What discounts are available on Automobile Insurance Policy?

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Insurance rates and premiums are calculated based on many risk factors. These risk factors range from your credit score to the color of car that you drive. Each risk factor has been studied to determine what type of effect it has on insurance claims and payouts. Sometimes this results in your premiums being higher, but it also benefits you in areas where you have low risk.

One of the easiest ways to get a discount on your automobile insurance policy is to have multiple insurance policies under one. If you need to insure other family member vehicles, your house, or even your life, going through the same company gets you a multi-policy discount in most cases. If you’re in school, some insurance companies offer better rates on your automobile insurance policy for better grades.

A good credit score nets you discounts on your premium as well, as bad credit scores have been shown to produce higher amounts of claims on policies. Safe driving habits are another area where you benefit financially. If you have gone a certain amount of time without an accident or moving violation, your premium also drops. Some insurance companies provide tracking boxes that provide additional discounts for confirming that you practice safe driving habits throughout your entire day, such as staying within the speed limits.

Staying away from high horsepower vehicles is another way to get a discount. Now there’s one advantage to choosing the minivan over the souped up Mustang. Age is also tied into your insurance rates. For many insurance companies, passing age 25 gets you a discount as you’re considered an older, more experienced driver.

Will my personal auto policy provide coverage if I use my vehicle for business purposes?

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Using your personnel vehicle for your business or work can cause complications when it comes to your car insurance policy in West Hartford, CT. Since many insurers will not cover your car when it is being used for business, it is possible that you may face financial challenges if you get into an accident.

Personal Auto Policies

A basic auto policy that you may purchase for your car will usually only apply to individual usage outside work. For example, it applies when you are purchasing groceries or going on a trip with your family.

Unfortunately, many insurers do not offer coverage when you are using the car for your job unless you purchase additional protection. The reason is related to the liability associated with a company instead of an individual. A company may face more liability factors than an individual.

Amount of Driving

Although most insurers will not cover your vehicle when it is used for work, the amount of driving that you do related to your work and company needs may also impact your options. If your car is occasionally used during your normal work hours, then it may be covered by some insurers. The key is identifying when it is covered and when your insurer may require that you purchase additional protection.

Some insurers may offer protection for your car in certain situations, but only when you are not regularly driving the vehicle for work.

Car insurance does not always apply to your vehicle when you are driving it for work. Recognizing when you may need additional protection can ensure that you have the coverage when you are using the vehicle for work. Contact us to speak to an agent to learn more about your options.

What information about my home do I need to know when purchasing home insurance?

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Purchasing home insurance is an important part of protecting your assets, but it can also mean that you need to keep some information ready before you start searching. Depending on your situation, the house and your financial goals, the amount of coverage and the right type of policy for your needs may vary.

Rebuilding or Replacement Costs

The worst case scenario for any homeowner is a total loss of property during a storm or fire. Nobody wants to discover that their insurance policy does not have enough funds to rebuild after a fire, so it is important to learn about the cost of rebuilding the property. You may even want to purchase enough coverage to replace the property in the event of a total loss. The market value of the property can help ensure that your coverage is appropriate.

Materials Used on the Property

Some houses can have antique or natural materials that are more expensive to replace if they are damaged. It is important to recognize the type of property so that you can get appropriate coverage if you need to make repairs or rebuild in the future.

Basic Information

Any basic information related to the property, such as the total square footage and the size of the lot, are important for the process of insuring your home. You want to make sure that the coverage will protect all your property, not just the house and part of the yard. That means you need to know the size of the lot, the square footage of the house and any other details that may be necessary for coverage.

Protecting your property may mean that you will need to provide some basic information about your house. Contact us to talk to an agent to learn more about your coverage options.

If I get in a wreck and the total damage is higher than my policy´s dollar limits, will the insurance company still cover me?

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Getting into a car accident can result in a large amount of total damage to the vehicle. Depending on your insurance company and the details of the policy that you purchased, the amount of coverage that is available may vary. In general, if the repair costs will exceed the coverage limit that you purchased, then you may need to pay a larger amount to fix the car than you expected.

Declaring a Total Loss

In some situations, you insurance company may still provide coverage for your vehicle, but not in the way that you expect. Some insurers may determine that your vehicle is a total loss because the cost of repairs will exceed the coverage limit and the vehicle will cost too much to fix when compared to replacing the vehicle. In that situation, your insurer will usually pay for the replacement cost of a comparable vehicle or give you the funds up to your limit amount.

Paying for Repairs

Even if the repair costs exceed the amount of coverage, some insurers will still pay for the repairs up to the limit amount if the vehicle is not declared a total loss. The rest of the repairs will usually become your responsibility rather than the company’s responsibility, so you may need to pay more than the deductible for the final repairs on your vehicle. Depending on the situation, the cost that you can expect to pay will vary.

Insurance for your vehicle does not always cover every situation, especially for a collision that badly damages the vehicle. Contact us to speak to an agent for more information about your options and the solutions that are available after an accident.

Can I insure my home if it is used for business?

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Using your home for business can affect your home insurance coverage and the business insurance options that you may need to consider. Even though your business may have a limited risk, it is always important to purchase coverage to protect your company and your home from possible problems.

Risks to Consider

Running a business from your home may expose you to certain risks that are not a problem for other businesses. For example, the amount of security that may be available in your home can be significantly less than the options that are available for a commercial property, so you may have a greater risk of can affect customer data or facing a theft.

Insurance must address those risks and any other concerns associated with getting work did from your house. Often, your homeowner’s policy will not pay for the liability factors that are related to your business.

Insurance for Home Based Businesses

If you are doing business at home, then a home-based business insurance policy may be the best option for your goals. The policy is specifically designed to address your particular needs as well as the risks to your personnel property. It helps keep your business separates from your home so that you can avoid loosing your house when a customer is upset about your services or products.

Selecting a policy that is appropriate for your home-based business will depends on your particular company and the type of services or products that you provide.

Taking steps to protect your business and your personnel property is important, particularly if you are worried about the possibility of loosing personnel assets since you are running the company out of your home. Contact us to talk to an agent for more details.

Does my policy cover me if I rent a car?

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Renting a car in West Hartford, CT can make it easier to get around when you are visiting or passing through the area, but the vehicle must be insured to protect other drivers, you and your passengers. Furthermore, the rental car company may have additional requirements to protect their assets in case you get into an accident. Depending on the situation and your current auto coverage, your may or may not have protection for a rental vehicle.

Look Over Your Policy

Do not assume that your auto policy will automatically cover any rental vehicles that you are using. In some cases, you may not have any coverage for rented cars and it may be necessary to purchase separate rental car insurance to protect the vehicle and comply with state insurance laws.

Read your policy and look for any details regarding vehicles that you do not own. Some insurers may allow you to use your current policy and others may require that you contact the company to inform them before you rent the vehicle to apply your coverage.

Purchasing Separate Coverage

Even if your plan does provide coverage for a vehicle that you do not personally own, it may be necessary to purchase additional rental car insurance to comply with the agreement that you make with the rental car company. Some companies may require that you purchase additional protection in case of an accident or you may want to consider supplementary coverage to protect the vehicle against collisions.

Purchasing auto insurance does not necessarily mean that you are able to apply your coverage to a rental vehicle. Contact us to talk to an agent to learn more about your coverage options when you are planning a trip and will be renting a vehicle.

What are the most important features of a home insurance policy?

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Lenders require your home to have a home insurance policy on it before they establish a mortgage. For most people, homeowners insurance is not something that they shop for often, so it’s sometimes difficult to tell what the most important features of a home insurance policy are.

The first thing to find out is the actual replacement value of your home. You don’t need homeowners insurance coverage that is far higher than what you would actually get in a claim. Outside of the home’s value, you also want to pay attention to the deductible associated with a claim. If you have damage to your house or property, you need to know how much of the cost you need to cover. Some insurers may require you to pay a percentage of the value for specific circumstances, as opposed to a flat deductible. It pays to read the fine print so you aren’t surprised when you make a claim.

In addition to house damage, a home insurance policy also covers replacement or repair costs for your possessions. If your overall asset value is higher than the value of your home, you need to add additional coverage for personal property to cover claims.

If a natural disaster makes your home unlivable, look for displacement provisions in the insurance policy. These provisions pay for alternative housing while you are unable to occupy your home, so you can cover a short term rental or a hotel room during repairs.

It’s also essential that you understand common natural disaster risks for your area. This is particularly true if you live in an area prone to flooding, as flood insurance is not commonly included by default by a homeowners insurance policy.

Is a perma liner installation covered by home insurance if a pipe cracks due to root infiltration?

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One thing that first-time homeowners are seldom prepared for is the damage that can be caused to their pipes by tree roots. These invaders can cause leaks and blockages that require major portions of your yard to be dug up, costing you thousands of dollars. There is another way to fix it called a perma liner installation, which involves putting a hard liner inside of damaged pipes. This is not quite so invasive or expensive, but it will still probably cost a considerable amount of money. In either case, when a homeowner takes on a major expense like that, they naturally wonder if their home insurance might cover it.

Consider, for a moment, the nature of homeowners insurance. It is designed essentially to pay for sudden damage or loss, often caused by weather, fire or violent act. Root damage is not generally considered to be sudden, so you will usually have a hard time convincing an insurance adjuster that there was nothing you could have done to prevent the root damage over time. What this usually means is that you are stuck paying for your perma-liner without any help from your insurance.

This does not mean that it’s impossible to get a damaged pipe repaired with your home insurance. It is often possible to design a policy to cover removal of roots, pipe repair and/or perma liner installation–the trick is to talk to an agent before it becomes a problem. As an independent agent, we can help you to find a homeowners insurance policy that covers everything you want covered, and with our comparative quote tool on our website, you can be sure you’re always getting the best price, so call us today!

Won’t my homeowners insurance cover any business related claims since I run a business out of my home in West Hartford, CT?

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It’s a commonly held belief by many home business owners that their homeowners insurance policy completely covers all of their business insurance needs. As your independent agent, we know that all types of insurance coverage varies by state, so it’s not wise to make assumptions about what’s covered.

Depending on the state, it’s possible that your West Hartford homeowners policy may offer limited coverage for certain items, but if it does, the maximum covered amount will have some type of cap for things like business equipment used in the home office, and a smaller amount for business equipment that’s used outside the office when you travel, or during outside business meetings.

As your insurance agent, we’re here to offer you help, suggestions, and guidance. For example, whether it’s your home, or commercial business insurance policy, you may want to consider deductible options for your required payment toward any type of covered loss before your insurance company will even start to pay a claim.

Based on the specific terms of your Connecticut insurance policy, higher deductibles can help save on your premium payments. The recommended amount in today’s economic environment is a minimum deductible of $500. and even higher if possible for added savings.

There’s no reason for you to attempt to figure out the variables on your own. It’s important that you call us to gain better insight. Since you’re located in the West Hartford area, there are other considerations like flood and windstorm deductible to consider. In fact from the latest data, Hartford is scheduled to receive the most Connecticut State aid the next fiscal year amounting to $257 million.

You May Need to Add Additional Insurance for Specific Personal Property

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Your West Hartford, Connecticut homeowner’s insurance covers your home and possessions from losses due to fire, theft and storm damages. Individual insurance policies are issued to cover a set amount for the value of the home and a different amount for your personal belongings. The amount of personal insurance provided may not meet your unique needs.

Homeowners or renters should have an inventory list of their personal property for insurance purposes. However, when you purchase insurance to cover your items, you do not necessarily need to have an exact dollar figure. Policies are normally written to include a percent value for your goods. For example, a $100,000 home policy might include $60,000 worth of personal property. The same applies to a detached structure including garages or sheds.

High Value Goods and Collections

You should consider the need for additional insurance for specific items or collections. Your insurance will normally have a limit set for certain goods including jewelry, artwork or coin collections. Limits on jewelry may be $1,000 per piece with a $3,000 total limit. If you have an $8,000 ring, you need to have additional insurance added to cover your ring.

Artwork, coins and stamp collections may also exceed the limits in regular property policies. You will want to talk to an agent about Scheduled Personal Property or Optional coverage for unique and high-value possessions.

You should also understand the difference between market value and replacement cost for personal property. The first pays you the value of the item based on its age, minus your deductible. The second pays the cost of a new purchase after your deductible. As your independent agent, we want to make sure you and your West Hartford, Connecticut home are properly covered by your insurance.