I have been a Farmer's agent for more than 20 years. If you need insurance for your home, car or other valuable asset, contact me at (661) 288-2001. For personalized service combined with years of experience I will meet with you to discuss your needs.
Several of my clients had questions after hearing about Sunday night's 4.7 magnitude earthquake centered near the Los Angeles International airport. Even though we didn't feel it here in Santa Clarita, homeowners want to know more about earthquake coverage and policies.
Earthquake insurance must be purchased separately from your standard insurance policy. Although it is not mandatory to carry a policy covering your home and personal belongings in the event of an earthquake, if you are considering adding this coverage you will most certainly want to speak to your agent about this matter.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance in any way.
With all of the recent rain here in Santa Clarita and throughout the Los Angeles area, I have received many questions about insurance coverage in case of damage. The simple definition of a flood is an excess of water on land that is normally dry. This includes unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
Typically, your homeowner's insurance policy does not cover flooding, but may cover loss resulting from wind, rain, hail, wind-driven rain, and lightning. Rain or wind-driven rain, and hail damage are not in the same category as floods. Wind-driven rain damage is generally a covered peril, regardless of the cause. This also applies to wind or lightning which causes an opening in which rain enters the premises and causes water damage to the structure or personal property inside of the structure. If your business or residence is located in a FEMA identified high risk flood zone, a separate flood insurance policy will most likely be required.
This may sound very confusing, so be sure to contact me or your insurance agent if you have further questions or have sustained damage during the recent rains.
Periodically it is a good idea to get a copy of your homeowner's insurance loss history report. This is called a CLUE report, and it is available from ChoicePoint or ISO. A reord is kept for five years, so if you have not had a homeowner's insurance claim during the past five years, you will not have a loss history report.
A good claims record can be important if you are selling your home, and also for your current homeowner's insurance rates. Having a claim in the past does not have to pose a problem; any repairs on improvements made to your property can make your home even more attractive to potential buyers and insurers.
Contact your homeowner's insurance agent to be aware of your options.
If you have been affected by the recent fires, be sure to contact the Department of Insurance at (800) - 927- HELP to see if you are eligible to receive assistance for living costs you may incur over the next few days.
You will also want to contact your insurance agent to ask any questions about your homeowner's insurance policy.
Santa Clarita attorney Rob Werner will be hosting two events at his home during the current Rotary year. I had an opportunity to speak with Rob at a recent local function.
If you host an event at your home that is open to the public, there may be insurance issues you will want to address in advance. If someone should have an accident or become inebriated at your house, you may be responsible legally as well as morally if there is an incident. It is best to prepare for this in advance so that everyone involved knows what to do after the fact.
Contact me any time to discuss insurance matters that you may have questions regarding.
One of my clients, Mike Thomas of Thomas Graphics, is a printer in North Hollywood, California. We were having a discussion about his business insurance coverage, and he asked me to tell him more about his coverage for his printing business.
If your business has a lot of assets, such as expensive equipment, you will want to make sure you have sufficient theft and property damage coverage. Business interruption insurance is also important to small business owners. One thing you may not have thought about is life insurance for yourself and other critical personnel in your company.
Contact your insurance agent for more answers to your questions. I am a Farmer's insurance agent in Santa Clarita, and am glad to answer any questions you have about this or other insurance matters.
Have you taken the time to prepare a home inventory of your belongings? In case of a loss you will want to know exactly what you had in your home so that you can provide your insurance company with accurate information. A great resource for this is Know Your Stuff. They provide free software to help you list and describe your home's contents. Take a look at this site and let me know if you have any questions. It may be a time consuming process if you have never done this before, but it will be a great relief to you should your home or personal belongings be damaged or destroyed.
Liability coverage in your homeowner's insurance policy covers you in case of a lawsuit against you or your family members for bodily injury or property damage. For example, if your pet destroys a neighbor's personal property you are most likely covered. Liability coverage also provides no-fault medical coverage if a guest in your home is injured.
If you are unable to live in your home due to an insured disaster, your additional living expenses coverage will cover meals and other living expenses incurred while your home is being repaired. Coverage for additional living expenses will differ from company to company.
Your insurance agent is the best person to contact to answer questions about this or anything else related to your homeowner's insurance, whether your home is in the Santa Clarita area or elsewhere.
Your standard homeowner's insurance policy covers 4 essential types of coverage. These include:
~ coverage for the structure of your home
~ coverage of your personal belonging
~ liability protection
~ additional living expenses
If your home in Santa Clarita is damaged or destroyed due to fire, lightning, or other disaster listed in your policy, your structure coverage will pay to repair or rebuild your home. It will not pay for damage caused by flood, earthquake, or wear and tear over time. Make sure to purchase enough coverage to rebuild your home if it is destroyed completely.
Your furniture, clothes, and other personal belongings are covered by the next section of your policy. Be sure to call your insurance agent to see what percentage is covered if your loss is away from home. It will vary from company to company.
It's back to school time, so you may have someone who is leaving for college this week. If so, be sure to contact your insurance agent about needed changes to your homeowner's or auto insurance policy.
Many families make big changes when a child leaves for college. You may have purchased an additional car, or the student may be taking the car with them out of state. You will also need to think about insurance coverage in the dorm or apartment where they will be living during this school year. The most important thing is to make the necessary changes to your insurance so that there will be continual coverage in case of a loss.
