Are your gifts covered? And by covered, I don’t mean wrapped! Be sure to find out if your homeowners insurance protects your gifts or if you should take up the opportunity at the checkout. The NAIC provides some advice to help you decide.

• Find out what your insurance policy already covers. If you are covered, do you have a limit? Is it cash value coverage or replacement cost coverage? Talk with your agent about the conditions of your policy to make sure your new purchases do not exceed the policy threshold. Know what your situation is in order to make sure you do not spend more than you need to.

• If you are a renter and do not have renter’s insurance, now may be a good time to look into it. While you’re landlord has protection for structural damage, your personally belongings are not included. The additional $15 to $30 a year may be worth it!

• Understand the difference between insurance and warranties. A manufacturer’s warranty offers a guarantee to the quality or performance of a product for a certain period of time. While a warranty is great for repairs and convenience it will not replace your product if it’s stolen like insurance will.

• Lastly, update your home inventory. Keep a continuous list of all the valuables in your household with model numbers and receipts. Over time after items are given away or new things are added, your coverage can change. Having this inventory list will be helpful making sure you have enough coverage or save you money. It is also a great thing to have when filing a claim after a loss.

If you need more information about what your homeowners insurance policy covers, contact Bucci Insurance, we would be happy to help!

Last week’s weather was such a tease, but now it’s back to reality… fall is here and the cold weather is moving in! Before it’s too late and you really, don’t want to be outside, prepare your home for the winter that is fast approaching.

The Insurance Information Institute suggests that you:

Maintain Your Gutters: In order to prevent water from seeping into your house, melted snow and ice need to flow smoothly throughout your gutters. Make sure your gutters are free of leaves and debris this way you can avoid leaks in your home.

Trim Trees and Remove Dead Branches: Ice, snow and wind can cause loose branches to break and send them whipping through the air. To make sure you, your property, your vehicle, or a passerby doesn’t get injured make sure all questionable branches are removed.

Check Insulation: Add extra insulation where you don’t want heat to seep out. A warm attic that is not well insulated could allow the ice to melt on the roof causing leaks or even worse, a collapsed roof. (Aim for an attic that is only 5-10 degrees warmer than outside. Well-insulated basements and crawl spaces will also help protect pipes from freezing.

Keep the House Warm: The temperature in your house should be at least 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 65 degrees will not keep the pipes from freezing.

Check Heating Systems: Have furnaces, boilers, and chimneys serviced at least once a year. Make sure that smoke and fire alarms are working properly and consider installing a carbon dioxide detector.

Maintain Steps and Handrails: Broken stair and banisters are dangerous as they are, but they can become lethal when covered with snow and ice. Make repairs now to prevent someone from falling and becoming seriously injured.

Plan for Being Away: Escaping the Rhode Island cold this season? (I don’t blame you!) However if you plan on being away for a long period of time, hire a professional to have the water system drained. This way you avoid running the risk of pipes freezing or bursting. Also, have someone check on your house regularly. By doing so, you will be able to take care of problems quickly and efficiently as well as reduce the risk of burglary.

Standard homeowners policies cover winter-related disasters. If you have any questions, feel free to call Bucci Insurance, we would be more than happy to talk with you!

The Insurance Information Institute has a great article that really captures the essential parts of a standard homeowner’s insurance policy and we want to share it with you!

The 4 main types of coverage include:

• Coverage for the structure of your home
• Coverage for your personal belongings
• Liability protection
• Additional living expenses in the event you are temporarily unable to live in your home due to an insured disaster

1. The coverage you receive for the structure of your home pays to repair or rebuild your home if it is damaged or destroyed by a disaster listed in your policy. Such disasters include fire, hurricane, hail and lightening but not a flood or earthquake. Make sure you purchase enough insurance for in the worst case scenario you have to rebuild your home.

It is also good to know that most polices cover structures that are detached from your home, like your garage or gazebo.  Ten percent of the amount of insurance you have on the structure you have on your home covers this. If you need more, ask.

2. When disaster strikes or a thief breaks in, 50% to 70% of the amount of insurance that is on the structure of your home, covers your personal belongings.  To make sure this amount is enough, it is best to do a home inventory.  For expensive items such as jewelry and furs you may want to look into personal property endorsement or floaters insurance- this way these precious items will be insured at their true value.

And don’t forget the shrubs! Trees and plants are also covered. Five percent of your insurance on the house goes toward this. Natural disasters, theft and vandalism are all covered however, wind and disease are not.

3. Did your dog accidentally tear up your neighbor’s yard? Well, don’t worry because you’re covered for that. Liability covers you against lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage that you or family members (or pet) cause to other people. This applies, in your home, your neighbors and anywhere around the world. While your limit generally starts at about $100,000 experts recommend that you purchase at least $300,000 worth of protection.

In addition, this also provides no-fault medical coverage. In the event a friend or neighbor is injured in your home, they can simply submit medical bills to your insurance company without a liability claim filed against you. Typically you get $1,000 to $5,000 worth of this coverage.

4. Lastly, additional living expenses cover the cost of hotel bills and restaurant meals in the case you are no able to live in your home due to an insured disaster. Twenty percent of the insurance on your home goes towards this. Again, if you feel that you need more, ask.

For all of your homeowners insurance needs, contact Bucci Insurance Group. We would be more than  happy to help!

If you’re putting on a yard sale your intentions are to make money, not to lose large amounts of it. Make sure you don’t leave this year’s yard sale with negative profit by making sure you’re insured. Here are some facts and pointers from the Insurance Information Institute to guide you through a worry-free yard sale.

Is this a onetime event yard sale? Then it is probably covered under a standard homeowners or renter’s policy. Just be certain you have enough coverage and contact your insurance agent.

Are you known for your yard sales? Then it is a good idea to purchase a separate policy for business liability or an in-home business policy.

Are you doing it for the good of others? If you are running a charity fundraiser, it will most likely be covered under your homeowners or renter insurance policy. However, you may want to contact the charity to see what type of insurance protection they would be willing to extend to you if necessary.

Both homeowners and renters insurance provide liability protection that covers you against lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage that you or your family members cause to other people. This coverage pays for both the cost of defending you in court and court awards—up to the limit of your policy. Most standard home and renters insurance policies will generally provide at least $100,000 of liability coverage. However, those who wish to can increase this amount to $300,000 or $500,000. Consumers looking for even more than that should consider purchasing an umbrella or excess liability policy. For more information on this, you can visit the I.I.I. website.

Lastly, III wants you to remember to plan you sale with safety in mind.

• Repair loose railings and cracked concrete which may cause injuries.
• Place sale items so that there is enough space to move about without tripping.
• Avoid placing items too close to stairs and ledges where people could fall.
• Keep sharp objects such as knives and scissors out of the reach of children.
• Do not sell items that you know are unsafe or hazardous, including recalled items.
• Keep your pets safely indoors during the sale, both for their safety and to avoid someone getting hurt. Some dog breeds can become very protective when there are several strangers on their property.
• If someone does get injured, make sure that you get them medical attention as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about a yard sale you are in the process of planning, contact Bucci Insurance Group. We can help you with all of your homeowners and renter’s insurance needs!

Making your home more hurricane resistant can be done on your own. According to the Insurance Information Institute, if every precautionary step is taken it may cost you up to $4,000, however, it will seem like a bargain compared to the deductible you would have to pay after a severe storm.

Some points you should take away from this video:

• Protect wind and water entry points
• Seal up loose shingles with filling cement along with phone and cable line entries
• Windows and doors – shutters are key although most expensive
• Take care of the areas people go in and out of the house
• Garage doors- impact resistance steel door with 2x steel struts and stronger tracks
• Double doors-heavy duty barrel bolt anchors at top and bottom with dead bolt at least 1in. long

The damages caused by a hurricane can be extremely devastating. In order to decrease the chances of severe repercussions during hurricane season, be sure to have the right homeowner’s insurance and follow these vital tips!

Back in April we heard the horrific story of an 8 year-old girl from Tennessee who was attacked by a pit bull on her birthday. The young girl received treatment at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center and is recovering well. She is receiving all of her school lessons at home. The big issue now is how will the girl’s mother, Elieen King, pay for all of the hospital bills? The children are covered under King’s ex-husband’s health insurance, but King still is nervous that she will have to pay some of the costs and she can not afford to do that.

King wanted to try to get the owner of the dog to pay for some of the bills, but there was one tiny problem, the owner of the dog has no homeowners insurance. The reason that she has none is because she is renting the place that she is living. King spoke with lawyers, but they told her that they could not promise to get anything from the owner of the dog.

Did you know that according to Insurance Information Institute, dog bites account for one-third of homeowners insurance liability claims? So how is it that people who have pets do not have homeowners insurance. Even if you are a renter, you can purchase renters insurance. It is the best thing to do to keep you safe. If the owner of the dog in this case had renters insurance, she might have been able to cover some of the little girl’s medical costs.

It is so important to make sure that you have homeowners insurance because the liability part of your insurance policy will help you in the event that you are sued on types of claims that are in your policy. Liability insurance offers the insured specific protection against third-party claims. People need to start to realize that anything can happen. No one can predict the future, so that is why you need to make sure you are covered for the unexpected.

Come to Bucci Insurance and talk to us about your homeowners insurance policy. We would be happy to discuss what your policy entails and how we can customize it specifically to fit your needs. It is our goal to protect our customers and the way we can do that is to set you up with the perfect policy.