Home and Personal Property Insurance

    What's home insurance? 

   Home insurance is like having a safety net for your home and possessions – you’re protected in case of any unexpected events like natural disasters, theft, or accidents. It gives you a sense of security and stability for the whole family. You’ll be paid whatever it takes to rebuild your home. If your home needs a bit of help, insurance will happily put it back in tip-top shape. Your house contents are covered too. In case your household items and personal belongings get damaged, lost or stolen - you are covered. If your insurance covers the damage to your home, they'll also take care of the costs for you to stay somewhere else, as long as it's reasonable, while you wait for your home to be livable again.   

  Who might need home insurance?  

   Homeowners, Renters, Landlords. 

   What type of home insurance do I need?

   When it comes to home insurance, there are two great options – buildings insurance and contents insurance. You can buy them separately or get them together as a combined policy.

   Buildings Insurance:

    Maintains the integrity of the property, as well as any fixed features like walls, roofs, fitted kitchens, and bathrooms.

    This project could also include your driveway, patio, walls, fences and any other outbuildings such as a garage – all of which can be included if desired!

    If your home becomes unlivable, don’t worry – your expenses for temporary housing will likely be taken care of.

    It’s important to note that if you’re renting a property, you won’t need to worry about getting buildings insurance – this only applies if you’ve taken out a mortgage loan.

   Contents Insurance:

    We’ve got you covered for all your cherished household items, like your appliances, furniture, electronics, and jewelry – so you can rest easy knowing they’re protected in case of damage, loss, or theft.

    No worries if something happens inside or outside your home – you can add extra coverage for a small cost.

    For every product, the most we can cover is a certain amount – this is what we call the ‘single item limit’. Most of the time, this limit is $1,000.

    If you have a possession of high value, you can add it to your policy to make sure that it is fully covered – no need to worry about not having enough coverage!

   Combined Home Insurance:

     A bundled home and contents policy will safeguard your house and all of your possessions!

    If you’re looking to save a bit of money, it’s usually more cost-effective to purchase both policies from the same provider.

    It can be much easier if you’re making a claim, too! For instance, when there’s a fire, it’ll be much simpler to report the loss to one insurer instead of having to spread the news to two.

     Homeowner’s Insurance and the Dwelling Program are two main approaches to insurance.

     Homeowners is a package policy designed to protect clients against financial loss to residences, household personal property, and legal liabilities for injuries and damage that arise out of residences and personal activities. The Dwelling Program is personal insurance designed for insuring buildings occupied for dwelling purposes that have no more than four apartments or family units, mobile homes that have no more than one apartment, and household personal property in any apartment, cooperative, or condominium used as living quarters or rented to others. Sometimes called 'Investment Property Insurance', or even in some instances 'Second Home Insurance' dwelling insurance is commonly used to insure only the structure, or 'dwelling.' In contrast, homeowners’ insurance provides dwelling coverage, but also includes as standard coverage, personal property and personal liability protection.

      Homeowner’s Insurance covers losses to residences and household goods, personal property, and legal liability for injuries and damage from residences or personal activities if the covered items are used for personal, non-business activities, such as:

  • Owner occupants of 1-4 family dwellings.

  • Renters with residential occupancy in any building.

  • Condo owners and coop occupants.

  • Private residences, including not more than 2 boarders per occupying family.

  • Incidental uses of residential property (personal office, etc.).

  • May cover dwelling under construction.

  • Residence is occupied by the owner.

  • Insureds are named person, residing spouse, residing relatives of either, any person under age 21 under care of the preceding, full-time students (as defined by the school) away at school (related to the named insured & under age 24).

  • Liability coverage for anyone legally liable (with the owner’s permission) for animals or watercraft owned by the insured.

  • Mobile homes if covered by endorsement.

     Homeowner’s Insurance covers losses to residences and household goods, personal property, and legal liability for injuries and damage from residences or personal activities. Typical homeowner’s insurance policies offer coverage for damage caused by fires, lightning strikes, windstorms, and hail. It's important to know that not all-natural disasters are covered by homeowner’s insurance. For example, damage caused by earthquakes and floods are not typically covered by homeowner’s insurance.

  • Coverage A – Covers dwelling and attached structures, construction materials and supplies on or adjacent to premises.

  • Coverage B - Covers private structures on the premises but not attached to the main dwelling, such as: garages, guest houses, fences, storage buildings, tennis courts, etc. Does not cover certain business uses, property held for rental to anyone not a tenant of the main dwelling. May cover rental solely for private garage purposes.

  • Coverage C - Covers personal property, owned or used by an insured regardless of location. May also extend to personal property of others or of a guest or employee while in a residence occupied by an insured.

  • Coverage D – “Loss of Use” - Covers increases over normal living costs if damage from a covered peril makes the residence unfit for occupancy.Incidental uses of residential property (personal office, etc.).

  • Coverage E – “Liability” - Protects the insured from legal liability for bodily injury or property damage to others.

  • Coverage F – “Medical Payments to Others” - Pays for medical and other related expenses, regardless of the insured’s liability, for members of the public injured through personal non-business activities. 

    Dwelling Program is the Coverage for buildings occupied for dwelling purposes including any of the following:

  • 1-4 apartments.

  • Rented to others by the owner.

  • Owned by corporations or businesses.

  • Mobile homes with not more than one apartment.

  • Household personal property in any apartment, cooperative, or condominium used as living quarters or rented to others.

  • Owner-occupied dwellings not eligible for homeowner’s coverage due to company minimums.

       Coverage can be Basic (DP-1), Broad (DP-2), and Special (DP-3).

      Dwelling coverage, sometimes called "dwelling insurance," is the part of a homeowners insurance policy that may help pay for the rebuilding or the repair of the physical structure of your home if it's damaged by a covered hazard. Not every home needs, or is eligible for, the full coverage of a homeowner’s policy. Often referred to as a dwelling or fire insurance policy, the DP-1 program provides the flexibility to offer essential coverage for homes that are any age, any occupancy, fair or better condition, even up to four-family construction. Liability protection and many other coverages can be added as options.

      Coverage A includes Dwelling:

  • The dwelling building and additions in contact with the dwelling.

  • Building equipment and outdoor equipment used for the service of and located on the premises.

  • Building materials on the premises or adjacent property used for the alteration or repair of the dwelling.

   Coverage B includes Other Structures:

  • Detached structures on the dwelling premises. Does not include any used for commercial, manufacturing, farming or rental to others (unless rented to a tenant of the main dwelling or solely as a private garage).

  • Policy may contain provisions for farming or manufacturing equipment solely owned by the insured.

       Coverage C includes Personal Property: Household goods & personal property usual to dwelling occupancy, in or on the premises of the dwelling, belonging to the insured, family members, guests and servants.

      Coverage D includes Fair Rental Value: Fair rental value if portions rented to others become uninhabited due to covered peril.

    Coverage E includes Additional Living Expenses - covers expenses to maintain the insured’s normal living when the property is uninhabitable due to covered peril.

       Basic Coverage provides the minimal scope of coverage. Broad Coverage additionally covers vandalism, may also cover burglars; falling objects; weight of ice, snow, sleet; accidental discharge/overflow of water or steam from internal plumbing; heating; plumbing; automatic sprinklers; and numerous other common household hazards that are detailed in the conditions. Special Coverage is considered the best insurance policy for rentals in the United States. It provides excellent coverage for Landlords who are looking to get excellent insurance for their rental properties.

   Florida Homeowners Insurance – What Do You Need to Know?

     The average cost for home insurance in Florida is $1,405 per year or $118 per month. The best way to get an affordable homeowners insurance policy in Florida is to get quotes from as many insurance companies as possible.

     Big homeowner’s insurance increases, policy cancellations and insurance companies going under are forcing many Floridians to look for new homeowner’s insurance. Florida home insurance has become such a particular pain point that the state legislature is holding a special session to try to find solutions.

     Several factors can determine your ability to obtain cheap home insurance in Florida, including:

  • The age of the home.

  • The materials your home is made of.

  • The cost to rebuild the home.

  • The fire rating of your location.

  • The claims history of your location.

  • Your personal claims history.

  • Coverage limits and deductibles.

  • Your credit history.

      Flood Insurance in Florida:

   You don’t have to live in a high-risk flood zone to be affected by a flood. Floods and flash floods can occur anywhere, even in the desert. Just an inch of water can cause damage to your property. In fact, in the U.S., flood-related losses cost people more than a billion dollars a year.

   Motorcycle Insurance:

    Whether you ride a sport bike, cruiser, or touring motorcycle your state requires coverage for bodily injury and property damage.

    Boat & Watercraft Insurance in Florida:

    Boat insurance is highly recommended to cover your liability in case of a boat accident. Based on the value of the boat, you can add full coverage so that the boat is covered in an accident regardless of fault, theft, and towing.

    A good example would be boating in a lake and running over a rock that has caused hull damage as well as engine failure. You will need coverage to get your boat towed to a local shipyard as well as the extensive costs in lifting the boat and getting the hull fixed. Boat Insurance may also be required when renting dock space at a Marina.

   Boat insurance is a type of insurance policy that covers the damage and/or loss of different types of a watercraft, including the likes of any personal motorized watercraft. Most boat insurance policies, however, don’t provide additional coverage for watercraft that aren’t motorized, which can include canoes and kayaks.

   If you need to purchase Homeowners or Personal Property Insurance, please submit your request