Ever fallen victim to vehicle burglary?

November 10, 2009 – 6:32 am

Unfortunately, vehicle burglaries are one of the most common crimes! Seeing that these burglaries are crimes of opportunity, it is often our own carelessness that causes our vehicles to be broken into.

Although we would like to believe that areas around college campuses would be a safer environment where these types of crimes wouldn’t occur, it’s not!  You are just a susceptible at your off campus home or even in the campus parking lot!

There are a few precautions you can take to lower your chances of this occurring to you.

  • Lock up your vehicle, insuring all windows are completely shut
  • Install a car alarm
  • Park in lighted areas if possible
  • Clean out your car
    • Remove all electronics
    • If the stereo face plate is removable, remove it
    • Sports equipment
    • Tools
    • Briefcases/purses
    • Backpacks
    • Clothing

Contrary to common belief, renters insurance also provides you with possession protection if you fall victim to burglary to your vehicle.  As part of the renters insurance plan, when you move your possessions out of your home and into your vehicle, coverage still applies!

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Burglary Prevention

November 9, 2009 – 7:47 am

Burglary is a scary thing that no one wants to experience.  There are many reasons people break into homes or apartments, none of which result in good events.

To start off, a household is only as safe as its most careless member.  It is hard to change peoples habits but it is very important to make sure you always lock the windows and doors up as a precaution.   Some of the best weapons to fight burglary are light, time and noise.

When it comes to light, it may be beneficial to install a motion sensor light to draw attention to anyone moving on the outside of your home.  Make sure that the lights are not in the reach of anyone so that a burglar can’t unscrew the bulbs.  Also, make sure that all bushes and trees are trimmed appropriately so there is no way for a burglar to hide in the shadows.

To allow yourself time, install deadbolt locks on all the doors leading into the home.  If you own a door that contains glass, install a double key lock so that burglars can’t simply break the glass and reach in to unlock the door.  Any additional locks on windows and patio doors will also provide a deterrent.

Noise is something that burglars despise because it draws unwanted attention to the residence they intend to enter.  Any type of dog, not just attack dogs, act as good noise sources.  If financially possible, install a alarm system, it’s a great way to alert surrounding neighbors of any break-ins occurring at your residence.

Ultimately, be alert and check out your residence as if you were the burglar to try and prevent possible entry locations.

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Know your renting rights!

November 6, 2009 – 6:24 am

Whether you are looking to rent your first place or just moving into a new spot, there are a lot of unforeseen issues you may run into.  Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world so things don’t always go as planned.

If it’s issues with roommates, make sure you keep a open channel of communication, large problems that are avoided can lead to even larger issues.  Odds are, most of the problems with roommates can be solved but you may run into problems with your landlord.  To insure you are treated fairly, hop on a web browser and read up on your rights as a tenant.

Perhaps you fall in love with a place and overlook the place yourself but the landlord fails to inform you of minor damages that have occurred.  Not all responsibility falls on the landlord but the landlord is responsible to keep rental units in safe, habitable condition and follow the health and housing laws.

If there is damage that your landlord refuses to repair or keeps putting off, a HRM by-law enforcer can be called to inspect it and then order the landlord to complete any necessary repairs.

Maybe you just got your dream job but you realize you are going to have to move before the lease is up so you decide to sub-let.  Know that your landlord is not allowed to deny you the right to sub-let but they do have a say in who you select.

Even while sub-letting, a lot of responsibility still lies in your hands because sub-letting is implying that you are going to return to the rented unit before the lease is up. It would be a good idea to have the sub-letter sign a lease or provide money to cover the damage deposit.  This will give you formal documentation to take to the Residential Tenancies Board if problems arise.

Also, know what is covered under your landlords homeowners insurance policy and what things would require renters insurance!

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Rockfield Apartment Fire leaves families at the starting line

November 4, 2009 – 7:13 am

Its always easy to say that renters insurance isn’t necessary until you read a story like this one. Five families lived in a apartment complex in Rockfield and they are now left with nothing. A fire that started in the bathroom ignited the whole building rapidly, leaving the families with nothing but the clothes on there back.

Selena Ramey, who lived at the apartment, had this to say about the situation. “It’s gonna be real hard — real hard, especially to start all over again.”

Without renters insurance, these families are now left with nothing and it is up to them to get everything back. With renters insurance, these families would have been placed in a nearby hotel, no expense out of pocket. They would then receive the full retail value of all the items in their apartment so they could begin purchasing there possessions back.

Its horrible to see others suffer like these families have been. It’s a given that no one wants to find themselves in this kind of situation but make sure you are prepared for it, just in case!

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Insurance necessities by area

November 3, 2009 – 6:51 am

To explain insurance necessities by area, South Carolina works as a perfect example. It is common for renters in South Carolina to pass on renters insurance but they are essentially setting themselves up for disaster. In this area, certain natural disasters are common and without renters insurance, they will find themselves paying for any loss. A common misconception is that the landlords homeowners insurance will cover there belongings in the event of a catastrophic damage.

The average renters insurance policy costs $300 a year! That’s only $0.45 per day! If something does happen, such as a flood, you are going to be paying way more than $300. With the average households in the United States now owning at least one electronic gadget, you are almost guaranteed to save hundreds if not thousands. Do the math, it’s worth it!

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Owners extorted tenants, second lawsuit filed

November 2, 2009 – 7:37 am

In April 2008, a fire broke out at a six-story, 72-apartment complex on Temple Street causing around $3 million in smoke and fire damage, which made the building uninhabitable and displaced its 110 or so residents. That was only the beginning of the problems for the tenants. The start of the fire had nothing to do with the tenants, the management for the building hired R&R Battista Services, Inc., of Watertown to do some bathroom repairs.

During the repairs the workers were using a acetylene torch to do work on a second-floor bathroom and a fire was ignited. The employees attempted to extinguish the fire before calling 911 and with no fire alarm in the building, important minutes were lost before the fire department reached the scene.

After the immediate problem of the fire was taken care of, the landlords of the Framingham apartment building unlawfully prevented tenants from reclaiming their possessions. The owners extorted tenants when owners told residents they could get their possessions back only if they sign a waiver saying the landlords are not liable for damage caused by the fire. On top of that, the owners also asked for tenants to pay $500 to Vertex Environmental Services for asbestos decontamination of affected items.

A second lawsuit has been filed against the landlords, the tenants are being represented by Ted Hess-Mahan of Hutchings Barsamian law firm in Wellelsey. Hass-Mahan had this to say about the situation. “I’ve never seen something quite as egregious as this.”

No one wants to deal with situations like this and it doesn’t help when at all when you don’t have renters insurance. If the tenants had renters insurance they would not have worry because the insurance company would deal with the situation and pay for anything that was damage! Based on how affordable renters insurance is, purchasing this insurance is well worth the alternative!

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Fire tears up student living!

October 30, 2009 – 6:48 am

It’s never fun to write on topics such as these, thankfully no one was hurt in the incident on the morning of October 29th. It started early in the morning at Alfred University, eight students rushed out of their apartment building as the building went up in flames. No one received any injuries but all the students lost all their possessions and clothing.

The University is taking a proactive stance on the situation, providing counseling and assistance with locating housing, clothing and other necessities in the Powell Campus Center on campus for the students who were displaced. It is always great to see Universities backing their students in their time of need but there is still a question for these students to answer. How are they going to pay for all there new possessions and clothing?

While the University is helping them locate the things they need, you can be sure that they will not be paying for these items. This is why renters insurance is so important! You always think that situations like these will never happen to you and I’m sure if we had the opportunity to talk to these students, they would say they thought the same thing. When it comes down to it, by the time something does happen, it’s already too late!

Get the coverage you need and the peace of mind you deserve!

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Renting vs. Buying

October 19, 2009 – 6:16 am

Maybe after graduation you get your dream job, maybe you have inherited money or maybe you just got lucky but even if you have money, renting may be the way to go.  Unless you plan on staying in a neighborhood for a very long time, buying a home may be a bigger risk.  There is no longer the “guarantee” you will build equity in the home you buy, if there ever was one.

One of the key component in making your decision should be the area you are looking into.  There are very few areas that have not been affected by the economy right now.  Some areas have multiple foreclosures and vacant homes.  This will drive down the value of your home, making it a bad decision to purchase instead of renting.

Ultimately, you need to weigh your options on what the best decision is for you but if you are without great job security, looking to downsize, or not sure on what to do, renting is the safest bet.

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Burglary statistics may change your mind!

October 15, 2009 – 6:48 am

When it comes to home safety, whether renting or owning, it pays to know the facts. Although we may want to live in the perfect society, we don’t. It is a fact that there is an estimated 2,329,950 annual burglaries nationwide, with an annual loss by victims of approximately $3.1 billion. It is important that you take precautions to try and prevent yourself from becoming a victim. In the event something does happen, you are going to want coverage for your belongings.
Every 12 seconds a burglary takes place and produces an average loss of $1,675 per event. For some, this amount of money may not be financially devastating but it still hurts us all. For most of us, we can’t afford any more expenses and replacing stolen items is not a cheap process. Why take the risk when it is so obvious the risk is there. Statistics have even shown that students fall into the category with those who are most susceptible to burglary. Take control of your own peace of mind and get coverage for your belongings with renters insurance!

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There is more renters and they’re spending more money!

October 6, 2009 – 7:04 am

The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported an increase of nearly 750,000 renters. The number of renter-occupied housing units nationally increased from an estimated 35,678,000 in the first quarter of 2008 to an estimated 36,426,000 in the first quarter of 2009.

Between the laptops, iPods, and other electronics, the financial responsibility that renters take upon themselves without insurance is high. Whether or not your landlord has home owners insurance is irrelevant when it comes to personal possessions. Home owner’s policies provide coverage for personal items but only for the personal possessions of the owner, not the tenants.

College students heading back to school this year ended up spending 3 percent more than last year. With spending up you may find yourself wanting coverage. Contact an insurance agent to help you diagnose your need for renters insurance.

“A renter’s policy offers peace of mind at a relatively nominal cost,” said Elaine Baisden, Vice President of National Property for Travelers.

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Who is getting insurance and who is rolling the dice?

October 5, 2009 – 7:12 am

A popular question college student’s face these days is whether or not they should get renters insurance. With so much attention being brought to health insurance it is becoming common knowledge that living without health coverage is very risky. Well now you can eliminate the risk from all parts of your life and protect your personal belongings. You can even protect yourself from being liable for any injuries that occur on your rented property!

With renters insurance being so inexpensive while covering so much, you would think that everyone would have it. Studies conducted by Allstate Insurance in San Antonio, Texas showed that 53 percent of college-age adults are currently renting without insurance. This is still occurring even though college students are taking more and more valuables to college these days. Some individuals are living in uninsured apartments or homes that hold over 10,000 dollars in valuable possessions.

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Add renters insurance to the school supplies list!

September 30, 2009 – 6:57 am

Getting ready for school can be rough whether you’re a freshman just finishing up your first month of classes or a senior used to the day to day. By now, hopefully you have everything you need to get you through the semester or at least the next month. After you’ve spent your thousands on supplies, books, computers, etc., make sure you have some protection for your newly acquired or already acquired goods!

It would be intelligent to keep your valuables locked away when you are not using them to avoid theft or damage to your property. This especially applies to those living in the dorms. The dorms are an experience, close quarters, lots of people, and a lot of fun. With that fun comes responsibility though, responsibility for yourself and your belongings. Nothing can ease your mind more than knowing that anything that goes missing can be replaced. Well that’s what renters insurance does for you. According to banktime.com, “experts recommend that college students enter dorm life equipped with a decent renter’s insurance policy to protect their valuables.” If you do end up leaving the door open on accident and you come back to a mess and no laptop, you won’t have to worry! Renters insurance will cover the full cost of the replacement and help you get back to your school work.

If you live off campus there is no reason not to get renters insurance either. Renters insurance can help you in so many ways. If you come back to a fire in your apartment, you won’t have to worry about financial problems replacing all your goods. Another very valuable aspect of renters insurance is the liability relief it provides. If someone gets injured at your apartment renters insurance will cover you, insuring you don’t end up in the poor house from someone else’s accident.

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What you need to know!

September 28, 2009 – 7:14 am

When purchasing renters insurance, there are a couple of things you need to know. We want to make sure that you are educated and comfortable with the policy information.

As you might already know, renters insurance is insurance that is meant to cover you in case of damage to the property you are renting and the property you own. What you may not know is that our policy covers you in case of injury occurs on your property as well. So, ultimately, you are paying to move the liability from yourself onto the insurance company.

In some cases, you may need additional insurance that would not normally be covered in a basic plan. An example of additional insurance would be coverage for earthquakes and floods. In some parts of the nation, these never occur but it all depends on your location. Here are a few more examples, volcanic eruptions, damage caused by aircraft, or windstorms. These are situational insurance policies that may be beneficial to you.

When looking into your policy a big thing to look at is whether they offer actual cost value or replacement cost insurance. With actual cost insurance they give you the depreciated value for your insured good(s). Because of this, replacement cost insurance, which gives you the full replacement value, pays out a lot more in the event of a claim.

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Replacement when you need it!

September 24, 2009 – 11:05 am

It would be great to live in a world that had no theft, where everything you bought could be yours forever. Well, we can’t change the world but we can make sure you keep what you paid for.

No, I’m not talking about security to prevent theft. I’m talking about full on replacement of any items that are stolen from you. Some policies offer actual cash value but the plan offered here covers you for replacement cost coverage.

Actual cash value refers to the cost of the belongings lost at their current depreciated value. Insurance companies don’t have an exact science for the calculation of depreciation but most companies currently base it off the industry standards for average life expectancy. When they take this depreciation into account, odds are, you aren’t going to receive enough money to replace the item.

That is why we offer replacement cost coverage. Replacement cost coverage on the other hand, gets you the money you need to replace all the damaged or lost goods at today’s market value. You might be asking, if the good(s) are from the past, how is there a guarantee that the company will know the original value of my item(s)? Well, in the event that the original price cannot be found, the insurance company finds a product of similar quality and kind. They then use this information to make sure you receive enough money to replace the lost items(s).

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Know your policies!

September 24, 2009 – 10:10 am

College is a fun and fast pace time in people’s lives that can sometimes blind individuals to some of the risks they are taking on living on their own. Most college students did not live on their own before coming to college because they were living with their parents. Now that they are out on their own, they may need to find some extra coverage to insure they can avoid unexpected expenses.

The most common source of living accommodations while attending college is renting. This doesn’t come as a surprise seeing that every college student can’t afford to buy their own place. What is not commonly known is that without living in a campus dorm, college students are no longer covered under their parents home owners insurance. If someone is living in a dorm, some policies allow for coverage of personal belongings but this varies policy to policy and only provides partial coverage.

Let’s say that you decide living off campus is what you want to do. You come home late one night and you see that your apartment is on fire. The initial reaction is to panic but it slowly fades because you believe you’re covered under the landlord’s home owner’s policy. Wrong! It is also a common misconception that home owners insurance purchased for the property covers any tenants that are renting. In some cases, there is a small amount of coverage left in place for the property while all other expenses fall in the hands of the tenants. In most cases, all financial responsibility comes back to the renters.

The best part about renters insurance is that it is very affordable but covers so much. It is fast and easy to sign up so get yourself the protection you need!

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