Homeowner’s Liability Coverage

Home insurance Safford, AZIn general terms the liability portion of your homeowner’s policy makes two promises:

1. It pays for the damage you cause to other people’s property and for the injuries you may cause to others. For example, in the case of an auto policy, if you crash into someone else’s car the liability portion of your policy pays to replace their car, and the medical bills due to the bodily injury that you caused to the other party.

2. It pays for your legal defense in the event that you are sued for something covered in the policy. For example, in the case of a homeownwers policy, if someone slips and falls on ice on your front porch, and sues you, the liability portion of the policy would provide coverage to defend you against the suit.

However, there are different types of liability, and that are offered on different types of policies.

Personal Liability – This is a broad form of liability often found on homeowners policy. It provides coverage for the bodily injury and property damage that an insured person is found to be legally responsible for. It can provide coverage on the home’s premise, but also away from the home’s premise.

Premise Liability – This liability form typically is found on dwelling policies where the home is a secondary home (meaning you have personal liability from your primary homeowners policy), a rental property, or a vacant home. It also covers bodily injury and property damage, but it only provides coverage when the cause of the loss is on the insured premise. In other words, if something were to happen at the dwelling because it was unsafe and you were sued, then Premise liability would respond, but unlike personal liability it provides no coverage off the insured premise.

Personal Injury – This liability can be Excluded OR Included on a given policy, so if you want this coverage, you need to make sure the company you have chosen makes it available, and purchase it. Personal Injury excludes things such as False Arrest (keeping someone against their will even for a short period of time), Wrongful Eviction or Entry (Landlords pay attention), Invasion or violation of privacy (Landlords pay attention), and slander and defamation (have any kids on the internet?). You can see why this is important, but this is also often excluded under personal or premise liability, so if you have these exposures (you probably do) you will want to consider adding this to your policy.

How much liability to purchase? That is a good question, and one that only you can make, but more is better which is why we offer an umbrella policy so that you can purchase additional coverage.

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Ways to Save With Your Deductible

I recently went to go see “The Greatest Showman,” as one who is often found singing or whistling show tunes, I loved it. But the sound track is probably better than the Movie. A great mix of music with strong beats and base lines and violins coupled with distorted guitar, and great melodies. Followed by hopefully ballads. Anyway, there is a song that talks about the long-lasting idiom, “Walking a Tight Rope.” What does this have to do with Saving money on your insurance? Anymore Insurance companies know about your home or auto by running reports. They know if you have had losses, they know when your home was built, what materials, the size, etc., etc., etc. They know. So, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room on a lot. But there is when it comes to deductibles, but it’s a tight rope walk.

When you have a covered claim the insurance company will pay the amount of the loss, less the deductible.

So for example, if you have a $1,000 deductible on your auto, and have a fender bender that costs $2,000 to repair the insurance company will pay $1,000, it is your responsibility to pay the rest of the amount due to the auto repair shop.

On a home if you have $1,000 deductible, and a hail loss that requires you to replace your roof, if the cost is $10,000 to replace the roof, then you would be paid $9,000 and you would be responsible for paying the contractor the other $1,000.

So how is this a type rope? There is a inverse relationship between the cost of your insurance policy and your deductible. The higher the deductible the lower your rates. The lower your deductible the higher your rates.

So how is this a tight rope? Well, on one hand if you have a BIG loss you won’t want to be coming out of pocket to pay a large amount of the claim. On the other hand, if you have a small loss will you actually turn it into the company? Think about it, if it’s a $1,500 loss and you have a $1,000 deductible. The additional $500 dollars you get from the insurance company will cost you dearly once you lose your claims free discount. So what should your deductible be? That depends? Do you have cash on hand usually? Do you have the ability to cover small losses yourself? If so, then the answer is higher.

Once quick example to close. I recently helped a real estate investor get an insurance policy on a Manufactured Home he had purchased as a rental. As an investor he has cash on hand on a regular basis, and he knew the only time they would ever report a claim is if it was BIG. So we looked at the deductible. At a $1,000 deductible the rate was $1080 annually for this manufactured home. With a $2,500 deductible the rate was $817. With a $5,000 deductible the rate was $349. Wow! A 70% discount because of the deductible. Now he knows if there’s a loss he is probably covering it, but what he is most concerned about is a catastrophe, so he decided to go with a high deductible. But now you see, choosing your deductible is like walking a tight rope.

For questions on how to save money on your insurance policy, contact Gila Insurance Group. We’ll review your current policy or provide an insurance quote.

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What have you done this summer

Do you need to update your insurance policy?

Fix and Flip Home InsuranceAhh summer time. A time of fun, sun, and DIY projects around the house. The extra light in the evenings lends itself to getting stuff done. So, I have a question: What did you do this summer? Maybe you’re not a DIY sort of person. Maybe you had a contractor or handyman do it for you.

 

Did you add a shed? Did you add on to your home? Did you add a block fence or a pool? Heck did you buy a new car? Did you get Married? Did you get a new Girl Friend?

 

Now for the most important question: Did you tell your insurance agent?

 

What Why would I do that, dude’s a square (and clearly uses insults from the 1950’s… loser).

 

Because it can affect your insurance. Consider this lesser known insurance clause:

 

Your house has to be insured to at least 80% of its value or you can be penalized in the event of a claim.

 

Yes penalized. Well that wouldn’t happen to me. Did you tell your insurance agent about your addition? Because if not, you just change the ratio of the insurance coverage to the value of your house.

 

“Well, I just added a pool.” Will your insurance company cover you if you have a pool? Some don’t or have strict rules about fences.

 

Did you get married? You probably need to make sure your spouse has been added to the policy? You also need to combine your policies for savings purposes. Finally, do you need to cover that rock you just bought her? There may be coverage on a homeowner’s or renter’s policy, but there may not be depending on the value.

 

If your girlfriend just moved in with you did you know that she may not be covered if she drive’s your car? Or that coverage can be limited? (this can vary GREATLY by company).

 

See. Your insurance agent may be a goober, but you need to tell him or her stuff because if you have done something to your cars, home, or if you have just had some changes in life, talk to us about how that impacts your insurance needs. He/She can help you anser the question do you need to update your insurance policy.

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All homeowners insurance is the same, Right?

5 Coverage options to ensure you have on your policy!

Home Insurance Exclusions in Safford, AZHomeowners insurance is all the same, right? So, I should always buy on price, right? Wrong. It’s true that most stick-built homeowner’s insurance policies have a similar base. It’s called an HO3 policy form. It covers your house and other structures for everything, unless its excluded. It covers your personal property for a list of specific things that could happen and pays their actual cash value, it has liability, and medical payments. That’s about everything you need right? Well, not really. While the base policy is very similar from company to company most customers have higher expectations of how their insurance policy will respond. So here are 5 things most customers should consider purchasing to ensure your policy responds like you think and expect it will.

 

  1. Personal Replacement Cost – We don’t like leaving insurance companies with the ability to wiggle out of paying things they should. Personal property replacement cost does exactly that. Imagine your TV is 4 years old. It is damaged by a fire in the kitchen. Can you imagine the company coming in and saying your TV new cost $500, but its 4 years old so here’s $100 bucks, and we all hate insurance companies again. Adding Personal property replacement cost eliminates this possibility. You have a TV that cost $500 we will buy you a new TV of like kind and quality. Meaning we aren’t going to buy you a 70inch Sony if you had a 35 in Vizio. We will get you as close to what you had before. Personal property replacement cost awesome addition.

 

  1. Special Form on Personal Property – This is tricky, but remember I said on a basic HO policy your personal property, your stuff is insured for a list of things. Your house on the other hand is insured for everything unless its excluded. Question: Why would you insure the house differently from how you insure the couch inside the house… seems odd. Again, this is about meeting your expectations, and make sure your policy responds in the way you want it to.

 

  1. Extended or Increase replacement cost – When your house burns down, and you choose to rebuild you understand the idea of replacement cost. Before that it can be a fuzzy concept, so here goes my attempt to explain. You may have purchased your house for $200,000, but how much will it cost to rebuild? In times where the cost of things is going up (like now) it might cost you $225,000 to rebuild. Your agent may have even run a “cost estimator” to determine that it would cost $200,00 to rebuild the house when you bought it, but who pays for the additional $25,000? Extended or Increased replacement cost will if you have it. What this endorsement or change to the policy does is create a slush fund of a little extra cash in case it costs a little more to rebuild. There are some rules about this add on. So, don’t think you can underinsure the home to save money and be saved by extended replacement cost.

 

  1. Personal Injury – Did you know libel, slander, defamation, and cyber bullying are excluded on your insurance policy? Here’s a question for you have you ever said something bad about someone? What about on a social media site? What about your kids, have they? If so you have probably been guilty of defamation. These lawsuits can be hard to prove the social media has opened a whole new can of worms. Adding personal injury to your policy can ensure that you are prepared and covered for even the weirdest of lawsuits. I mean people are sensitive these days, but not you ; ).

 

  1. Water backup of sewers and drains – Gross. Yeah it is, and its typically not covered unless you add it to your policy. It can get expensive but $5,000 or $10,000 of this coverage can be worth every cent.

Just because you think it should be covered, doesn’t mean that it is. Be sure your policy will respond the way you think it will and start with these 5 coverage options.

 

 

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Coverage C Personal Property Insurance

Personal Property Insurance is important, but often overlooked. What’s included in personal property? It’s what you put in the moving truck, or what would fall out of the home if you could pick it up and turn it upside down. Your clothes, furniture, electronics, toys, some appliances, and all the stuff in your garage. So how do you cover it?You will be asked to figure out what your stuff is worth. This can be a tough exercise. Let’s be real, it’s difficult to even keep track of what stuff you have. Lots of questions; few answers. So let’s get to some answers:

First off let’s start with taking inventory. We recommend taking a look at KnowYourStuff.org its a great website from the Insurance Information Institute, and they have several tools and an app and lots of information that can help you figure out what stuff you have, and what should be insured.

From there you can determine the value of your stuff and what it would take to replace it in the event of a claim, like a fire. Typically insurance companies will include a percentage of the value of the home for your personal property. In some cases its 70%, 50% or for others its 40%, but these are just rules of thumb, and more coverage can be purchased, but you have to have some idea of how much coverage you need.

There are two ways that personal property can be covered.

1. Replacement Cost – As always the replacement cost option is always the best option. In the event of a claim it replaces what was damaged with like kind and quality. Meaning you would be able to replace what was damaged with a new version. It does not account for depreciation.

2. Actual Cash Value – What is the value of your TV you purchased 5 years ago today? What’s the value of the shirt you’re wearing, if its the most comfortable you own, probably not much. In an actual cash value loss settlement situation, that’s the question that comes to mind. Take what it cost new and depreciate it to figure out what it is worth today, and that is what the insurance company pays. That often means you are getting pennies on the dollar for your stuff. Not great for sure, but it is what is the cheapest, and most common way for people to insure personal property.

Typically you have a choice between Replacement Cost and Actual Cash Value for your personal property. This is a choice you should make based on your personal property and how important it is to you.

A few other cool things about insurance for personal property.

  1. If you have special property like jewelry, guns, furs, and other super cool stuff you will need to “schedule it.” This means that you will want us to make a special note saying this stuff is covered,  because its usually is subject to limits.
  2. Your stuff, or at least a percentage of your stuff is often covered worldwide, even when its out of the house. Okay, it’s not much, but 10% worldwide coverage can go a long way if you have a weird loss.
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Who we represent and why?

 

The insurance industry is weird or is it? Like any industry there are those that want to sell direct through exclusive distributors, those that wholesale through non-exclusive distributors, and those that sell direct online to the consumer. As an independent agent we work with companies that wholesale non-exclusively. Here we try to introduce you to the Insurance Companies We Represent and Why. We represent many different companies to try to ensure you get the best coverage at the best rate year after year.

 

Thing is some people have never heard of the companies we represent. So they have to be small and unheard of, right? Not really. We actually work with some of the most reputable companies in the market. In this blog we try to give you an idea of who we represent and how large they actually are.

 

Let’s start with auto insurance. There is a group called the NAIC that reports how large companies are in the US. The data below is from that list.

 

Auto Insurance Company Ranking by Size in 2017
Rank Company Premium in Billions
1 State Farm 41
2 Berkshire Hathaway Grp (GEICO) 29
3 Progressive 22
4 Allstate 21
5 USAA 13
6 Liberty Mutual/Safeco 11
7 Farmers 10
8 Nationwide 7
9 Travelers 4
10 American Family 4
11 Auto Club (AAA) 3
12 Erie 3
13 Amtrust/National General 3
14 CSAA (AAA) 3
15 Autoowners 2.5
16 Mercury 2.4
17 Metlife 2.4
18 Hartford 2.3
19 Auto Club Michigan (AAA) 1.7
20 Mapfre 1.7
21 Kemper 1.4
22 Amica 1.3
23 Infinity 1.2
24 Country Ins & Financial Services 1.1
25 The Hanover 1.1
Bolded and italicized  companies are represented by Gila Insurance Group

 

 

 

We represent Progressive, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, National General, Mercury, MetLife, Kemper, and Infinity. Yes that’s right, we represent 36% of the top 25 auto insurance companies in the US. 9 of the top 25.

 

Let’s look at homeowners.

 

Homeowners Insurance Company Ranking by Size in 2017
Rank Company Premium in Billions
1 State Farm 17
2 Allstate 8
3 Liberty Mutual/Safeco 6.4
4 USAA 6
5 Farmers 6
6 Travelers 3.5
7 Nationwide 3.2
8 American Family 3
9 Chubb LTD Group 2.7
10 Erie 1.6
11 Autoowners 1.4
12 AIG 1.1
13 Metlife 1.1
14 Progressive 1
15 Hartford 1
Bolded and italicized  companies are represented by Gila Insurance Group

 

With homeowner’s insurance there are still a lot of companies, but they tend to get small quick. We are going to focus on only those that write over 1 billion dollars in insurance, which leaves us with the top 15 carriers. We represent Allstate, Safeco, Travelers, and MetLife.  Of the top 15 homeowner’s carriers Gila Insurance Group represents 27% of the top 15.

 

With 36% of the top auto carriers and 27% of the homeowner’s carriers represented by Gila, the question stands… why would you need to go anywhere else?

 

Remember we shop these carriers to ensure you get excellent coverage at an affordable price. If one of these companies decides to drastically change your rate, we will monitor that and start shopping the rate for you. Each of the companies we represent and work with are large recognized carriers with the financial stability to be there when you have a claim.

 

We can provide quotes for many of these companies online at GilaInsurance.com.

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Scheduled Personal Property

Yes is Matters

For some, this article will not make any sense whatsoever. Everything you own is cheap, and nothing you own is worth anything. Put me in that camp. Maybe it was my upbringing, or maybe its because I live in a rural town with Walmart and Home Depot. In short, a dollar in a mutual fund is more important to me than a nice Dewalt Table saw. For my wife’s sake I hope I can get to the point where I can spend a little, but that day hasn’t arrived. For others you own property that is actually worth something. This could be jewelry, furs, guns, collections, rare items, tools, antiquities, and the list goes on. Did you know there are limits on your policies for some of these items, but regardless of the limit If you have something that’s actually worth something. You should make sure its covered like you need it to be.

Sometimes this will require a long drawn out process. This is going to depend on what it is you are trying to insure, and how much you want to insure it for. Meaning you may need an appraisal, but your great grandfathers gun is really worth that much is going to be invaluable, but if something happens a replacement might be the next best thing. Same thing could be said for the rock on your wife’s hand. New or old somethings are worth covering, and making sure you have the right coverage.

Other times adding coverage for these things can be as simple as increasing predetermined limits That exist on your policy. For example, without changing the policy you only have $1500 in coverage for theft of jewelry and furs. That isn’t per item, that’s total. Or $2500 in for theft of firearms and related equipment. That really isn’t a lot.

So, before you purchase your homeowner’s insurance policy, be sure to actually think about what matters to you.

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Understanding Debris Removal

Debris Removal Insurance Coverage in Safford, AZSome coverage is hard to explain, it’s much easier to just say see! That is exactly the case with debris removal. Debris removal isn’t difficult to explain, it’s just the cost to remove the pile of trash your insurance claim just left. If there is a fire, it’s going to be the ashes and rubble, but also the mess the fire department caused while putting it out. Let’s be real they are great a putting out fires, but they aren’t exactly tidy. If there is a flood, we might be looking at all the damaged drywall and installation. Some of it might be moldy or muddy. The point is there is a cost to haul it away. But there is also going to be a cost for the demolition, which can get pretty costly.

Recently near my office there have been two fires. The first was in a second level apartment. The second was in a single-family home rented to a young couple. It was on one of my many strategy walks that I decided to explain debris removal through picture.

Debris removal is usually included in most property insurance policies, but like most things with an insurance policy there are limits. Depending on where it is commercial insurance or a homeowner’s policy it can vary, but here are some things to consider when it comes to debris removal.  How unique is your building? How old is your building? How much space is around your building. All of these and more can cause additional costs in removing debris from your property. Another consideration is building materials. Is there any asbestos in the building? The cost of asbestos disposal adds additional cost to debris removal.

As is not unusual, insurance policies provide coverage for a number of different situations that you probably hadn’t even considered. While we may often complain about insurance the truth is that the benefits provided by our insurance policies are amazing.

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Home Insurance – Section 1 Exclusions

Home Insurance Exclusions in Safford, AZUnderstanding what’s not covered on your insurance policy lets you know what other insurance coverage you might need. Here are some of the BIG Exclusions.

Section I Exclusions – A Soap Box

What! Not everything’s covered?

Not everything is covered. That’s the bottom-line. Something’s we can find coverage for, while for other things, we are just out of luck. That said, regardless of whether you buy a special policy or not, you need to understand the exclusions, in order to truly understand your policy. Here are some of the most important exclusions found in section one… Why do I say it that way? Because there is a whole other section, just for exclusions. I know, not easy.

  1. Land – insurance doesn’t cover land. Why? ‘Cause you can’t hurt, dirt. This is an important point when you get into the idea of how to value your home.
  2. Ordinance or Law – So, if your local elected officials decide that every new building has to have a statue of Big Bird, but old buildings don’t, and your rental property burns to the ground and you have to rebuild… Guess what? You have to get that statue of Big Bird. Guess what else? The insurance company won’t pay for that. While no one requires Big Bird statues, there are other things, like sprinkler systems, where this happens all the time.
  3. Earth Movement – Now, depending on the state, you may or may not find earthquake coverage available. Even when earthquake coverage is available, things like, landslide, mine cave-ins, mudflow, sinkholes, etc. may not be covered. Can you get this coverage? You can in some states with a separate policy. Learn more about our catastrophic coverage policy here.
  4. Water – We all know Flood, tidal waves, etc. are not covered. What about overflows from drains, sump-pumps or sewers? Nope. Water is a tough one.
  5. Intentional Loss – For investors, this is big. It means there is no coverage for damage your tenants cause…. Which means it’s important to screen your tenants, so as to hopefully avoid the tenant that steals the copper and skates.

There are more, but these are the most important ones, in MY opinion. So, read the policy and find out what else might be important.

To get an incredible quote these coverage sections start our online quote form. To talk to a licensed agent about this coverage call us at 1-877-784-6787.

This coverage explanation is for illustration purposes only and is general in nature. Coverage explained here may not apply to your policy, State, company, or situation. For more information about how your policy would respond in the event of a loss, please refer to the terms and conditions and declarations page of your policy.
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Homeowner’s Insurance Coverage A

Homeowners Insurance Agent Safford, AZHomeowner’s Insurance Coverage A is the part of the policy that covers the home or dwelling itself. That seems simple enough, but wait, there’s more. It also covers any structure that is physically attached to the building. By that it means that it can’t be connected by a fence or a utility line, but rather physically attached to the dwelling. This may include attached decks, carports, patio covers.

When it comes to Homeowner’s Insurance Coverage A the question is always the coverage form, which can vary on the same home based on the occupancy of the home. For example if the home is vacant you might get a basic form with vandalism, theft, and malicious mischief excluded. However, if the home is owner occupied, a rental, or a second or seasonal home you might get a special form, which is always the best option.

One of the most difficult things about coverage A is determining the replacement value of the home which is the cost to rebuild the home as is. Market value is irrelevant as you can’t insure dirt. Land is excluded. Typically agents will use estimating tools to try to figure out a ball park, but appraisals can also be used. It is important to determine because if you don’t insure it for enough, you can get penalized in the event of a claim, and if you insure it for too much then you are paying to much for the insurance every month. Ultimately it is the insureds responsibility to determine the value, but there are things that can help you determine the value.

When it comes to the loss settlement, it often depends on what you choose. Typically you will have the option of replacement cost (the coverage you want) and Actual Cash Value. Choosing the replacement cost option will ensure that you are able to replace the home in the event of a loss. Actual cash value will provide you money as well, but it may not be what it needs to be to replace the home.

For a home insurance quote, contact us today!

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