If you’re thinking about getting an alarm on your home here’s what you need to know about the discounts.  First, there are two types of alarm systems –...

It’s no secret that things are getting more and more expensive.  From food prices to energy prices, it seems like all corners of the economy are being affected.  We’re seeing supply chain issues,...

Today we’re discussing one of the most common reasons for a home insurance claim denial but before we get there, let’s briefly discuss what a home insurance policy is and what it is not....

Recently we had a customer call in to let us know that he had sold one of his cars and that he would like the vehicle removed from his policy.  While talking to the customer he mentioned that he...

If you have a mortgage with an escrow account, you have likely or will likely experience a time when your home insurance fails to get paid by your mortgage servicer before its expiration.  This can...

Recently, FEMA rolled out Risk Rating 2.0 and the rollout has been quite shocking for many Florida residents.  Risk Rating 2.0 is a methodology used to accurately charge for flood insurance based...

It’s no secret that COVID has changed the way many companies are doing business in the United States and the same is true for auto insurance carriers as well.  With all the supply chain issues and...

Recently, we have received a number of calls from customers inquiring as to whether the installation of solar panels will affect their home insurance....

When buying a condo, part of your association dues goes towards a master condo insurance policy purchased by the condo association.  This policy insures the condo building for covered losses.  An...

Florida is considered the lightning capital of the US with 17 of the top 30 cities nationwide for lightning. Strikes.  As such, the question we commonly get asked is “does home insurance cover...

Rates Increase?  Denied Coverage?  Non-Renewed? It is no secret that the Florida Home Insurance market is one of the toughest markets for home insurance...

When you are financing the purchase of a home the mortgage company, as part of the underwriting process, will request a home insurance policy and will oftentimes state that the policy needs to be a...

On a standard home insurance policy written on an HO3 form in the state of Florida, there is a section of the policy for other structures.  This is commonly noted as coverage B on your declarations...

Did you know there two types of home insurance claims that can stay on your record for longer than the typical 3-5 year timeframe.  These two types of home insurance claims are fire claims and...

There are times in the Florida home insurance marketplace where the majority of home insurance carriers file for rate increases on or around the same timeframe.  When this happens, it can be...

Sometimes when people payoff their home, they will naturally consider making changes to their home insurance policy in an effort to save some money.  You...

There are four things you need to know about your home insurance to ensure the installed pool complies with the requirements set forth by most home insurance carriers....

Well…..it depends. In Florida, a home insurance policy written on an HO3 form will typically include coverage if your house is flooded but the coverage is...

Insurance companies generally classify claims into two basic categories.  Claims that are property specific and claims that are specific to you, the insured....

Today we are talking about whether you can get wind mitigation credits applied to your current home insurance policy or do you have to wait until your next renewal....

One of the things we always say is that home insurance seems to be the same until you have a claim.  Here is an example to help explain what we mean.  We...

Unfortunately, in the State of Florida, it is common for insurance carriers to reduce their hurricane exposure by non-renewing certain policies.  Insurance carriers in Florida are required by...

If you’re thinking about placing your home into a trust orinto an entity such as an LLC don’t forget about your insurance!  A fewtimes a year we’ll have a customer call in for a home insurance...

Most home and auto insurance companies will refund your unearned premium after you cancel your policy and they calculate the refund on a pro-rata basis.  This simply means that if you paid for a...

We occasionallyreceive phone calls asking if damage to the home caused by certain insects iscovered.  Just last week we received a call from a homeowner who, afternoticing a small hole near the...

Polybutylene is a type of plastic supply line plumbingmaterial that was manufactured and installed between 1978 and 1995.  Thismaterial was popular because it was less expensive than copper and it...

Often times, we have customers request an auto quote andthey’re uncertain how much coverage they need. The following is the general process we use to determine adequatecoverage those customers....

Did you know that many insurance companies use an insurancescoring model to determine your insurance rates in a similar way that amortgage company uses your credit score to determine your interest...

Often times we have customers call in to shop their homeinsurance and in the process of reviewing their coverages we find that they’reover-insured.  We typically see people over insured in two...

We occasionally receive questions from customers, who havejust recently purchased a golf cart, asking if their home insurance will coverthe golf cart.  And the short answer is, not really.  In...

Home insurance has a coverage section called liability andmedical payments to others.  These coverages can be triggered when someoneis injured as a result of your negligence. In some instances,...

Did you know that if your home is uninhabitable after acovered claim, you may be entitled to additional benefits under your Loss ofUse coverage. Most home...

There are a couple of things to consider about your homeinsurance if you’re planning a major remodel.  First, if you’re not goingto be living in your home while the remodel is taking place, your...

Did you know that a standard home insurance policy for aprimary residence includes a clause buried deep within the policy called avacancy clause?  The vacancy clause cancompletely suspend your...

Today we’re talking about something that you may expect tobe covered by your home insurance when it actually is not.  Today we’re talking about water back upcoverage.  With water backing up we’re...

Today we’re talking about a certain type of plumbingmaterial that many insurance companies are beginning to classify as anineligible type of material.  Meaning that if the plumbing material isused...

As Hurricanes approach the east coast of Florida, we’ll haveso many phone calls the week leading up to the storm on the same topic. The question is generally some version of the following:...

If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of needingto file a claim after a hurricane, there are certain things that you need toknow.  In every home insurance policy, there is a section...

I recently had a customer reach out to me from a region ofFlorida that is prone to flooding.  They had several days of rain and thewater began to pool in the yard and then onto their back porch and...

Occasionally we have customers contact us during the homebuying process and ask if there are certain types of homes that have lowerinsurance rates than other types of home.  While there are many...

One of the realities to home ownership is that building materials degrade over time.  The degradation of plumbing materials can lead to pipes breaking or pipes leaking in the slab.  If a slab leak...

Did you know that if you change the ownership, title,occupancy or use of a home that you have insured, you have a limited amount oftime to notify your insurance company and failure to do so can...

Roughly once a month or so, we get asked the questionwhether septic tanks or wells are covered under a home insurance policy. Generally speaking, most standard home insurance policies written on an...

Almost every week we have customers call in who are lookingto purchase a home, but the home has some existing damage or some component ofthe home is outside of insurance guidelines that would...

If someone runs into your car and it turns out that they’rean uninsured motorist, do you know which coverage you need on your insurancepolicy, in the State of Florida, to ensure your vehicle is...

Most standard home insurance policies in Florida are writtenon an HO3 form.  This is commonlyreferred to as a special coverage form or an open perils form.  Thesepolicies commonly have verbiage...

Subrogation is a term commonly used in the insurance industryfor when a customer files a claim on their insurance policy, the insurancecompany pays for the damages but then determines that the...

I was recently on the phone finalizing a home insurancepolicy for a customer when the customer told me that instead of doing someremodeling, like we had originally discussed, that he and his wife...

Have you ever wondered why your home insurance rates justseem to keep going up and up even when you haven’t filed a claim?  We often have people call in...

Have you ever wondered if your home insurance covers other structures on your property such as a detached garage?  The answer is yes it can.  Home insurance does have coverage available for...

If you have a mortgage on your home when filing an insurance claim, the insurance company is required, by the terms of the policy, to make the check payable to you and any lienholders on the...

Many times, we have customers calling in for a quote and are surprised to find out that even though they had a significant home insurance claim from a prior hurricane, they’re still able to find...

Many times, people are surprised to see that the check received as settlement for their home insurance claim has a line item deducting for depreciation.  This can happen even if the policy is a...

Did you know that a federal flood insurance policy offersmaximum dwelling coverage of $250,000?  Moreover, the maximum amount ofpersonal property coverage on a federal flood insurance policy is$100...

I recently had a customer ask if a claim was ever made forpersonal property what is needed to actually obtain that amount to replace thecovered items. In...

We were recently going over the personal property coveragewith a first time home buyer and he said, “if my house burns down and my car isin the garage, will my home insurance cover it.”...

Today we’re talking about high points of hail damage. The first thing you need to know is that hail damage is typically covered undera standard HO3 policy.  The HO3 policy is the policy that...

Did you know that the number one natural disaster in the USaccording to FEMA is flooding?  In fact, annual flood damage has beenaveraging close to $10B per year.  Here’s a stat that will boggle...

Many times, we find customers changing the occupancy of their home from a primary residence to a rental property and they forget to update their insurance accordingly.  In most primary residence...

Did you know that many insurance companies have verbiage inthe policy that will cap payouts from water damage at $10,000 on olderhomes?  In this situation, we’re not talking about water back up...

Did you know the roofing material on your home can impactyour insurance?  This topic is especiallyimportant if you’re looking to purchase a home....

Have a trampoline on your property?  Here’s what you need to know! The attractive nuisance doctrine applies to civil law in the United States....

Did you know that parking lot accidents account for nearlyone in five auto insurance claims?  Infact, in the United States there are over 200 auto related parking lotfatalities each year.  And one...

Ifyou own a small boat, it may be covered under the personal property section ofyour homeowner’s insurance.  Here’s whatyou need to know.  The coverage, althoughpresent in most homeowners’ policies...

We’ve had a wave of customers recently who are looking forquotes on multifamily homes.   Mostly wherethe customer lives in one of the units and rents out the remaining units.  Each customer has...

Recently we had a customer call in a panic because a hotwater valve in the kitchen broke off.  Hotwater was literally spraying across the kitchen in gallons and flooding out thekitchen and dining...

In certain areas of Brevard County where older homes arepresent, areas such as Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island, andcertain areas of Melbourne and West Melbourne, we often find older...

Today we’re talking about what happens to your homeinsurance if you need to file a home insurance claim.  Will your rates goup?  Will...

Today we’re talking about a little know coverage on a homeinsurance policy that can be a tremendous help if someone is injured in yourhome or on your property – it’s called medical payments to...

o Home insurance carriers look at a myriad of things when determining your home insurance rates.  And one of these items is the shape of the roof.  Now obviously you can...

Today we’re going to share with you a little know homeinsurance rule that could cost you thousands of dollars out of pocket if youneed to file a home insurance claim and this rule applies – it’s...

Did you know that a recent study found that 41% of people who are shopping their insurance are looking for a better price?  In fact, price outranked Customer Service, Claim Handling, and Coverages…...

With dog bites making up one-third of all homeowner liability claims, it’s no wonder why animal liability has become a hot topic in the insurance industry.  Get this, the average dog bite claim is...

We often received phone calls from our customers asking some form of the following:  If I allow ‘so and so’ to drive my car, are they covered under my insurance or their insurance....

Replacement Cost and Actual Cash Value. These are the two ways that insurance companies use to determine how much to pay you when you file a...

Many times, the maximum amount of liability coverage you can purchase in a homeowner’s insurance is roughly $500,000.  And the maximum amount of auto insurance liability coverage you can purchase...

If you turn your primary residence into a rental property, do you need to address your current insurance policy or will the insurance policy you currently have suffice for a rental property?...

Perhaps once or twice a month we’ll be speaking with a customer about auto insurance and they’ll request full coverage auto insurance.  It’s typically in reference to a recently financed car...

Many times, we have customers call into to our office looking for a condo insurance quote and they’ll say things like: We didn’t know we needed insurance...

Today we’re diving into a standard homeowners insurance policy to see what it says about storm surge.  More specifically, we’re answering the question as to whether hurricane coverage would cover...

If you’ve ever rented a car, you’ve probably had the clerk at the rental car counter ask if you’d like to purchase insurance for their vehicle.  This begs the question, does your car insurance...

Does my home insurance cover collectibles? A standard primary residence home insurance policy will generally provide personal property...

What are wind mitigation inspections, and do I need one? Wind mitigation inspections identify seven wind resistive features of the home. The...

One of our customers recently called in with a question asking if flood insurance covered anything outside the home.  Great question! The first thing we...

One of the realities about home insurance in Florida is insurance company inspections.  But before we get into the things that insurance companies are looking for – let’s first talk about the who...

We recently fielded a question that came from a Facebook follower of ours.  She asked if auto insurance covers the cost of a rental car if her car is ever stolen.  This is a great question....

Often, we hear people mention that their broken windshield is covered without a deductible simply because they live in Florida and that’s what Florida requires....

Most insurance companies will not non-renew a customer after one home insurance claim.  So before we begin, let’s talk about insurance companies to gain a better understanding on risk mitigation....

Shopping for a home insurance quote? If you’re in the market for a home insurance quote don’t be duped by a shady agent.  Today we’re pulling...

Vacation Home Insurance – Is it hard to get? Generally speaking vacation home insurance is the same insurance you would find on your primary...

What does Uninsured Motorist Coverage cover? Almost every customer we speak with thinks that uninsured motorist coverage in the State of...

Ordinance or Law Coverage – What’s that cover? Ordinance or Law coverage provides additional insurance to bring your home up to code after a...

You may have seen the news where a 5-year-old boy from Kansas knocked over a sculpture that was on display in a community center.  The art on display was valued at $132,000 and the community center...

Auto insurance can cover a lot of things – liability, uninsured motorists, rental cars, towing.  But there are just two coverage’s that cover the vehicle itself.  One is called collision coverage,...

One of our customers in Cocoa Beach, Florida called in recently ask if their dock was insured.  The short answer is: It...

Great question! The short answer is yes.  Let’s explain because there are three things you need to know about home insurance in Florida when it comes to moving....

The short answer is a frame construction home will typically be more expensive to insure when compared to a masonry construction home.  There are three main reasons why this is the case:...

A question we recently received was this “If I wreck a rented golf cart at a golf course, will my home insurance...

Do I need Sinkhole Coverage? To understand sinkhole coverage you must first understand Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse coverage.  While...

How does Property Damage Liability work? Many times on an auto insurance policy in Florida you will see liability coverages...

Insurance companies in the Florida are not required to include screen enclosure coverage.  However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not covered.  Some insurance companies include the...

In the state of Florida, most insurance companies have a split deductible on their homeowner’s policies.  One deductible is called the All Other Perils deductible and the other deductible is called...