The A’s to Your Q’s

Homeowners

• If my home was damaged, can I start repairs?

  If a natural disaster has caused significant damage to your home, you may be tempted to begin repairs right away. We get it, you just want your life back to normal. But these small repairs can mask a lot of the damage and will make it hard for an adjuster to make a fair estimate of the repair costs.

  Temporary fixes that could help prevent any further damage are a good idea, but it’s best to wait until after the insurance adjuster has taken a good solid look at your property to make permanent repairs.

• What if my home is burglarized?

  Your first step is to ensure that you and your family are safe, and then, call the police. When the police arrive, they will complete a report with all the important info regarding your situation. This report is necessary when you file your claim and will help expedite the whole process. Make sure you also create a detailed list of your lost or damaged items, including their estimated values, and have that ready when you contact your insurance company.

• Can I get a damage estimate before filing a claim?

  Yes, we recommend obtaining an estimate before filing a claim. Once you have your estimate, give us a call to discuss your options. We’ll also look at your policy with you to see if your estimate is above your deductible.

  Visit our Claims page to learn more.

• What is a Deductible?

  A deductible on your insurance policy is what you pay before the insurance kicks in. This is to prevent extremely small claims from being filed as insurance is for larger emergencies. For example, if your home deductible is $1,000 and you have $10,000 in damages, the insurance company will pay the contractor repairing it $9,000, and you would pay your $1,000 deductible.

  Many policies in Hampton Roads have a separate, higher wind deductible for damage done by storms, so be sure to look at your policy carefully to understand your deductible amounts and coverage.

• Dog Breeds and Dog Bite Situations

  Finding the proper insurance coverage can be difficult if you own a certain breed dog because a large majority of liability claims are dog bite claims. So, most insurance carriers will either not insure you, or if they do, they won’t provide coverage to a dog bite by a “vicious” breed.

  This includes but is not limited to: Pitbulls, Rottweilers, Akitas, Wolf Hybrids, Chows, Bull/Staffordsire Terriers, and more.

  If you have one of these breeds or any questions about your liability coverage, please call us at 757-448-3820.

• How do I cancel a policy? 

  If you’ve recently sold your home or vehicle, obviously, you don’t want to continue making payments on those policies. We don’t blame you.

  Just give us a call at 757-448-3820 and let us know. Please note that we work with over 30 different insurance companies, so if you’re looking for a new policy, we can do the shopping for you as well.

• What to do if my mortgage company changed?

  If your mortgage company has changed, simply give us a call to let us know. This is a common occurrence and most mortgage companies do not inform the insurance carriers when they make a switch. It’s very important for us to have the correct mortgage information on the insurance policy so your coverage doesn’t get interrupted.

  Give us a call today at 757-448-3820 so we can help make a seamless transition.

• How do I file a claim?

  If you need to file a claim, make sure to call us first! Our team will help you determine if a claim should be filed and connect you with the insurance carrier to start the claims process. We will even follow up throughout the claim if needed.

  Keep in mind, before filing a claim you’ll want to get an estimate of the damages before making permanent repairs. For home claims, consider calling a plumber or roofer to stop any issues that may cause permanent damage, like an active leak.

  Visit our Claims page to learn more.

• Why is the insurance carrier doing an inspection on my property?

  Because they want you to keep your home amazing. This is a recent trend that is going to continue to rise. Regardless of who you get insurance from, you will likely have an inspection performed on your property when you sign up and typically every 3 years you stay with the policy after that. Unless they need to do an interior inspection, most inspections are only exterior, last about 10 minutes, and you don’t have to be there for them to perform the inspection.

  Per the contract with you and the insurance carrier, they must pay out in a covered incident. So, they inspect the property to make sure it’s in insurable condition and fits their guidelines. They mostly look for overhanging trees, missing handrails, missing siding, condition of the roof, and if there are any pools, dogs, trampolines, Komodo dragons or open mine shafts on the property. Okay, they don’t really look for those last two.

• Why did my premium increase this year?

  There are many reasons your premium might increase. The most common are:

  • Recent claim filed
  • Traffic Violation
  • Insurance/credit score may have dropped
  • Carrier rate increase throughout the state due to the rising cost of repairing cars and homes

  There are many ways to combat rate increases, including altering deductibles and signing up for the plug-in driving programs. If your rate went up less than $200 then you likely still have the best policy, but if you continue to see small increases over 3 years or so then it might be time to check if you’re still getting the best rate.

  If you are facing increases, it may be time to reevaluate your policy. Give us a call so we can find the best policy that fits your needs, even if it’s with a different carrier!