Have You Ever Wondered What Your Home Owners Insurance Policy Doesn’t Cover?

   Most of us know that home owner’s insurance policy’s cover our home, our personal belongings, additional structures, liability (to some extent) and a few other issues that might present the opportunity for a “loss” when owning a home. The question here is “what doesn’t my home owner’s insurance policy cover”?  You might be surprised to find some of the risks that the normal home owner’s insurance policy doesn’t cover.

Screened Pool Enclosures- Screened pool enclosures account for roughly 10.3% of the entire home value, according to a recent study, and they fail often in high winds and become a source of wind borne debris. Some insurers decided that they were too risky after hurricane Wilma. Other insurers base their decisions on how strong the enclosure is and how it is anchored to the home.

Pools With-out Fences – Without a fence (or cage) pools are pretty much ineligible for insurance coverage and, more importantly, violate state law.

Pool Diving Boards and Slides- Insurance companies often won’t cover liability risks from diving boards and slides on pools. A diving board or slide may disqualify you r house for a policy with some insurers.

Trampolines- few insurers in Florida or in the Nation for that matter will cover trampolines. Owning a trampoline may even again disqualify you from getting property insurance from some companies.  

Aggressive Dogs- Here’s another reason to check the liability section of your coverage. Florida-based insurers often exclude coverage for bites and other accidents caused by dogs considered “high risk” such as Pit Bulls, Dobermans and Rottweiler’s.

Cash- Some policies cover small “named amounts” but most don’t cover money left in the home or in a home safe.

Some Water Damage- Damage from accidents and other issues such as pipes bursting are typically covered. After this it gets quite a bit more complicated. For instance water that backs up through sewers or drains or discharges from a sump pump is not covered unless you purchase sewer back up coverage separately. Slow leaks are another issue. Many policies now deny claims for leaks that occur over more than 14 days even if the leaks are hidden from sight.

   Flood insurance is another policy all by itself. Your hurricane insurance wouldn’t cover damage from rising water even if it occurs during a storm. Flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program is highly recommended in most parts of the state.

Construction Work- You can’t file a claim for faulty, inadequate or defective workmanship, materials or maintenance. Always use State Certified contractors that are insured when having any work done on your home.

Jewelry, Fine Art, Collectibles- if you want coverage for jewelry, fine art and “collectibles” such as baseball cards you will need to talk to your agent about an extra policy called a “rider”.  Some policies automatically cover losses up to a specified amount usually between $ 500 and $1,000.

Mold- Most policies don’t cover it, but you can buy coverage separately. Any damage caused by mold almost always has to be “sudden and accidental” to be covered.

Make sure to always read your policy carefully. Make sure to pay special attention to the section of the policy that lists “exclusions”. If you have questions about your existing policy, please call Birchell Insurance Agency at 800-978-8813. We are always here to help you.

   Commercial Auto Insurance Policies are designed to cover the driver and the vehicle for a company where these vehicles would be excluded from personal auto policies. While a Personal Auto Insurance Policy is used to insure the automobile exposures of individuals and families; the Business Auto Policy insures the automobile exposures of businesses. 

The kinds of autos owned by businesses and covered under a Business Auto Insurance Policy include:

Private passenger type autos, including station wagons, jeeps, pick ups, panel trucks, vans and utility trailers designed to be pulled by private passenger autos.

Commercial autos, including trucks other than those listed above, truck tractors, semi trailers, commercial trailers and service trailers.

Public autos, including vehicles used as public or livery conveyances (buses and taxicabs) and private passenger type autos rented to others without a driver.

Special types of vehicles including self- propelled vehicles with certain permanently attached equipment (equipment for snow removal, road maintenance and street cleaning, cherry pickers and air compressors.

Some of the reasons for having a commercial auto insurance policy:

If you are using your auto to transport goods or people for a fee or if you use your auto to conduct a service, you may need a commercial insurance policy.

A commercial auto insurance policy may be appropriate if you need higher limits of liability because of the nature of your work.

Hauling a considerable weight in tools or equipment or towing a trailer used to conduct your business may require a commercial auto insurance policy.

A commercial insurance policy may be needed if employees operate the auto or if its ownership is in the name of a corporation or partnership.

The Business Auto policy includes one of three coverage forms in addition to the Commercial Package Policy’s Conditions and Declarations:

The Garage coverage form is used to insure businesses engaged in selling, servicing, repairing, parking or storing autos.

The Truckers coverage form is used to insure businesses that are hired to transport goods for someone else.

The Business Auto Coverage form can be used to insure the auto’s exposure of all businesses other than garage or trucking businesses.

Commercial trucks and trailers are also “rated” based on the territory where they are kept (or “garaged”), the distance that they cover (radius) the size (or type) and the business use. Trucks which operate within a radius of fifty miles are rated “local” and receive the lowest rates. If the radius is over fifty miles but less than two hundred miles they are called “intermediate”. Vehicles traveling over two hundred miles are listed as “long distance”.

There are many more factors that go into the coverage of a Commercial Auto Policy; call us today to speak with one of our knowledgable agents or to receive a free quote. At Birchell Insurance Agency, we are here for you just call 800-978-8813.

In today’s business world the phone and e-mail dominates our time as a sales tool, for buying, researching, providing service and above all and else making a lasting impression. Are you making that impression a positive one?

When a client calls Birchell Insurance Agency we want to be professional but also truly want to “sell the smile”. I don’t mean one of the characters that you see on television where a receptionist is annoyingly “happy” but do you really want to speak to someone that sounds like they hate what they are doing? The person on the other end of the line can’t see our faces but they can hear our voice. The insurance industry here in the State of Florida has gone through a tough time. You call an agency looking to speak to a well educated and well informed professional but don't you also want to speak to someone whos also bright, friendly and cheery. Our clients aren’t here for us we are here for them.

Have you ever considered your “voice quality” when you are speaking to someone on the phone? Are you talking too fast for them to comprehend what you are saying? When you call a business do you even leave a message if you don’t get an answer? This post comes after reading something posted by a great friend Gregg on Facebook the other day about this exact question and he made a great point. If the client calls but doesn’t leave a message are you supposed to call back? Are you one of those people that scream a message into the phone? Do you even return phone calls and messages? Do you give the person on the other end of the telephone one hundred percent of your attention or are you only partially listening while “multi-tasking”?

We want our clients at Birchell Insurance Agency to truly feel like they are taken care of. Our office is a lot like our home; yes it is a place of business and is professional. We do however try and make our clients feel as comfortable in our office as if they were walking through the front door of our home. The same goes for the telephone, professional service with a smile. Doubt it, come visit us; or at least give us a call 800-978-8813. Our partners and staff are here for our client, better yet our guests. My final thought is this “If we aren’t treating you that well, someone else will”.