3 Ways to Avoid an Insurance Claim this Winter
December 28, 2017The perils of winter are a distant concern during balmy springtime, but it’s important to keep up with housing needs for all seasons. As the winter approaches, take a moment to create a plan to protect yourself and avoid insurance claims this winter. Inclement weather, plus the holidays and everything they entail, create several situations that can result in a claim. Here are a few tips to protect yourself and ways to avoid an insurance claim this winter:
1. Proactive Snow Removal
Despite its sometimes fluffy appearance, snow can carry some serious weight. Snow that builds up over drainage pipes can cause cracks, and then leaks. Snow piling up in gutters renders them useless once the freeze sets in. Snow can build up in drifts, which can cause issues. Heavy snow left uncleared on your roof could cause a collapse.
One of the easiest ways to avoid these potential claims is to consider a snow removal service. Proactively removing snow and knowing who you can call as needed can help you stay on top of inclement weather before it causes issues for you.
2. Maintain Your Walkways
When the weather starts to turn frigid, and ice begins to form, slips and falls can become a menace and increase your risk for a claim. By having a plan in place for regularly maintaining your driveways and walkways, you can avoid potential bruised hips, claims, and medical bills. Doing this and some home maintenance projects that reduce winter insurance claims can help keep you and everyone else safe on your property.
Increasing surfaces likely to harbor ice, such as expanding your driveway, may increase your liability risks. You will need to maintain, clear, and salt all of these areas to help protect yourself from a potential claim. If you are planning a large winter gathering or your walkways are highly trafficked, you should make sure you have a good shovel or snow blower on hand and plenty of salt in order to maintain safe walkways.
3. Protect Your Valuables
Several popular holidays fall during the winter and an increase in personal valuables often comes along with them. Between increased shopping trips and any gifts you receive, you may find yourself carrying more cash than usual. Whether gifts you purchased for others or gifts you have received, you may also have jewelry, fine silverware, fine art, or other valuables in your home. A theft during this time could result in several claims and potentially large losses if these items aren’t insured or are only partially insured.
Increase Home Security
In order to protect your valuables and help avoid a claim in case of theft, you can increase the security in your home. Installing a home security system and security cameras can help protect your property. Purchasing a safe in which to store these valuables can help protect them within the home. This can help you avoid loss due to theft as a cause for a claim in the first place.
Invest in Personal Property Coverage
A step further would be to invest in personal property floater insurance or include specific valuables in Scheduled Personal Property coverage. When personal property is scheduled on your insurance policy, it is fully protected from loss. However, it can sometimes be cost-prohibitive to insure everything with Scheduled Personal Property coverage.
In that case, especially during the holidays where not all personal property may stay with you indefinitely, personal property floater insurance may be the better fit. Having this type of coverage on your valuables helps you receive full value on them in the case of a claim involving theft or mysterious disappearance.
Talk to Your Insurance Agent
In addition to following holiday safety tips and implementing these ways to avoid an insurance claim this winter, it’s also a good idea to sit down with your insurance agent and go over your concerns. They will be able to provide tips for avoiding a claim, help identify any gaps in coverage, and answer any questions you come up with during the process. Plus, if there are any gaps in your coverage, they can amend your policy accordingly.
If you need more assistance or are looking for additional coverage on your personal property, give us a call at (717) 665-2283 or (800) 537-6880 today.
Disclaimer: Information and claims presented in this content are meant for informative, illustrative purposes and should not be considered legally binding.