What is a Personal Articles Policy?

 

If you're a homeowner, chances are very good that you already have a homeowner's insurance policy covering your home and the personal property in your home against loss from things like fire, storms, lightning strikes, vandalism, burglary and more.

Know Your Limits

It's important to understand exactly what your homeowner's policy covers and what limits are established for each of the benefits provided.  You'll have one limit for a loss claim on the structure should it be damaged or destroyed, and another limit for the personal property found in the home.  This second limit is typically set at a certain percentage of the first limit.

There will also be a limit on the liability coverage your policy provides and a special limit on certain valuables such as jewelry, furs, artwork, guns, collectibles, etc.  This special limit on valuables is separate from the limit on your personal property and should be considered if you have any high-dollar valuables in your home because these special limits are typically relatively low.  A limit of $1,500-$2,500 is not uncommon, which obviously won't go far in compensating you for lost, stolen or damaged jewelry, artwork, furs, etc.

Personal Articles Policy Floater

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), there are two ways to boost your insurance coverage for high-dollar valuables:

1. Raise the limit placed on the liability of these items found in your standard coverage.  Doing this, however, will only give you a relatively modest amount of added coverage that will still not cover the full amount of most losses.
2. Buy a floater policy, also called a personal articles policy, to more fully cover losses of high-dollar valuables.  This policy will cover all types of losses, including some not covered by a standard homeowner's policy, such as accidental losses.

Personal Articles Policy Defined

A personal articles policy is advised to cover any of your expensive personal property whose loss would be far above the limit of your standard policy's personal property protection.  While jewelry and guns are the items most typically found covered by this type of policy, you may also want to include:

• Fine Art
• Furs
• Silver/Gold
• Collections such as coins, stamps, baseball cards
• Camera equipment
• Musical instruments

These items are typically covered world-wide and claims usually require no deductible.  Items may be individually listed (or scheduled) or a blanket policy may be taken out to cover all your valuables without individually listing them.

How to Be a Better Driver: 11 Tips

 

There are dozens of ways that you can become a better driver - some more important than others - but all designed to help you and others on the road to stay safer.

While getting a driver's license can provide you with a great deal of freedom, it also brings with it a great deal of responsibility.  What starts with getting properly licensed and making sure the vehicle you're driving is properly insured according to the law, continues on to following the legal rules of the road (traffic laws) and observing common courtesy for your fellow drivers and pedestrians.

11 Tips

Here are a handful of tips for becoming a better driver.  They're not in particular order of importance, but each is a piece to the puzzle of becoming a better, safer driver:

1. Start by knowing your vehicle.  Read the owner's manual.  Learn how your car operates in the rain and snow (if you have snow where you drive).  Take your car to a safe place and practice various braking methods.
2. Don't get behind the wheel if you've been drinking or using drugs.  Call a cab or ride-sharing service.
3. Stay calm when driving, even if the guy behind you is honking his horn or yelling at you out his window.  Let him go by and forget about it.
4. Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you, appropriate for your speed, the weather, time of day and driving conditions.
5. Watch ahead, not just the car in front of you but several cars ahead, so you can prepare for the unexpected.
6. Always obey traffic signs and signals and use your turn indicators when turning or changing lanes on the highway.
7. While it's recommended to drive at or below the posted speed limit, you want to go with the flow at highway speeds, even if it means going slightly faster than the posted limit.
8. Pay attention to the road.  Don't use cell phones or eat/drink while driving.
9. On long trips take a break every 90 minutes or so.  Don't drive when you're tired or sleepy.
10. Always yield to pedestrians.  They have the right of way.
11. Stay out of the blind spots of large trucks.  If you can't see the driver in his side mirror, he can't see you.

These are just some of the tips you can consider for being a better driver.  You can read more here.

Does Homeowner's Insurance Cover Rising Flood Waters?

 

A question that may have you concerned during this time of unpredictable climate change is whether or not your Greensboro Homeowners insurance policy covers your home for rising flood waters.  The simple answer to this question is, "No."  Standard homeowners insurance covers neither flood waters nor rising waters from any bodies of water such as rivers or lakes, oceans or streams.  You do, however, have some options to obtain flood damage coverage to work in parallel with your Greensboro homeowners insurance coverage.

Flood insurance is available and typically purchased from the NFIP, the National Flood Insurance Program.  This is a federal government program and is federally regulated.  The program is overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with coverage available through a network of dozens of insurance companies throughout the country.

Homeowners Insurance Water Damage Coverage

While flood water damage is exempted from the standard Greensboro homeowners insurance policy coverage, certain types of water damage may be covered within your policy.  According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), water damage is one of the most common perils suffered by homeowners and also one of the most expensive to repair.

Standard homeowners insurance typically pays toward claims arising from leaking plumbing if the leak is sudden and accidental.  This includes things such as a burst plumbing pipe, a supply hose to your washing machine or a dishwasher breaking or your hot water heater flooding the basement.  Take note, however, that your insurance doesn't cover problems arising from poor maintenance.  If, for example, you fail to repair a leaking toilet and it causes water damage, it will likely not be covered.

Water backup from an outside drain or sewer is also typically not covered by a standard homeowners policy, although a rider may possibly be added to your policy to cover these eventualities.

Two Types of Coverage

Within your standard Greensboro homeowners insurance policy, you have two types of coverage that may apply to covered water damage:

• If a water pipe bursts and damages your wall, the dwelling coverage portion of your policy should help pay for the repairs
• If that same burst pipe drenches your personal property such as your stereo or your bookcase full of books, the personal property portion of your policy is what will come into play in answer to your claim

Flood insurance also comes in two parts: dwelling protection and personal property protection.  Consult your agent.

What Not to Expect From Homeowner's Insurance

 

While each homeowner's insurance policy out there may be slightly different than the next, there are certain factors that are common to most. The only way to know exactly what your policy covers and doesn't cover is to read it from top to bottom.

If you're unclear about any parts of the policy, get together with your agent or broker and get a clear explanation. Don't forget the fine print. It may not seem to be the most interesting reading, but it's important to completely understand what your homeowner's policy covers before you suffer a loss and find out your claim is denied because you weren't covered for that particular peril.

What's Not Covered By Homeowner's Insurance

Two major perils not covered by standard homeowner's insurance include floods and earthquakes:

Floods may be caused by water coming into your home from and outside source. This can include natural sources such as a rising stream or rivers or torrential rains causing flashing floods. Man-made flooding may be caused by sewer backups or a burst dam. None of these would be covered by a standard homeowner's insurance policy.

Earthquakes or other land movements such as sinkholes are also typically not covered by standard homeowner's insurance. To be covered by these disasters your must take out additional insurance specific to earthquakes or sinkholes or, if your insurance company makes it available, get a rider to your homeowner's insurance coverage.


Most flood insurance is purchased from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is a U.S. federal government program overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It's available through most major insurers.

Garage Fires

If your home is consumed by fire and burns to the ground, don't expect your homeowner's insurance to pay for repairing or replacing your car that was parked in the garage. Most standard homeowner's insurance policies exclude coverage for motor vehicles such as cars, motorcycles or boats. An exception may be made for things like lawn mowers or snow blowers. As always, read the fine print. Talk to your agent if you're unclear about what exactly is covered. Bundling your vehicle and home insurance with the same company can help simplify this kind of claim.

Just as every homeowner's insurance policy may be slightly different than the next, most policies can also be custom-written to cover what you want, as long as you're willing to pay the premium charged.

Is It Hard to Get Small Business Liability Insurance?

 

Small business liability insurance is protection no small business owner should be without, especially in a litigious society such as the one we're living in here in the U.S. A single injury that one of your customers or employees suffers could spell financial disaster to your business without some good small business liability insurance to help cover the cost of a liability suit.

Getting Small Business Liability Insurance

Small business liability insurance is easy to obtain and is offered by most insurers selling business insurance. There are numerous types of business liability insurance, including:

• General Liability Insurance, which protects you against financial losses resulting from lawsuits stemming from bodily injury, property damage or slander, and for costs associated with legal defense and judgements.
• Product liability Insurance, which protects you from financial losses resulting from lawsuits stemming from defective products causing property damage or bodily injury.
• Professional Liability Insurance, which protects you from financial losses resulting from lawsuits stemming from claims of malpractice, errors, omissions or negligence.

Steps to Buying Small Business Liability Insurance

There are some basic steps you can take to get your business liability insurance. Start with a clear assessment of what types of risks your business faces. What kinds of accidents or lawsuits could be damaging to your company?

Contact a well-regarded, licensed commercial agent who can recommend coverage that best matches your insurance needs. Use an independent agent with access to a number of different insurers and let them offer you at least three insurance options. Compare the different terms, rates and benefits and pick the policy that best suits your particular insurance needs. After a year, re-access your business insurance needs and upgrade as needed.

Home-based Businesses

• A small home-based business, operated out of your personal home, can be protected for a small amount of business property loss and liability claims by adding a rider to your existing homeowners policy. The amount of liability coverage you need will depend partly on whether or not you have clients or customers coming into your home to conduct business. An umbrella policy can be added to your coverage for increased liability coverage. These policies are reasonably priced and add coverage to your existing liability protection.

What Is a Lienholder?

 

While some car buyers are able to pay cash for their automobiles, many others take out a car loan in order to purchase the vehicle they want. If you borrow money for this purpose, whether from a bank, a credit union, a car dealership or even a private party, the lender will hold a legal claim on the vehicle. This claim is known as a lien.

The lender, known as a lienholder, will have a legal interest in your vehicle until such time as the loan is completely paid off. Having this legal interest in your property, your lienholder has certain rights and may require you to fulfill certain obligations. These include having the lienholder named as co-owner on your title and on your insurance documents. They may also require you to carry a certain type and amount of car insurance on your vehicle.

Your Home Mortgage is a Lien

If you are buying your house with the aid of a mortgage loan provided by a financial institution, the company that provided the purchase funds automatically became a lienholder for your home. They have a legal claim on your property and will require that you have an appropriate amount of homeowner's insurance in force. This is to protect their financial interests in the event that your home becomes damaged or destroyed by some unforeseen event.

Certain debts owed in conjunction with your home may also become liens. These may include:

• Overdue taxes
• Unpaid construction costs
• Judgements
• Unpaid and overdue association fees

In actuality any property that you own that was bought with money from a loan can have a lien put against it until the loan is paid off. If the loan payments are not made as agreed on, the lienholder may have the legal right to repossess the property that has gone into default.

What a Lienholder Requires

Getting back to your vehicle purchase with borrowed money, whatever financial institution lent you the money to buy the car is the lienholder and will require some certainty that they have financial security regarding the transaction. While the State of NC requires all drivers carry a minimum amount of liability insurance in case they cause injury or property damage while driving, your lender will likely require you carry collision coverage, in case you're in a collision accident, and comprehensive coverage, for non-collision losses such as fire, theft, vandalism, extreme weather, etc.

What Is Landlord Insurance?

 

Landlord insurance is homeowner's insurance designed to protect homes not occupied by the owner. If you own a house, apartment or condo that's used as a tenant rental, landlord insurance is what you need to protect yourself from the dwelling being the cause of your suffering financial loss from a number of risks. These risks, known a “perils” in the insurance industry, are similar to those contained in a standard homeowner's insurance policy, although the landlord policy is typically smaller in the depth and breadth of its protection.

Differences Between Homeowner's Insurance and Landlord Insurance

While it's possible to buy landlord insurance for your owner-occupied home, it wouldn't be wise since the coverage is lesser in scope and yet likely more expensive in cost. On the other hand, typical homeowner's coverage being carried on a rental property is a definite no-no, since any loss occurring on the property won't be covered and any claim will be denied.

There are three types of landlord insurance policies: DP-1, DP-2 and DP-3. Each contains dwelling protection and liability protection. They may also contain loss of use protection. Additional optional coverage is also available. Here's a brief rundown:

• DP-1 – This is the most basic and lowest-cost landlord insurance. It's a “named perils” policy, meaning that only perils specifically listed (or named) in the policy are covered. Most DP-1 policies are actual cash value (ACV) policies, which means any claims payments for covered property losses may include a calculated amount subtracted for depreciation.
• DP-2 – Also known as Dwelling Fire Form 2, DP-2 is average protection for a rental home and considered adequate for most rental properties. It is also a “named perils” policy, typically covering 18 listed perils similar to those found in the popular homeowner's HO3 policy. Unlike the DP-1 policy, the DP-2 is a Replacement Cost Policy as opposed to Actual Cash Value coverage. This means that depreciation is not factored in when a claims payment is made, thereby providing much more comprehensive coverage. Most DP-2 policies include Loss of Rents coverage, which pays you rent if your tenants are forced to move out while repairs are made to a property damaged by one of the policy's covered perils.
• DP-3 – The best rental property insurance, DP-3 is “All Risk,” meaning all perils except those specifically excluded are covered. This is Replacement Cost insurance and also includes Loss of Rents coverage.