Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronjackhalls/499159754/

I have a stationary travel trailer. It’s parked in an RV park and I use it as a seasonal home.  I told my agent I need insurance for my travel trailer.  I paid the premiums.  I’m covered, right?   Unfortunately, there are many types of coverage available for travel trailers, and if your agent simply added your trailer onto your car insurance policy, you have a HUGE gap in coverage.

To understand this gap, you must first understand what exactly the auto policy covers with regards to travel trailers.  I would encourage you to look at your policy right now.  You will notice the following coverages on the trailer: comprehensive (or other than collision), collisiion, and possibly some sort of roadside assistance or emergency expense.  What you will not see is liability coverage.  Why?  Coverage on the auto policy is designed to cover vehicles on the road.  An auto policy only provides liability protection when using the RV as a vehicle – in other words, while it’s being towed.  Once it is parked, there is no liability coverage afforded under the auto policy.

A stationary trailer owner needs liability protection, just like any homeowner does.  Some claims examples are:  A trip and fall or other injury on your site or in your trailer, Animal bite, and Fire legal liability – your trailer catches fire and burns the trailer next door.  Without this liability protection, you would be paying for these damages out of your own pocket.

In addition to lack of liability coverage, surely you have personal belongings in your trailer – furniture, electronics, kitchen supplies, clothing, and more.  You may also have adjacent structures (like a sun room, or decking), those aren’t covered on the auto policy either.

Don’t worry, there is insurance available for park model trailers and traditional RV travel trailers that are used as a primary or seacondary/seasonal residence.  The coverage is affordable and offers very broad coverage.  If you are reading this and know that your trailer is covered on your car insurance, you really need to give this a second look now, before the unthinkable happens.    – Sarah Cordova

Sarah Cordvoa is the mobile home and stationary trailer specialist at Engle & Associates Insurance Brokers, a local full service brokerage serving the Central Coast for over 30 years.    For more information on stationary trailer coverage, please call Sarah Cordova at 805-544-8929 or email her at Sarah@engleinsurance.com. 

Click here if you want to to know more about RV insurance or get a free California RV Insurance quote.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joebeone/267843349/

In some cases, existing homeowners, health and auto insurance policies provide the coverage you need. In others you may need separate or additional coverage, especially if the student will be away from home. Here are some of the issues to help you decide:

Property Insurance: It’s amazing how the value of a student’s personal belongings quickly add up, often to a five figure number. You should check whether your homeowners insurance covers this – but remember, even that may require expensive items such as computers or valuables to be separately listed in the policy. Otherwise, consider renter’s insurance, which has the added advantage of liability protection.

Health Insurance: Most family policies cover dependents who are full-time students, but definitions of “full time” vary by insurer. Students who marry will likely lose this coverage.  Also, if your policy is through a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and the student is outside of their coverage area, although they’ll probably be covered locally for emergencies, they may have to return home for routine medical visits. Separate student health insurance plans are available but benefits are usually limited compared with family policies. Premiums are affected by a range of considerations including deductibles and co-pays. Our health insurance experts can help you review your options and help you figure out what the best choice is for your student.

Auto Insurance: The key issue here is whether the student’s existing auto insurance policy imposes any limitations on coverage for extended out-of-state use.  In addition, you also have to let your agent know when the auto is going to be parked or garaged at a new location, especially, again, if it’s out of state.  Is your student going away sans vehicle?  If so, you may qualify for a discount.

The important point to drive home, is the need to always check the extent of your existing coverage before the student leaves. Of course, we would be happy to work with you on this and provide further information and advice.

For more information, or for a coverage analysis, please call our office at 805-544-8929 or visit us online at Engle and Associates Insurance

Comparing market or real estate value of a home and Replacement cost of a home is like comparing apples and oranges. Market value is the price for which you could sell your home. Market value takes into consideration: land value, neighborhood, comparable sales, and more.  Replacement or reconstruction cost is the amount of money it would take to rebuild your home, with like kind and quality, at today’s costs. Replacement cost reflects the cost for building materials, code compliance, demolition, construction labor, and more.

In the current economy, many people are under the assumption that construction costs have reduced as much as property values. This is simply not the case. The fact of the matter is, today, you can buy an existing home for much less money than it would cost to build that very same home.  Although you may hear from a friend that they got someone to do some work for “super cheap,” this is the exception to the rule. Contractors’ overhead hasn’t reduced much, and cost for building materials hasn’t decreased dramatically either. Contractors are just like everyone else, they need to put food on the table, and I don’t know many non-profit construction companies out there.

The bottom line is, if you’re not sure, give us a call to conduct a current replacement cost analysis of your home.  The amount of coverage you need, should be based on the true reconstruction costs of your home, regardless of current market value.

Click here if you want to know more about home insurance or get a free California Home Insurance Quote.

That’s why I want to talk to you about the true cost of insurance.  We get calls from clients now and then telling us that our price is too high, and that they got a quote on the internet for less money.  My first question is “what did you get for that price?”  In other words, Do you have the same coverage? In most cases, the internet, doesn’t make a very good insurance professional.  The folks who staff the call centers are generally low paid, entry level workers, whose primary goal is to get you signed up.  They are not industry experts who keep abreast of changes in the marketplace, and thoroughly analyze a client’s risk.  No, they are there to sell policies… these are the Walmarts of the insurance industry – the prices can be low, but in most cases you get what you pay for.

So what’s the true cost of insurance?  Let’s say you have a $500,000 auto liability limit right now.  You go online and get a “good price,” but the liability limit is only $300,000.  It saves you $300/year though, so it’s a good deal, right?  Read on for the answer.  You’re in a car accident, it’s your fault, but it’s not that bad of an accident.  Oh and the other party suffers a hand injury.  $300,000 should be enough to cover it right?  Oh, but the person you hit is a plastic surgeon, and with her hand injury, she’s out of work for 4 months.  Her monthly income is $80,000.  There’s $320,000 for just her lost wages.  Now you’ve got the surgeon’s medical bills ($100,000), not to mention, that she was driving a Mercedes Benz S550 ($70,000).  Total cost for you: $490,000.

If you don’t have the cash on hand, the courts can seize your assets, garnish your wages, and more.  But for $25/month, you could have had adequate coverage in place.  With all that said, there is no reason you should be paying high premiums when all else is equal.  That’s why we can do the shopping for you.  We have direct access to over 60 different insurance companies to ensure that you are getting the best VALUE for your insurance dollar – both coverage AND price.  If you feel like you’re paying an unfair price, call my office and let us completely re-evaluate your coverage package.  If you got a quote elsewhere, send it over and let us evaluate it for you – we will tell you if it’s truly a good deal.   -Jayne Engle Allen

If you want to get a free San Luis Obispo Insurance Quote, click here.

Water is essential for many things in life, yet it is one of the most frequent causes of damage in homes. Consider how many rooms in your home are connected to an inside water source or are susceptible to water coming in from outdoors, and you will quickly realize how vital water damage prevention should be.

When water goes where it shouldn’t, even a small leak can become a major problem. Some damage from water is covered by your homeowners policy, some is not. Either way, most damage from water is preventable.

Quick action helps in water emergencies.

It has happened. There is water everywhere — in your walls, under your carpets and soaking into your belongings. Whether caused by a burst pipe, a broken water heater or a flood, there are things you can do immediately to salvage belongings and limit damage or loss.

1. Stop the water. If the water is coming from inside your home, such as a burst pipe or water heater malfunction, shut off the main water valve immediately. (Make sure everyone in your home knows where the shutoff valve is located.)
2. Turn off the utilities* – if the situation calls for it. In a serious water event, turning off the power or natural gas might be necessary to ensure your and others personal safety.
   *In the case of a minor water situation there may not be a need to shut off the utilities, and doing so may leave your home without power until the utilities can be turned back on again.
3. Prevent electrocution. Do not use any electrical appliances if the carpet or flooring surfaces are wet. Use a wet vacuum to remove water, but check the manufacturer’s instructions before starting.
4. Use fans to circulate air and encourage drying. This is especially important in the first 24-48 hours after an indoor flood.
5. Get water out quickly (and safely). Fast action on your part can prevent further damage, help you save more of your belongings and minimize the time and expense of repairs. Clean up as much water as possible by mopping or blotting with towels.
6. Get property to a dry location. As much as possible, move belongings to a dry area. Put furniture on blocks or slide a square of aluminum foil under furniture legs to prevent the wood stain from bleeding into carpeting.
7. Remove area rugs from the floor. The dyes in carpets can stain flooring, carpeting or wood floors.
8. Do not lift tacked down carpet without professional help. It could cause carpet to shrink.
9. Launder any clothes or other washables that have been soaked as soon as possible.
10. Wipe excess water from furniture. Open drawers and cabinet doors for faster drying. Spread out books to speed drying and prevent further damage.
11. Watch for debris and pests. If water is flowing in your house there may be dislodged materials such as nails, or pests such as snakes or vermin.
12. Report claims as soon as possible. The sooner you report damage, the sooner we can help you get your home and life back to normal.
13. Keep track of the time spent cleaning and save receipts for the costs of any rental equipment or payments to professional services. Take photos of any damaged items you may have to discard before an insurance adjuster sees them, and make an inventory list of any damaged goods.

Want to make sure you’re covered?  Get a Home Insurance Quote Today!  CA Home Insurance is  very affordable and a great investment for any homeowner that is looking for protection against unforeseen tragedies.

Tragically, most fires are preventable. The leading cause of fires in the home is faulty heating equipment. A couple of simple measures can ensure that your home heating system is safe. For example, changing your air filter regularly will ensure that your furnace isn’t overtaxed. And don’t leave piles of newspaper or other combustibles within two feet of your furnace.

While home heating systems are the No. 1 cause of fires in the home, cigarettes are the No. 1 factor in home fire fatalities. If you do smoke, be sensible. Don’t smoke in bed. Use a large metal or glass ashtray. Put that cigarette out with water before you drop it in the trash.

The No. 2 cause of fire-related deaths is arson. Intentionally set fires claim the lives of more people each year than all natural disasters – including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes – combined. Most arson fires are fueled with combustible material found nearby. A little diligence around the house, along with a watchful eye for strangers, can make a world of difference.

In fact, a little diligence is the key to home safety in general. It may go without saying, but smoke detectors that work, fire extinguishers that are well-charged and easily accessible, and a ladder for the upper floors can save money and lives.

Want to make sure you’re covered?  Get a Home Insurance Quote Today!  CA Home Insurance is  very affordable and a great investment for any homeowner that is looking for protection against unforeseen tragedies.

Burglars don’t advertise their unique line of work. They don’t wear a uniform or act suspicious. Remember this when you invite new acquaintances into your home or have a large social function. 21% of burglaries are committed by juveniles, frequently those living in the area.

The first step in helping prevent household burglary is simply to lock your doors and windows. This simple step alone greatly reduces the odds of being burglarized.

The burglar is always looking for the easiest job – don’t help him. Make it as difficult as possible for a thief to enter your home. Lock your doors and make your home look occupied when you’re not at home. By doing so, a burglar will most likely look for an easier break-in somewhere else.

Burglary, one of the most costly crimes in terms of actual dollar losses, is also one of the easiest crimes to combat. A moment of carelessness – not bothering to lock windows and doors – is an invitation to the criminal. The burglar is likely to go where there is an inviting open garage door or other easy way to enter. By taking normal precautions, you can save your share of the millions of dollars those open doors and windows cost crime victims every year.

Common Sense Precautions

• Lock all doors and windows, especially when leaving the house (even for short periods)
• Don’t leave keys under the mats, doorsills or on an outside nail
• If you leave your car keys with someone, don’t give them the full key ring containing the house keys
• Do not carry an identification tag on your key ring
• Never leave notes outside your home advertising your absence
• Always lock and close your garage door, even if you plan to be gone only for a few minutes
• Lock all outside doors at all times, even when you are on the premises
• Keep tool shed and other out-buildings locked
• Adjust the volume on your telephone so the ring cannot be heard outside — smart burglars may be listening when you aren’t home
• Make your home look occupied when you are away for the evening by leaving on some exterior and interior lights
• Keep jewelry in a safe deposit box at your bank
• Prune shrubbery around doors and windows so a burglar cannot work undetected
• Remove objects from your yard or near the house that might conceal a burglar
• Check door moldings for tight fit
• Never keep large sums of cash or easy-to-sell valuables in your house
• For those few valuables you feel you must keep at home, find hard-to-reach or hard-to-find places to conceal them
• A dog is an excellent anti-burglar investment — a barking dog, whether large or small, may persuade a burglar to move on

When You’re at Home

• Do not open your home to strangers. Demand identification before you admit anyone you do not recognize. Don’t accept a uniform as identification, and verify identity by phone before you admit a repair or delivery person.
• Post guidelines for your baby-sitters and children at home alone. If a non-family member or unexpected visitor knocks at the door, the child or baby-sitter can say through the door that the parents are “busy and cannot come to the door.” If the person persists, the police should be called and told that there “is a person at the door who will not leave.”
• If you have an answering machine on your phone, your recorded message should say you are busy, not that you are gone from the premises.
• When you admit a repair or delivery person, do not leave them alone, even for a few minutes.
• Never volunteer information over the phone. Instruct children and baby-sitters never to admit to being home alone. Have them tell callers that mother or father is asleep or busy, but the call will be returned if they leave a number. It is recommended to answer the phone as a burglar may be calling to determine if the house is occupied.
• When attending a funeral of a family member, have a neighbor house-sit. Burglars read the newspapers for advance notices, especially funerals, anniversaries and weddings.

When You’re on Vacation

• Discontinue mail deliveries, and have a trusted neighbor pick up newspapers and advertising circulars. In some areas, suspension of deliveries is a tip-off to your absence. Ask your local police for advice.
• Store ladders, bicycles, and lawn and garden equipment in a locked garage or out-building. A few large pieces of furniture may be left on the patio or deck so it appears you are at home.
• Ask a trusted neighbor or relative to keep an eye on your house.
• Notify your local law enforcement agency that you plan to be away as some agencies will schedule periodic checks of your home.
• Arrange for someone to mow the lawn or shovel the snow.
• Use automatic timers to turn on lights and radio or television at an appropriate time.

Added Protection

Doors

• Install a high-quality peephole viewer with a wide angle 180-degree lens, and do your talking through the closed door.
• Install solid wood or metal door exteriors, including the door from the garage into the house. Hollow core doors are easy to smash and enter. The finest lock is worthless if the door around it is flimsy. Even solid doors with thin inset wood panels can be entered easily.
• Reinforce or rebuild door jambs.
• Equip your doors with deadbolt or double-cylinder locks. “Dead” denotes the bolt is mechanically held in place instead of spring-loaded. Conventional spring-latch locks are easily opened, and can be opened with a credit card inserted between the door and frame. If unfamiliar with locks, confer with a locksmith on selecting the best lock or locks for your particular situation.
• Change your door locks if you move into a house or apartment that has been previously occupied. Do the same thing if your keys are lost or stolen.
• Don’t rely on the time-honored chain. They are easy to break or tear out of the wall.
• If you have Colonial or Dutch doors with small glass panes, a sheet of Plexiglas can be fastened over the inside of the door covering all panes.
• Check your outside doors for exposed hinges with removable pins. These allow the burglar to knock out the pins and remove the door.
• Block sliding glass doors with a dowel or broomstick in the door track. Even if the lock is jimmied, the door will be hard to open.
• If your sliding door can be lifted out of the track from the outside, insert screws along the upper track of the door, leaving room to slide the door, but not to lift it out.
• Consider purchasing one of the economical locking devices on the market designed specifically for sliding glass doors.

Windows

• Install locks on your windows. Consider the special locks for specific window types, such as sliding, double-hung wood and casement.
• Install heavy screens on your windows.
• If burglars can’t get in quietly by prying or jimmying a lock, they are reluctant to break glass because of the noise involved. Most burglars prefer to break one small pane, if necessary, to reach a lock, but will avoid breaking large windows. If they do break glass for entry, burglars look for an easy exit through a door, especially if they are stealing large items. If you have double-cylinder deadbolt locks installed on your doors, the locks cannot be opened to exit without a key.

Home Security Systems
If you live in a high-crime area, own a valuable collection or have been previously burglarized, here are additional preventative measures to safeguard your home.

• Security systems of all designs, complexity, installation method and cost are available. The easiest installations require no wiring. A battery-operated unit is hung by a strap over the doorknob or by the window, or a pressure-sensitive mat is placed under the rug in front of the door or under a window. Some alarms are merely plugged into an electrical socket. Installations that necessitate wiring should be purchased with your electrical skills in mind. The range includes alarm systems for the average do-it-yourselfer, the skilled do-it-yourselfer, and the professional installer.
• The prime function of a home alarm is noise. Usually the burglar leaves the premises as soon as the alarm sounds. The burglar doesn’t know if the alarm will sound for a minute or two, or run indefinitely. Some alarms are connected to the police station, although false alarms due to improper use have lessened their credibility.
• For advice on the best alarm for your particular situation, you should consult with a security system firm, hardware store manager, police department or your insurance agent. In general, you should have a burglar alarm system if your house is isolated from view, if your home contains valuable items, if you live in a high-crime area, or if you live alone or fear the danger of forced entry and physical attack.
• Costs also vary greatly. Point-of-entry alarm systems (the alarm sounds when the door or window is opened) can be purchased for under $10. Numerous point-of-entry devices are available in the price range of $15 to $60. For $250 and up, you can select a system, wired or wireless, that equips all doors and windows with sensors. Other systems rely on electric eyes, ultrasonic sound waves and radar.

If You Are Robbed or Burglarized

• If there is a burglar in the house and you are at home, leave the house and call the police from a neighbor’s phone. If you cannot leave the house, go to a safe room, lock the door and call the police.
• Do not seek out the burglar – avoid a confrontation if you can. Don’t take an action that could result in injury to you or in legal complications.
• If you come home and think you’re being robbed, don’t go into the house. Go to a neighbor and call the police. Watch the exits of your house to see if anyone leaves, and write down or remember descriptions of the person or persons and car.
• If you have been robbed or burglarized, do not touch or rearrange anything inside the house until the police arrive.
• If you find checks, a passbook or credit cards missing, notify the necessary authorities immediately.
• Collect the complete household inventory you have stored away from the premises; this will aid in reporting your losses to the police and your insurance company.

Want to make sure you’re covered?  Get a Home Insurance Quote Today!  CA Home Insurance is  very affordable and a great investment for any homeowner that is looking for protection against unforeseen tragedies.