Protect Your Valuables with Renters Insurance from Hunter Insurance

Due to the recent condo complex fire in our area, Hunter Insurance wants to be certain our policyholders understand the importance of having renters insurance. Though your landlord’s policy may cover certain structural damages, not everything that could happen to your rented living space is protected.

What Does Renters Insurance Cover?

• Theft – If an asset is stolen from your apartment, renters insurance will replace the value of the item(s) taken, as long as they are listed on your policy. Additional endorsements can also be purchased for events such as identity theft or a loss of income due to not having the item. 
• Fire – Renters insurance will cover the costs in the event of a fire, including helping to clean or replace items damaged from the accident. 
• Water Damage - Insurance from your landlord may cover the damage to the building in the event of a pipe burst, etc., but it will not cover damage to your personal belongings. Similar to fire, renters insurance will cover the cost to fix or replace any items that were impaired. 

Does It Cover Anything Else? Renters insurance can also provide against liability in the event that a guest is injured while in the apartment. This type of policy may also cover all charges you obtain if your apartment is unusable for a portion of time (such as finding a hotel or other living arrangements until your apartment is in proper condition).

How Much Does Renters Insurance Usually Cost? This type of policy is extremely affordable. Typically, renters insurance can cost less than one dollar a day, but the amount will vary depending on the type of coverage. Keep in mind that there are precautions you can take to help reduce your costs. For example, many insurance companies will reduce the price of renters’ insurance if you install certain safety features, such as properly working smoke detectors and an alarm system.

If you are currently without renters insurance, we highly suggest you consider adding this type of policy today. Hunter Insurance would be happy to answer any questions you may have and discuss the various types of options we have available. Protecting what matters to you most is our top priority, and our agents are committed to providing you the best possible coverage. Call us today at 401-769-9500 to learn more.

Don't let unfortunate weather flood you with problems

At Hunter insurance, we appreciate the trust you have placed in us to provide you with insurance coverage. With the change in weather already approaching, we encourage you to maximize your protection plan by adding a comprehensive flood insurance policy. Many homeowners find out the hard way that a basic home or rental policy does not cover damage from flooding. If your home were to fall victim to flash flooding or excessive rain, your homeowners insurance policy would not pay for any repairs. Even if your property is not located in a designated high-risk flood zone flooding incidents can happen anywhere, anytime. According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), about 25% of all flood insurance claims are from areas that are not deemed high-risk. We urge you to add a flood insurance policy today to make certain your home and its contents are safe. The average waiting period for a flood insurance policy to take effect is 30 days, so act now before it's too late. Call Hunter Insurance at 769.9500 to learn more about the many benefits of flood insurance.

“Stand By Your Pan”: Cook Safely This Thanksgiving to Prevent Kitchen Fires

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is alerting consumers that the threat of fires in the kitchen triples on Thanksgiving Day.  

“As fire safety experts have said for years, ‘Stand by your pan!’” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “If you are frying, grilling or broiling food, stay in the kitchen. Not following this advice can be a recipe for disaster on Thanksgiving and throughout the year.” When it comes to fires in the home, cooking fires are number one. They accounted for nearly 150,000 fires (more than 40 percent of all annual unintentional residential fires) each year from 2009 through 2011.  Unattended cooking is the top cause of cooking fires.  Cooking fires also caused the most home fire-related injuries.

To stay safe in the kitchen, avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves near ranges or ovens, watch children closely so they don’t come into contact with cooking food or hot stovetops, turn pan handles toward the back of the stove to prevent kids and others from spilling a pan’s scalding contents onto themselves.  

In the event of a fire, cover a pan with a lid to smother the flames. Never pour water or flour on a fire. That can make it worse. Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

“Turkey fryer fires can be explosive and result in serious burns,” said Glenn Gaines, Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator for the United States Fire Administration (USFA). “Only use a turkey fryer outside and away from your home. Never use it in a garage or on a porch. Don’t overfill the oil or leave the turkey fryer unattended.”

Since 2003, there have been more than 125 turkey fryer-related fires, burns, explosions, smoke inhalations, or laceration incidents reported to CPSC staff.  For the incidents reporting a dollar value for the property loss, the total loss reported was around $6 million. 

Consumers should also protect themselves by installing smoke alarms in their homes.  “Roughly three out of five home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms,” said Jim Shannon, President of the National Fire Protection Association. “Smoke alarms save lives.  Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a fire in half.”

Change the batteries in smoke alarms at least once every year and test the alarms every month to make sure they are working.

To provide a better warning of a fire and more escape time, install more than one alarm and interconnect all smoke alarms in the home.  Interconnected alarms speak to one another, so if there is a fire in one part of the house, the interconnected alarms sound throughout the house and alert consumers to the fire more quickly.

For the best protection, install alarms on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas and inside each bedroom, and use both ionization and photoelectric alarms.  Alarms that are powered by house wiring should have a battery backup. 

Smoke alarms provide the warning, but every family should have a fire escape plan as well. Practice the escape plan with everyone in the house so they can get out quickly.  The escape plan should include two ways out of each room (as practical) and a family meeting place that is outside where everyone can meet if there is a fire in the home.

For more information on how to protect your home this holiday season call Hunter insurance at 769-9500.

This article is complements of The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for more information visit www.cpsc.gov.

It’s been one year since Hurricane Sandy, and did you remember to purchase flood insurance?

As we remember the devastation and hardship that many of our neighbors experienced due to Hurricane Sandy, Hunter Insurance urges you to call today to add a flood insurance policy.  Unfortunately, many people found out the hard way that a standard homeowners or renters policy does not cover damage due to ground water flooding.

If your home were to fall victim to flash flooding or excessive rain, your homeowners insurance policy would not pay for any repairs.  Even if your property is not located in a designated high-risk flood zone these types of flooding incidents can happen anywhere, anytime.  According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), about 25% of all flood insurance claims are from areas that are not deemed high-risk.

Adding a flood insurance policy through the NFIP is a smart investment that will protect your home if the unthinkable happens.  You will have the peace of mind knowing that your home and its contents will be restored after disaster strikes.  The average waiting period for a flood insurance policy to take effect is 30 days, so the time to act is now.

If you would like more information on flood insurance visit floodsmart.gov and call Hunter Insurance at 769.9500 to add a policy today.

Protecting Your Property from Flooding – Backflow

The following is an excerpt from the article, “Install Sewer Backflow Valves.”  For more information please visit www.fema.gov.

In some flood prone areas, flooding can cause sewage from sanitary sewer lines to back up through drainpipes into buildings. These backups not only cause damage that is difficult to repair but also create health hazards. A good way to protect buildings from sewage backups is to install backflow valves, which are designed to block drainpipes temporarily and prevent return flow. Backflow valves are available in a variety of designs that range from the simple to the complex.

Keep these tips in mind if you have backflow valves installed:

▪       Changes to the plumbing in your property must be done by a licensed plumber or contractor, who will ensure that the work is done correctly and according to all applicable codes.  They can advise you on the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various types of backflow valves.

▪       Valves should be installed on main waste drainpipes that leave the structure or that are connected to equipment that is below the potential flood level. Therefore, valves may be needed on washing machine drain lines, laundry sinks, fuel oil lines, rain downspouts, and sump pumps, as well as sewer/septic connections.

▪       If you have a sump pump, it may be connected to underground drain lines, which may be difficult to seal off.

We are in the middle of hurricane season and flood season is rapidly approaching. It is crucial you are prepared, and you fully understand what is covered under your insurance policies. For more information on how to protect your home from flooding call Hunter Insurance today at 401.769.9500.

Avoid at Your Peril

When reviewing your homeowners policy’s exclusions, buy supplemental coverage to cover the risks that pose loss concerns. For example, flood insurance is never included in the standard homeowners policy, but coverage is available from the National Flood Insurance Program.

Without a special rider, sewage backup is also usually excluded from homeowners policies; however, it should not be overlooked. For a relatively inexpensive amount, homeowners can avail themselves of enough coverage to fill one of the most common gaps that homeowners face during storm season.

It is often the case that, as local sump pumps empty water from flooded basements into the overtaxed sewer system, sewage can back up into homes even with no previous damage.

For more information on purchasing flood insurance, contact Hunter Insurance at 401-769-9500.

NOTE: A “named perils” homeowners policy is more narrowly defined and not necessarily less expensive than a broader “all risks” policy.