Bed bugs have been the topic of conversation lately and immediately followed by the question, “does my homeowner’s insurance cover it?” Recently Ohio and New York have been terrorized by these creatures at increasing rates and are actively in search of ways to take care of this problem.

To answer everyone’s question, no, homeowner’s insurance does not cover bed bugs because it is considered a matter of maintenance. With that being the case, we need to be proactive and try to avoid getting them all together!  According to CBSNews Correspondent, Dr.  Jennifer Ashton, she suggests while traveling you put your luggage on racks. Putting your suitcase down on the floor or bed increases the chance that it will come into contact with bugs. When you’re in your home, clear out the clutter. They like places where they can hide in the dark, so vacuum often and regularly. Also, wash your clothes and sheets in hot water and be sure to fully dry them in a clothes dryer.

Although homeowner’s insurance does not currently cover bed bugs, according to Wealth Manager Web, “New York legislators are planning on the introduction of a bill that will require companies to offer policies that will pay for all the costs associated with an infestation – including replacement of such items as mattresses and upholstered furniture.” If this bill passes in New York hopefully all other states will follow their lead. This way we can again carelessly say, “Sleep tight…don’t let the bed bugs bite!”

If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to contact Bucci Insurance Group for all of your homeowners insurance needs. We would be happy to help you!

Tropical storm Colin may be one of our first reminders that hurricane season is on the way. With that in mind, it is important that business owners have a disaster recovery plan. When a storm hits and property, inventory, and supplies are damaged it is necessary to have the right type and amount of coverage. When all bases are covered recovery from a disaster isn’t as painful.

According to I.I.I. small to mid-sized business purchase a package typically known as the BOP (Business Owner’s Policy) that is created for businesses that generally face the same kind and degree of risk. Here are some of the things the policy includes:

Property insurance for buildings and contents owned by the company: Types of coverages available include: undamaged stock protection, which covers undamaged items that can no longer be marketed because of damage to related goods; data or records protection, which covers loss of data or company records that were destroyed and will take time and cost money to reproduce; computer virus protection, off-premises property protection, which extends your property coverage to include protection at other locations such as trade shows, fairs, installations, exhibits, or any place where your company is doing business with company-owned equipment; and intangible coverage, which includes patents, copyrights and trademarks.

Business interruption insurance (Business income insurance (BI)): covers the loss of income resulting from a hurricane or other disaster that disrupts business operations during a period of restoration. BI pays continuing business expenses as well as profits. While the standard BI policy limits the period of restoration to 30 days, this period can be extended to 360 days with an endorsement.

BI coverage can include extra expense insurance, which covers all necessary expenses incurred during the restoration period. Usually, there is a deductible either in a flat dollar amount or as a waiting time. Waiting time deductibles are at least 24 hours, meaning that payments do not begin until the business has been disrupted for one day.

Liability protection covers your company’s legal responsibility for the harm it may cause to others as a result of things that you and your employees do or fail to do in your business operations that may cause bodily injury or property damage due to defective products, faulty installations and errors in services provided.

I.I.I. wants to remind you that BOPs do NOT cover professional liability, auto insurance, workers compensation or health and disability insurance. You will need separate insurance policies to cover professional services, vehicles and your employees.
For more information about business owners insurance please visit the Bucci Insurance website or give us a call- we would love to help you!