How To Make A Successful Home Insurance Claim


Filing a successful home insurance claim is not always an easy task to accomplish. There are plenty of hoops to jump through when filing such a claim, and if you aren?t sure how your insurance company and adjuster calculate depreciation for your home and property, you can risk losing thousands. In order to get the most out of your home insurance, when you need it most, it is important to understand how to file your claim successfully.

Before filing a home insurance claim, you should know its main purpose. Homeowners insurance provides protection for you, as a homeowner. This type of insurance can help save you the financial loss experienced with the damage or loss of your home, and often, the contents within it. There is a wide array of home insurance plans available and many vary in your particular region.

If you are planning on filing a home insurance claim, it is important to know and understand what type of claim you will be filing. The approach homeowners should take when filing a home insurance claim will depend on what type of loss you have experienced; theft, damage to the property, or a combination of losses. The type of claim will also differ if the loss was caused by a natural disaster. Some home insurance plans also cover injuries that have taken place on the premises.

When you have experienced a theft or damage to property at your home, you must first and foremost inform the law enforcement authorities. This is very important, even if expensive items are not stolen or damaged. Always be sure to keep several copies of the claim for your records and the insurance company. Before heading to the police, be sure to make a complete list of the damaged and stolen items so that all are included on the claim. Only the items on the police claim will be covered. Once you have made the police claim, contact your home insurance company and always ask if there are any special steps you need to take to ensure that the process moves smoothly.

For filing home insurance claims involving injuries, you must ensure that prompt and proper treatment be administered. Injuries that are covered by home insurance usually include sudden falls or injuries caused by tools. Always be sure to keep a copy of any medical receipts and prescriptions for the insurance company.

Natural disasters are also covered by home insurance policies, although you will want to make sure before making a claim that you have coverage. Some home insurance policies offer natural disaster coverage automatically, whilst others only offer it as an extra. Once you have experienced a natural disaster, contact both the insurance company and your local government to ensure quick and immediate assistance. Always cooperate with authorities and follow all policies and don?t forget to fill out the necessary claim forms, otherwise your claim will be denied.

Overall, making sure that you have plenty of documentation and backup is essential to filing a home insurance claim successfully. It is a great idea to keep a camera handy and take pictures of any damage, injuries, or items within the home, as this will help your claim go a little more smoothly. Also, it is important to keep a calm head and be patient when working with the police and insurance adjusters.

Auto And Renters Insurance – How To Get The Best Rate


Did you know you can save up to 15% on your auto and renters insurance by buying both policies from the same insurance company? This is called the auto/home discount. Keep reading to learn more ways you can reduce your insurance bill.

Get Other Discounts

The auto/home discount is not the only discount that can save you money. Insurance companies offer other discounts that you can take advantage of for both your auto and renters policies:

Auto discounts include: * Good Student Discount for getting good grades

  • Safe Driver Discount for maintaining a safe driving record
  • Discounts for safety features such as automatic seat belts, airbags, and anti-lock brakes
  • Discounts if you’ve taken a defensive-driving course
  • Discounts for anti-theft devices such as an car alarms

Rental discounts Include:

  • Non-smoker discount if no one in your home smokes
  • Senior’s discount if you’re a senior citizen
  • Discount for safety features such as smoke detectors, deadbolts, and window locks
  • Discounts for fire-resistive materials in the construction of your rental home

Raise Your Deductible

Both auto and rental insurance comes with a deductible. This is the amount you are responsible for paying on any claim before the insurance company starts to pay. You should set your deductible as high as you can afford, because the higher your deductible, the lower your premium.

Shop Around

The best way to save on your auto and rental insurance is to shop around for the best price. Don?t just get one quote and assume that quotes from other insurance companies will be the same. In fact, quotes can vary by hundreds of dollars from one company to another.

The Internet lets you easily get quotes from multiple A-rated insurance companies. All you do is go to an insurance comparison website and complete a simple questionnaire. You’ll then receive quotes ready for you to review and compare.

The best insurance comparison websites even let you talk with insurance experts, so you can ask questions about your auto and rental insurance and get advice on how to get the lowest rate (see link below).

A Broker Can Help You To Find The Cheapest Life Insurance


Life insurance should be considered essential if you have a family and commitments, especially if you are the main provider. If you are the main provider and you should die then your family would not only have to cope with their grief, but also have to struggle to meet financial commitments with the loss of income. While life insurance is an added outgoing it can be worthwhile and if you go to a broker they will be able to find you the cheapest life insurance policy suitable for your needs.

Typically, he cheapest life insurance is what is called term life insurance. Term life insurance is taken out solely to pay out a lump sum of money should you die. This can be invaluable to your family and gives you the peace of mind that at least they wont be left struggling to make ends meet financially. It doesn?t however pay out cash unless you die, but it is the cheapest and easiest to understand of all insurance policies. An online broker will be able to get you the cheapest and most comprehensive cover for a policy of this type.

Of course when taking out any form of life insurance you will need to know how much insurance you need, generally the amount that you should cover yourself for is around 6 times that of your annual income, or it should be enough to pay off your mortgage, plus a bit more. You should also take into account inflation and the needs of any children and they are growing.
For example, if they wish to go to college or university then extra could be put aside to allow for this. Once your broker knows the figure to work from then he can look around on your behalf and find the cheapest life insurance that is most suited to your particular needs.

While going with a broker for your policy will ensure you always get the best deal you should also be aware of what the policy covers you for and what the exclusions are within it, again a broker can give advice on this.

What Can You Expect From A Pet Insurance Policy


If you have a pet you may want to consider carrying a pet insurance policy for them. This type of insurance is gaining in popularity as it can help defer some of the expenses that you can occur when owing a pet. Pet insurance works very similarly to a human’s insurance policy and here is what you can expect from an insurance policy for your pet.

First thing you should consider is when you should enroll your pet. The younger your pet is when you buy its policy the better your premium is going to be. This is because you should have several years when your pet will only need regular check ups and routine shots. As your pet ages the premiums will raise according to the health of the animal.

When you choose a pet policy here is what you should expect. The insurance company will contact your veterinarian and get a copy of your pet’s medical history. They are looking for any pre-existing condition and to see if you keep up with your pet’s regular exams and shots. Once they have that information they will give you a quote and you can either except it or try another insurance company.

Almost every insurance company has an age limit on how old your animal can be for your enrollment age. The average age for dogs is eight years old, or five years old depending on the breed. Most larger breed dogs such as great Danes or German shepherds fall into the five year old category. Cats, on average, are accepted up until 10 years of age.

Once you pet is accepted you will be given notice of any exclusions on the policy. These exclusions are given for symptoms that are currently being treated. This means that nothing for that condition will be covered now or in the future. An example of this may be if your cat is showing signs of arthritis it may be excluded on your policy. Each year your insurance company will obtain your animal’s health records and adjust your premiums according to the health of your pet. So as you pet ages you should expect your policy rates to rise.

There are several types of coverage that you should expect the insurance policy to cover. The first of which is your veterinarian visits, a good policy will cover both routine visits and emergency visits. There are policies that cover reasonable boarding fees if you are ever hospitalized and need your pet to be placed in boarding. Many policies also offer a lost pet coverage which means they will pay for a reward and advertising if your pet is lost or stolen.

Some policies will also give you the option of having vacation plan coverage. This coverage will pay for vacation plans that have to be cancelled due to pet illness. Read your policy carefully so you understand the requirements for coverage. Many pet insurance policies will also give you a discounted rate if you have more than one pet on the plan.