Why A Trampoline In Your Backyard Is A Bad Idea

Trampolines are fun and good for exercise. They are also sometimes considered and attractive nuisance and are excluded on most home insurance policies.  By attractive nuisance, you as the homeowner are one hundred percent liable for any potential incidents or lawsuits. So for example, if little Johnny next door, sneaks over and injures himself on your trampoline, you are fully responsible. Even if you weren’t home and didn’t give him permission to be on your property.

According to a CBS News article, 98,000 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2009, due to a trampoline injury. The injuries have also doubled over the past decade, compared to the previous.

These injuries are not going to pay for themselves, and since your home owners insurance most likely has a trampoline exclusion, the homeowner is going to have to pay out-of-pocket.  Insurance companies use to cover trampolines on their policies. After injuries started staggering up, and personal injury lawyers started suing anyone and anybody, insurance companies got out of the business of insuring trampolines.

Our advice is DO NOT OWN ONE. Were not trying bash the Trampoline Industry, were trying to protect the home owner. Trying to protect him or her from frivolous law suits.  All it takes is for a trail attorney lawyer to represent little Johnny’s injury, and for you to pay out-of-pocket over 50,000 dollars. Even if you some how have an insurance policy that covers it, get rid of it. It’s a headache to completely avoid.

Why Buying Insurance Online is A Bad Idea

It seems like very day, we see tons of TV ads for auto insurance companies. This either can involve a cartoon, a little lizard, or even a perky little brunette. All of them advertise how you can buy a policy online. They advertise how you can get discounts for buying online. They advertise it like gold and glitter. In this blog, I am gonna go past all the excitement about buying a policy online, and actually tell you why its a bad idea.

  • The information they ask can be very hard to understand. Most of the time consumers enter in information incorrectly, which will give you an inaccurate quote.
  • Most companies, shows the lowest price. This usually means the lowest coverages.
  • Most quotes you get off the internet, are the bare minimum liability coverages. This is bad, because if you get in a bad enough accident, you personal assets could be at stake.
  • Most companies don’t include coverages such as uninsured motorists property damage, and also uninsured or under insured motorists coverage. With a lot of drivers uninsured or under insured, this coverage is a must.
  • If you have a newer car and has a lien or lease on it and its needs comp and collision coverage, a computer can’t understand this.
  • An online quoting system might not know if towing and rental car reimbursement is something you should or shouldn’t have on your policy.
  • Most consumers don’t understand what some coverages mean and what it does. When a consumer doesn’t understand a coverage, they don’t buy it. This could be costly, because a consumer might need it.

I could continue on with many points, but in conclusion, a computer can’t think, and counsel you into the right policy. Only a human can. When it comes to insurance, every person is different in needs. Only an experienced  broker like us, can give you advice and steer you in the right direction. A computer can’t give you advice on how much coverage you should buy, if its ideal to carry a 1000 dollar deductible or a 500 dollar deductible. It can”t answer questions such as, what if I drive my friends car, will my policy follow me to that policy?

Please feel free to leave a comment. We can write insurance in 45 states.

Understanding An Indirect Loss On An Insurance Policy

When a loss occurs, and a claim is filed, the is more underneath the problem than first understood. That loss could be a pipe breaking in your house, a fire in the kitchen or any other type of occurrence. During this time all that is on the policyholders mind, is the loss at hand. But there is another loss creeping up on them, most of the time realizing it at the last second.  This is known as an indirect loss.

What is an indirect loss?

An indirect loss is a loss that occurs because of another loss.  It is an underlying loss that takes place because of a larger loss.   On a homeowners, loss of use of a home would be an indirect loss.    An example of this is, Johnny’s house catches on fire, because of the smoke, Johnny cannot stay in the house.  Johnny has to rent a hotel room because of the smoke in his home.  This is an indirect loss.

An example on an auto insurance policy is when Judy crashes her car and has to have it repaired.  She rents an auto to use while her car is being repaired because she doesn’t have a car to drive back and forth to work.   The expense of the rental car is an indirect loss.

An example of an indirect loss for a business is lack of business income.  Because of a loss, the business can no longer gain income and therefore profits are hurt.

In conclusion, an indirect loss comes from a bigger loss.

 

Seasonal Property Insurance

If you live in more than one location, you should have your properties covered for any type of unexpected loss.  For example if you have a home in Colorado and one in Florida, both homes should be covered fully for all unexpected events.  There are many reasons for setting up insurance on your seasonal property which is a DP-3. 

A Seasonal Property is set up on a DP-3 which is a Special Form where the dwelling and other structures are covered for all direct physical damage (open peril), except for perils specifically excluded.  Theft of property that is part of the dwelling or other structures is covered as long as the dwelling or other structures are not under construction. 

Personal property or contents are covered under Form (DP-3) perils.  Losses to the dwelling and other structures are paid on a replacement cost basis, and losses to contents are paid on an actual cash basis to the insured.

Don’t let an unexpected event ruin your financial situation.

Call us at Denvers Insurance for a quote contact us. We will research and find the best rate for you.

A Nice Homeowners Insurance Inventory Check List- Courtesy Colorado DORA Division Of Insurance

It is always good to take time and produce an inventory of your homes valuables and property. Here is a link to the Colorado Division of Insurance, courtesy inventory checklist. Please keep in mind that it is always a good idea, to store these documents externally. I would recommend Google Documents.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We can write insurance in 45 states. Or Leave A Comment.

Thrift Retail Store Insurance | Get A Free Business Insurance Quote

 Today with the economy being what it is, more and more people are turning to thrift stores to buy clothing and goods for their families.  Thrift stores are finding themselves to be very busy with walk-ins daily averaging much more than two years ago.  That is why having an excellent insurance policy is a must.

At our National Independent Insurance Agency, we will take the time, to work with a business to accommodate its needs. Our agents are fully licensed and knowledgeable to create a comprehensive policy that is best for the client.

Our Business Owners Policy

Our policies are superior in industry standard. We believe cutting corners on an insurance policy, could potentially hurt a business owner if a claim were to occur. We provide superior coverage, all at a competitive rate. Here is a basic break down of coverages we offer.

  • General Liability
  • Building
  • Business Property and Inventory
  • Crime Coverage
  • Employee Dishonesty
  • Loss Of Business Income
  • Excess/Umbrella Liability
  • Workman’s Compensation
  • Commercial Auto Insurance
  • Equipment Break Down
  • Outdoor Signs
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Newly Acquired Building
  • and more!

For more details on our Business Owners Policies, Please Click Here.

Our Companies Claims Process Is Excellent

We only write insurance with companies that have an excellent claims process. A claim can be complicated, but our companies will treat you fair and keep the process as simple as possible.

Personalized Service

Our agency is family based and understands insurance. You will work one-one-one with an experienced agent who will find a policy that best fits your business needs. We believe in “good old-fashioned customer service”.

Get A Business Insurance Quote

Please contact us during normal business hours at 1-888-270-0995. Or use our quick form and we will contact you right away. You will work with a licensed experienced agent, who will work with you, to get a free competitive quote.

As A Landlord, Should I Require Tenant’s To Carry Renter’s Insurance?

Having an investment property can be a great return on investment. But on the contrary, you do have the management aspect. This can include maintenance, leases, insurance and etc. One of them being your insurance policy. In this blog were going to cover why your tenants should have renter’s insurance, or better known as a homeowners policy number 4.  If you want to know more about landlord insurance, please visit this link.

What Is Renters Or Tenants Insurance or Known As A Ho-4?

A HO-4 policy, also known as renter’s insurance, covers only the tenants interest. This includes the following coverage,

  • Personal Property
  • Medical Payments
  • Loss Of Use
  • Personal Liability
  • Other Coverages are available

So Why Should I As Landlord, Require  My Tenants to have Tenants Insurance?

To avoid any legal problems or losses from your tenant.  A Renters Policy has a personal liability built in.  If your renter were to encounter any legal problems or losses, she/he is covered.  Here are some examples of what could happen.

-A renter invites a guest over and they slip and fall on the premises.

-They could accidentally start a fire in the premises.

With renters insurance, any type of law suits, or premises losses are going to fall on their policy. If your renter does not have insurance, you as a landlord are going to have to use your own policy.  Requiring your renter to have insurance can avoid huge headaches in the event of a loss or legal problems. The last thing you need to deal with as a landlord is getting sued for one of your tenant’s actions. In additon if a loss does occur on your policy, chances are your premium is going to increase on next renewal.

How much personal liability coverage should your renter have?

All you should be worry about on your tenant’s policy is their personal liability.  I would recommend a $300,000 liability requirement and it costs the tenant $15.00 – $30.00 per year extra.  This for the most part will cover most law suits that a tenant could encounter.  This for the most part covers the average cost of a dwelling or condo if were to completely burn to the ground.  If you feel that this will not be sufficient, your renter could go with a $500,000 personal liability or higher.

How much does Renters Insurance cost my tenant? 

Depending on how much coverage the tenant decides to go with besides your liability requirements, it can run as low as $80 per year all the way up to $300.  A lot of this depends upon the renters credit, previous losses, and how much other coverage they decide to buy and etc.

How do I get Proof Insurance As A Landlord?

You should get a Certificate of Insurance or Coverage Confirmation from the company or agent writing the insurance policy. I would also recommend getting listed as an additional insured on the policy if possible. That way you are always getting notified on any major policy changes, but mostly if the policy is being cancelled for any reason. Just like the insured, you get a policy packet  in the mail with detailed coverages, and notifications just like the tenant would.

Please contact us with any questions or for any quote requests for both Landlords and Tenants.

What Type Of Insurance Policy Do I Need For A Rental Property?

Rental property’s can provide great residual incomes, and right now with the rental market in demand, a lot of people are putting their house’s up for rent or buying investment properties. Before you do this, your insurance policy must be written correctly, or else you could have some major gaps in coverage.

First of all lest highlight some of the most common types of properties.

  • Apartment Building
  • Condo
  • Dwelling

Apartment Building Insurance

This policy is designed for a building that houses multiple units, usually more than 3.  The policy includes building coverage, a general liability, business personal property coverage, loss of use, crime coverage and more.  This policy is strictly designed for apartments.

We usually write these policies through Travelers, Philadelphia or Middle Oak.

Landlord Condo Insurance

This policy is built for someone who owns a condominium and rents it out. It includes interior dwelling coverage, loss of rent, medical payments, and landlord liability. You can add things such as extended liability coverage, and loss assessment. This policy is usually written under Dwelling Fire Policy Form 8.

Landlord Dwelling Insurance

Investment houses are either written under a DP-1 or a DP-3. Or known as a dwelling fire policy. Most policies are written under a dp-3, because it gives you replacement cost coverage on the dwelling, which is better than the dp-1 actual cash value coverage on a dwelling. Always make sure you have the following coverages on your dwelling rental property.

  • replacement cost on dwelling(dp-3)
  • extended dwelling coverage, at least 120 percent
  • landlord business property(stove top, dishwasher, fridge, washer dryer, etc)
  • other structure coverage
  • loss of use, for at least 12 months
  • landlord liability
  • sewer back up
  • Ordinance & Code Coverage

If you have any questions or want a quote contact us.

Wedding Insurance, Why It Is So Important.

  • Your Wedding is probably one of the most important dates in you life. There are all kinds of things that you need to prepare for. You have the rehearsal, you have food and catering, the brides dress, and the grooms suit. But one of your most important things is actually your wedding insurance. For your wedding should be worry free.

The biggest risk at a wedding is alcohol. Most of the time, alcohol is being served at weddings. As we all know people become a lot different after a couple of drinks, or even some times drunk. There are always safety nets you can put in to prevent alcohol related accidents. Such as providing transportation for the way home, or even offering a hotel room to all of your guests. But still at the end, alcohol related accidents happen to much.

A couple of examples of incidents that could occur during or after your weeding are; a person gets to intoxicated and drives home from your wedding. The person gets in at-fault accident and seriously hurts someone else. The next day later you find out, that they got into an accident leaving your wedding. A week after your getting find out, your getting sued by the third party they hurt. Another incident could be, after both of you leave the after party(groom and bride), your buddy Johnny gets into a fist fight with another guest because he’s drunk. A week later your getting sued by that guest that got injured by Johnny.  Ultimately, they say the groom and brides wedding after party, was to irresponsible with serving alcohol.

Before the weeding you were smart enough to purchase One of Our Travelers Wedding Insurance Packages and you are covered for all of this. Lets see the highlights of this program.

Cancellation and other wedding insurance coverages

The Wedding Protector Plan® offers quality wedding insurance at an affordable price, underwritten by Travelers.

Wedding insurance can offer the following coverages for your special day.

Special Event Liability Insurance

Affordable, no deductible Wedding Insurance

Liability Insurance is an optional coverage and can be added as an endorsement on to your Special Event Insurance Policy. It offers you protection in the case of an incident from an event you host including to add liquor liability insurance.

Hotel & Motel Insurance Through Philadelphia Insurance

As you have been seeing, I have been going over a lot of programs, that we write through Philadelphia Insurance. They have a full line of great commercial and business insurance products. One of them being motel and hotel insurance. Philadelphia Insurance Companies specializes in the Hotel Industry. We understand how to provide a flexible and comprehensive insurance program for risks all across the United States. Lets take a look at the product they offer for hospitality. All information was provided through phly’s website.

Benefits of the Program

  • Crime, Boiler, and all property coverages under one policy
  • Coverage is included for guest personal property, foundations, underground pipes, flues, drains, and retaining walls that are not a part of the building, bridges, roadways, walkways, patios, and other paved surfaces
  • Owned automobiles including airport shuttle vehicles
  • Liquor Liability
  • Directors & Officers Coverage Available

10 Reason’s Why to Choose Phly:

1. One of the broadest property enhancement forms in the industry. This coverage includes but
is not limited to: Property Off Premises, Fire Department Service Charge, Food Spoilage,
Valuable Papers, Accounts Receivable, Debris Removal, Sewer and Drain Back-up and
Ordinance or Law, Alternative Key System, Reservation System, and Credit Card Slips
2. One stop shopping for all your insurance needs. Property, Equipment Breakdown, Inland
Marine, Crime, General Liability, Professional Liability, Abuse and Molestation, and
Automobile coverage bundled into one convenient policy
3. Ultimate Cover – broad proprietary property coverage form including Flood and Earthquake
where available
4. Blanket limits with agreed value (no coinsurance) available
5. Garagekeeper’s Liability coverage available
6. Liquor Liability coverage available in most states
7. Automobile coverage available for hotel passenger vans, including airport shuttles
8. Hotel guest inconvenience coverage available
9. Guest personal property coverage included
10. Interest-free installments available for accounts that generate at least $2,000 in premium

Bed and Breakfast Product:

Whether you run a cozy bed & breakfast in Colorado, or a country inn in Wyoming, we can offer you the best insurance coverage to fit your needs.

This insurance program focuses on facilities located in resort and destination locations, such as ski towns and national and state park communities. Target risks provide guest lodging for an average of 2-3 nights, and in addition to providing breakfast might offer restaurant and bar facilities or recreational activities to their patrons. Frame, unprotected property is expected.

Coverage We Offer:

General Liability
• Comprehensive General Liability – Limits to
$1,000,000 each occurrence/$3,000,000 aggregate
• Premises Liability
• Personal Injury Liability
• Employee Benefits Liability
• Liquor Liability coverage available
• General Liability Deluxe endorsement for hotels includes
coverage for general aggregate per location, several
types of additional insureds and reservations and
wake-up service liability
Property
• Blanket limits with large in-house capacity
• Ultimate Cover – broad proprietary property coverage
form including Flood and Earthquake where available
• Able to provide Crime, Boiler, and all
Property coverages under one policy
• No separate form needed for computer property, this
coverage is included under the personal property limit
• Coverage is included for foundations, underground pipes,
flues and drains, retaining walls that are not a part of
the building, bridges, roadways, walks, patios and
other paved surfaces
• Automatic coverages, including, but not limited to arson
reward, contract penalty clause, excavation and
landscaping, fire sprinklered or burglar alarm upgrade,
new construction, accounts receivable, and guest
personal property
• Elite Property Enhancement Endorsement includes
coverage for Emergency Vacating Expenses,
Automated External Defibrillators, Alternative Key
System, Hotel Guest Inconvenience Expense,
Credit Card Slips and Guest Personal Property
Automobile
• Owned auto including airport shuttle vehicles
• Non-owned auto
• Hired auto
Crime and Fidelity
• Money and Securities
• Money Orders and Counterfeit Paper Currency
• Employee Dishonesty
Umbrella/Excess Liability
• Large Excess Limits available
Bell Endorsement
• Includes $50,000 limits each for Business Travel
Accident Benefit, Donation Assurance, Emergency Real Estate
Consulting Fee, Identity Theft Expense, Image Restoration
and Counseling, Key Individual Replacement Expenses,
Kidnap Expense, Terrorism Travel Reimbursement, Workplace
Violence Counseling. $25,000 limits for each Conference
Cancellation, Fundraising Event Blackout, Political Unrest
($5,000 per employee), Temporary Meeting Space
Reimbursement and $1,500 Travel Delay Reimbursement
Crisis Management Enhancement Endorsement
• $25,000 limit for crisis management emergency response
expenses incurred because of an incident giving rise to a “crisis”

Please contact us for any questions or a quote.