.
It might not seem like a lot, but all those little items add up! When you think about the cost to replace your furniture, dishes, sheets, clothes, books, and everything else filling up your home, it’s probably a lot more than you thought.
Renters insurance is an affordable way to protect what you’ve worked hard to acquire. And it’s probably a lot cheaper than you’d expect! In fact, many times the discount you receive on your auto insurance for having multiple policies can almost pay for the entire renters policy!
Renters Insurance will cover personal belongings within your home as well as a limited amount of property off premises (such as items in a storage building) or your laptop when it’s in the car.
It also includes important liability coverage. If you accidentally cause a fire that burns down the property, your insurance pays the landlord to replace it (protecting you from a damaging lawsuit). In fact, many landlords now require that tenants carry a certain amount of liability insurance before they approve the lease.
So if you’re renting, it’s time to look at protecting your valuables. Give us a call today and ask for a no obligation quote on renters insurance. And don’t forget to find out how much you’ll save on your auto insurance too!
Scheduling Jewelry On Your Insurance Policy
Last month was Valentine’s Day and proposals happened everywhere! This means that you might find yourself with a new diamond ring or expensive piece of jewelry in your home.
Many people spend thousands of dollars on beautiful jewelry but don’t take the time to find out how to insure it. And this can be a big mistake!
Have you seen the Farmers Insurance TV commercial regarding jewelry?
If you have homeowners or renters insurance, then your jewelry is covered as part of the contents of your home. But there can be problems…
1. We don’t know what it is worth. It’s hard to get the full value of your jewelry back if you don’t know all of the specifics! Weight, color, cut, size, and so forth are all factors in the value. Ten years from now you might not even remember how much you paid.
2. You probably have a large deductible on your homeowners insurance, this deductible applies to the house itself as well as contents coverage. Many insurance policies have limits for theft of specific highly targeted items including jewelry.
But there is a simple solution to avoid all of these problems. Our homeowners and renters policies allow you to “schedule” jewelry for a small additional cost.
You bring in the receipt and appraisal of the item and we add all of that information to your policy. (Sometimes we don’t need all of this, just call us first and we can let you know.)
You will be charged based on the value of the item, but typically it’s less than $50 per year! (Sometimes much less, sometimes a little more. It all depends on how much insurance is required.)
Plus, scheduled items don’t require a deductible. So if your ring is lost or stolen, you pay nothing out of pocket but get to replace your precious jewelry.
So next time you open a jewelry box and put a sparkling diamond on your finger, make sure that you are insuring your investment.
Have questions about scheduling items on your homeowners insurance? Call us today at 816-795-5977 or email jolson3@farmersagent.com for assistance!
Jon Olson Agency-Farmers Insurance 