Don’t Overlook Rental Care Coverage When Purchasing Car Insurance

When most people think about car insurance, it’s the cost of collision repair, medical bills, or their own liability in an accident that worries them most. What they tend to overlook is the need for their car in the first place. If your car is in the shop getting fixed how are you going to get around?

Most people assume that they already have rental car coverage, when in fact many do not have it.

Other than the obvious convenience that comes with it, the best part about substitution transportation is how cheap it is. Per day coverage at $15 will cover much of the cost of a rental car and the coverage runs at only about $12 a year. Coverage at $30 a day is also available, but the annual cost is a bit higher, about four times as much as a $15-a-day plan.

For some people, a rental car may not be the best option, especially for drivers under 25 or anyone with a poor driving record that may make a rental car company reluctant to rent to them. But that doesn’t mean Substitute Transportation isn’t for you: it can also cover the costs of bus and rail transportation as well as cab fares.

We’ve found that after filing a car insurance claim almost all people correctly buy Substitute Transportation or increase their overall coverage. Save yourself the trouble and start out with full coverage from the get-go.

For more information about your auto insurance, call Hunter Insurance at 401-769-9500.

Avoiding Mold

Mold occurs naturally throughout the environment—both indoors and outdoors. And during these warm months, mold can be found indoors more often than during the winter months. In fact, mold spores could probably be found in nearly every structure in the United States, regardless of how new or clean the structure is. That’s because mold—in normal amounts—is no more dangerous than dust or pollen.

However, excessive amounts of mold, certain types of mold and/or exposure to molds may present health concerns for some people.

If there is an ongoing moisture problem in your office or home it is important to be alert for:

• The presence of visible mold 
• Strong, musty odors, which may indicate mold is present 
• Any evidence of past moisture problems that might have caused mold growth 

These conditions may require the expertise of a qualified Indoor Air Quality/Environmental Professional to inspect the building for mold growth and water damage problems.

Usually, mold damage is covered by your homeowner’s insurance if it is the direct result of another claim, such as water damage. If you have questions about whether mold in your home is covered by your homeowner’s policy, please contact Hunter Insurance at 401-769-9500.

Hurricane Preparedness

Hurricanes do not strike Rhode Island all that often, but when one does hit, it can cause devastating property loss, serious personal injury or even death. To make sure you have adequate insurance coverage and are well prepared for such events, the Trusted Choice independent insurance agents, who include Hunter Insurance Agency, have established a comprehensive hurricane-related website.

Insuringconfidenceri.com has pages addressing deductibles, ways to minimize damage, available emergency resources, and what to do when a hurricane makes landfall.

Hurricane preparedness means taking action before a tropical cyclone strikes to lessen the damage and personal danger such storms can cause. It improves your chances that you and your possessions will come through a storm safely.

Take action now to ensure you are safe and adequately insured. If you have questions about preparing for a hurricane, contact Hunter Insurance at 401-769-9500.

Maintain That Clothes Dryer

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report, there are approximately 10,000 annual residential fire losses in which the source of the fire is in the clothes dryer or vent. Dryers are the third most common type of equipment involved in fires, ranking behind stoves and fixed area heaters. Clothes dryers can catch fire due to excessive lint build-up in the exhaust pipe or inside the dryer; this lint build-up is often out-of-sight. As a result, you should take the following steps to reduce the chance of your dryer starting a fire.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing the vent pipe. 
• Keep the dryer vent clean and unplugged. Check for a plugged vent if the dryer does not dry clothes efficiently. 
• Remove and clean the lint screen before each use. 
• Keep all combustibles away from the clothes dryer. 
• Hire a qualified technician to periodically inspect gas clothes dryers.

Credit Rating and Insurance Underwriting

A big factor in determining the premium of a personal auto policy has nothing to do with a person’s driving record—it’s his or her credit record. According to Conning and Company, more than 90 percent of insurers use an applicant’s credit history—his or her insurance risk score—to slot him or her into a certain program. When a person applies for auto insurance, the insurance company asks for permission to pull his or her credit information. The insurer then secures a credit report from one or more of the credit bureaus—TransUnion; Experian; or Equifax.

Credit scores range from 300 to 850. If your score is below 650, you may have trouble getting insurance or you may have to pay a higher premium. In order to improve your credit score, keep in mind the following factors that influence the score.

• Payment history—The largest factor is credit and loan account payment history. A steady record of on-time payments going back several years shows responsibility. 
• Debts owed—The number of accounts you currently have, including type and balance. Try to have just a few active accounts with low balances. 
• Length of credit history—The longer your credit history, the better. 
• New accounts—Every time you apply for a new account, a record of that application appears on your credit report and drops your score. Limit the number of applications you submit. 
• Balance of accounts—It is best to have between two and six open credit cards and one or two loans. Negative records—Collections, judgments, and bankruptcy filings will drop your score.

For additional information about auto policy premiums and your credit score, contact Hunter Insurance at 401-769-9500. 

Avoid Water-Logged Cars

Flooding and hurricanes are a fact of life in the United States, leaving thousands of ruined cars in their wake. Unethical individuals will often try to capitalize on this situation. Unwary consumers may inadvertently purchase a seemingly fine used car, but with hidden water damage lurking be-neath its surface. Flooded automobiles are notoriously unreliable vehicles and proactive steps should be taken to avoid purchasing one. Here are some tips for you to consider that will help you avoid unknowingly purchasing a flooded vehicle.

• Perform a careful examination of the used vehicle. For example, look for a well-defined line or watermark on the inside and outside of the car. Inspect the vehicle in difficult-to-clean areas, like the gaps between panels in the truck or SUV and under the hood, where water-borne materials and debris may still cling. 
• Be wary of used cars with new or mismatched upholstery. 
• Avoid purchasing cars through auctions because flooded vehicles are often cleaned and then sold at these events. 
• Be wary of individuals who buy and sell cars as a sideline business. It is better to buy from a reputable dealer or an individual that has owned and actually driven the vehicle for an extended period of time. 
• Review the auto title closely. Some jurisdictions require that totaled or flooded vehicles be designated as “flood damaged” on the title. 
• Consider ordering an online vehicle history report (e.g., CARFAX), which provides un-limited vehicle history reports for $25. 
• Before you buy the vehicle, be sure to have a trusted mechanic inspect it. Trained profes-sionals know what to look for when it comes to previous flood damage on autos. They can also spot vehicles that were previously involved in major collisions. 

If you have further questions about how to avoid purchasing a previously-flooded car, please call Hunter Insurance at 401-769-9500.

Purchase Proper Watercraft Coverage for Your New Boat

This is the time of year when many people start to consider purchasing a sailboat or powerboat. Many people, however, are unaware of the significant loss exposure this creates, and some peo-ple mistakenly believe that there is coverage available under their personal auto policy. The auto policy, however, does not provide any liability or physical damage coverage for boats. Other people may look to their homeowners policy for coverage. Most homeowners policies, however, only cover certain low-valued or low-powered boats. Thus, you should contact your agent before buying a boat to discuss the proper insurance protection for it. The following tips will assist you in this process.

• If you purchase a boat valued over $1,500, you probably lack proper coverage under your homeowners policy for physical damage losses to the boat itself. A separate watercraft or boatowners policy is necessary to cover boats over this value. 

• If you are considering the purchase of a sailboat, inquire about its length. If the length is 26 feet or more, there is no liability coverage under your homeowners policy. For motorboats, there are severe horsepower restrictions for liability coverage. For example, only boats with outboard motors of 25 horsepower or less have liability coverage under most homeowners policies. Yet normally any type of powerboat will have a motor with horsepower way beyond this amount. This liability restriction also necessitates the purchase of separate watercraft insurance. 

• Ask your agent about the types of boats you are considering. For example, some insurance companies decline to insure personal watercraft such as jet skis and wave runners, since some of these crafts can reach speeds of 60 mph. The United States Coast Guard reports that these crafts account for a disproportionately high number of accidents. Many insurance companies also refuse to cover houseboats, homemade or kit boats, competi-tion bass boats, and speedboats. You may have to pay a steep premium through a specialty insurance company to insure these types of craft. 

• Be wary of purchasing older watercraft. Many insurance companies reject boats over 15 or 20 years of age because they normally account for more losses than newer boats. You may have trouble finding insurance coverage for older boats or end up paying an extremely high premium. 

• If you do purchase an older boat, consider ordering a marine survey or inspection of it prior to the sale. This survey will point out deficiencies in the boat that may cause you to reconsider the purchase or renegotiate its price. 

• Ask your agent about procuring a personal umbrella policy in addition to a watercraft policy, particularly if you purchase a speedboat, a boat designed for water skiing, or some other craft with a higher potential to cause damage or loss of life. The personal umbrella policy provides excess liability limits above those offered by a watercraft policy. In addition, the watercraft liability limits should meet the underlying limits requirements of any applicable personal umbrella policy. It is usually best to use the same insurance company that writes your homeowners and personal auto policies for your personal umbrella policy.