Types of Coverage

Published on March 2017 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 39 | Comments: 0 | Views: 228
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TYPES OF COVERAGE

1. Damage to House: Covers damage to the house. The face amount of the policy (for example $100,000) is the most you will receive if your house is totally destroyed. 2. Other Structures: Covers damage to other structures or buildings, such as a detached garage, work shed, or fencing. 3. Personal Property: Covers damage to, or loss of personal property. Personal property includes household contents and other personal belongings used, owned or worn by you and your family. 4. Additional Living Expense: This means that the policy covers the necessary living expenses up to the stated limit, incurred by the insured to continue, as nearly as possible, the normal standard of living when the house cannot be occupied due to a covered loss. 5. Comprehensive Personal Liability: This coverage protects you against claims arising from accidents to others on property that you own or rent. With a few exceptions, such as auto or boating accidents, it is an all purpose liability policy that follows you wherever you go. 6. Medical Expense: Coverage is limited to an amount per person and per accident for injuries occurring on your premises to persons other than an insured, or elsewhere, if caused by you, a member of your family, or your pets. An important feature of this coverage is that payment is made regardless of legal liability.

7. Extra Contents Coverage: Remember that most of the coverage’s are a flat percentage of the amount of insurance on the home itself. For example: contents coverage is 50% of the insurance on the home itself. If you insure your home for $100,000, the contents coverage will be $50,000. For a minimal extra charge, you can increase the coverage on your contents without increasing the amount of insurance on the home itself. 8. Replacement Cost: Most companies offer "Guaranteed Replacement Cost Coverage" for an additional premium. Ask your agent if this is available and to explain the advantages of having this broader coverage. The most important coverage that is usually offered is full replacement cost coverage on your roof with no deduction for depreciation. 9. Personal Property Extensions of coverage: Another good example concerns special limits on certain types of personal property. For instance, most policies limit their coverage for the theft of furs or jewelry to $500.The limit for firearms or computers is probably $1000. Numerous other items are also typically limited to $500 or $1000 since the homeowners program is designed to fit the coverage needs of the average insured. It is the consumer's responsibility to review the limitations placed on certain types of property. If needed, increase the coverage of one area or another by adding a "Scheduled Personal Property Endorsement" to the basic policy. 10. Additional Liability: You can also purchase additional liability coverage and medical payments coverage for a nominal premium.

11. Flood Insurance: The most important exclusion is flood, as many people have learned to their great misfortune. If you need flood coverage, any property/casualty insurance agent can help you get it. If you live in a flood-prone community, don't risk going without flood insurance. See your broker about flood coverage. 12. Earthquake Insurance: No standard insurance policy, including the homeowners policy, covers catastrophic damage that can be caused by an earthquake. For an additional premium, companies offer an earthquake endorsement with your homeowners policy that will protect you in case your home suffers earthquake damage. In some areas, this coverage is typically inexpensive and should be considered. For instance, the New Madrid fault runs through the Midwest United States, an area not perceived as having earthquakes occurring frequently.

NEEDS OF PROPERTY INSURANCE
Property insurance is the kind of thing you hope you never have to use, but if you need it, it's invaluable. Whether it pays for natural disasters, such as flooding or lightning damage, or man-made problems, such as fire, vandalism or theft, property insurance can get you back on your feet and give you back a normal life after your house or possessions are damaged or lost. Before anything happens to your house, it's a good idea to videotape your possessions so that, in case of catastrophe, you'll already have records of what you own, which will simplify the process of filing your claim. Also, it's worth reading through your policy, as there could be expenses that you may not realize you could get back money for, such as hiring a company to remove mold. Check what your policy covers and what it excludes. Although you aren't legally required to have homeowners insurance, if you want to borrow money from a mortgage bank, your lender will probably insist on it. In addition, if you own a condominium or a co-op, the tenants' association might require you to have insurance coverage, since if something happens to your condo it could affect everyone else's. Even if you maintain your house and you're not in the path of natural disasters like hurricanes or tornados, property insurance comes in handy for unexpected scenarios. For example, if you throw a goodbye party for a friend and a guest trips inside your property and hurts himself, he could hold the owner of the property (you) responsible. Property insurance should pay for the injured party's medical expenses and protect you against legal problems.

Property insurance: covers building losses
Basic property insurance covers your business against unforeseen losses due to fire, lightning, vandalism, and other mishaps. Optional coverage can also be obtained (at additional cost) to cover against less likely events such as earthquakes and floods. Property policies essentially fall into two groups. A "named-peril" policy will cover certain losses resulting only from causes that the policy identifies. An "all-risk policy" covers any type of loss except for those specified in the policy. The difference is important—one policy specifies what it will cover, while the other identifies losses that it won't. So pay close attention to these details. Once you decide what sort of protection you need, think about what items you will need to cover. This checklist is not comprehensive, but it contains items worth considering:
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Buildings, whether owned or leased Inventory and supplies Machinery and boilers Office equipment, including furniture, computers, printers, and fax machines

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Valuable accounting and other paper records Automobiles, trucks and construction equipment Intangible property such as trademarks Since it's a good idea to buy insurance based on replacement value, it's

necessary to take stock of your business and list the items that you have, along with their replacement values. Make sure you look beyond the obvious, such as notebook PCs and signs not attached to a building. Once you have the list, decide exactly what items are worth insuring and make sure they are covered by the policy.

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