It’s essential to carry home insurance even if you are not required to do so. In Miami Beach, FL, you can get home insurance from Assure-Us. Having home insurance offers many advantages that you should be aware of.

The following are four things you’ll love about having home insurance. 

Less stress as a homeowner

It can be stressful to be a homeowner who is not carrying any home insurance. Without home insurance, you can lose much of your net worth if something happens to your property. 

Peace of mind is one of the most important reasons to take out a home insurance policy. 

Financial protection of one of your most significant investments

A home is a considerable investment. You don’t want to leave this investment unprotected by not carrying home insurance. A home insurance policy will offer you financial protection so that you will be unlikely to lose the money that you’ve invested in your home. 

Having a place to stay if your home is made inhabitable

A lot of home insurance policies offer coverage for temporary living expenses. This type of coverage will pay you to stay in a hotel or another facility offering temporary lodging while you wait for your home to be repaired. 

Coverage for any liability expenses you face as a homeowner

If you own a home, you should be aware that you can be held liable for any costs resulting from injuries in your home. With home insurance, your liability expenses will conveniently be covered. 

Get your home in Miami Beach, FL insured by us if you want to enjoy the above. Contact us for a quote today at Assure-Us. 

Flood insurance is separate from home insurance in and around Miami Beach, FL. This insurance is required to purchase a home in the state’s flood-prone areas. 

Are Any Floods Covered With Home Insurance?

Home insurance policies cover certain flood situations. For instance, water damage due to a broken pipe. In some cases, they could pay for issues related to tornadoes, hurricanes, or other wind-related conditions that cause property damage. 

However, floods caused by nearby overflowing tributaries aren’t handled in a standard home policy. Therefore, homeowners in Miami Beach, FL must purchase flood insurance. 

Can You Purchase a Home Without Flood Insurance?

You can purchase a home without flood insurance. Yet, you can’t close on the mortgage if you don’t have a policy. In many agreements, evidence of flood and home insurance is required to move forward. 

How do I Know How Much Insurance to Get?

Work with your local insurance company to determine the value of your flood insurance policy. They will examine factors that include your property’s square footage, its vicinity to water tributaries, and the history of flood damage in the area. They’ll determine the proper amount of underwriting from these data points.

Don’t undervalue your flood insurance. In other words, don’t try to save money by lowering the coverage amount. Insurance companies come up with those numbers to provide an adequate payout for your home’s interior, exterior, and furnishings. 

There’s much to consider when selecting a flood insurance policy. Don’t go it alone and risk undervaluing your home. Reach out to a subject matter expert at Assure-Us to get your questions answered. 

As a homeowner, you must have home insurance to protect yourself and your home. Home insurance offers several kinds of protection, each important for protecting your financial future. As long as you own your home, it would help if you had this insurance protection. If you need home insurance, call Assure-Us in Miami Beach, FL to get started. 

Coverage for Your Dwelling

The home itself needs protection because there are so many risks that exist. A wide range of damaging incidents can happen to your home that can cause a lot of damage. When you don’t have home insurance, all that damage is yours to pay to repair. This can cost tens of thousands or even more. When you have home insurance, those repairs are paid for by the policy to protect your finances. 

Protection for What You Own

Everything you own is likely inside your house, and home insurance protects it. With a home policy, all of your possessions in the home are covered. When a damaging event that is covered by your policy happens and your things are destroyed, you can get them replaced by the policy. Next to your house, your belongings are likely your most significant investment, which needs protection. 

Liability Protection

As a homeowner, you are responsible for what happens inside your home. If someone were to enter your home and become injured in an accident, you are likely liable for the medical bills due. With home insurance, those bills can be paid by your policy instead of by your pocket. 

Get Home Insurance Today

If you need a home insurance policy, call us at Assure-Us in Miami Beach, FL.

Homeowners insurance covers Miami Beach, FL, swimming pools in two different ways. First, should the pool be damaged, homeowners insurance can help pay for repairs. Additionally, if a guest becomes injured in your pool, your homeowner’s liability coverage can pay for injury-related expenses. The experts at Assure-Us are ready to answer any questions you have about your homeowner’s insurance and how it protects you and your pool. 

Pool Damage

If your pool becomes damaged by one of the risks outlined in your homeowner’s insurance policy, it should be covered. Most policies state covered risks include fire or falling objects, such as a fallen tree. 

Types of Pools

The coverage that applies to your pool’s damage depends on the kind of pool you own. Some insurance policies cover these pools under the other structures’ coverage if you own a permanently installed above-ground pool or an in-ground pool. However, if you have an above-ground, portable pool you can move with you, you may have coverage under your property protection coverage. 

Liability Coverage

Most homeowners insurance policies have liability coverage and can protect you should a guest get injured in or around your pool. If a guest gets injured at your pool, you could be responsible for the medical or legal expenses from the incident. Liability protection is a standard part of homeowner’s policies, but you will need additional protection if you have a pool. 

Extra Precautions

To help reduce the risks of damage to your pool or someone becoming injured put safety measures in place. For example, trim back trees that could fall into the pool, put up a fence, and have safety equipment near the pool. 

Homeowners in Miami Beach, FL can have peace of mind knowing their homeowner’s insurance policy covers their pool. For additional information about homeowners insurance and swimming pool coverage, call our experts at Assure-Us. 

Navigating the waters of homeowner’s insurance can feel intimidating. Luckily, the fine folks at Assure-Us are here to help residents in Miami Beach, FL and surrounding areas, figure out these important decisions. If you are a first time home buyer, you probably have many questions concerning types of insurance, such as flood insurance. We are here to help you better understand these topics and to better understand your options. 

Understand Your Location

You should understand that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) establishes flood zones each year. These are areas that the Federal government deems at risk for flooding. If your new home you are purchasing falls into one of these risk zones, your mortgage company can force place flood insurance on you. Force placed insurance is often much more expensive than policies that you shop for yourself.  In order to avoid this happening, you need to research the FEMA flood zones to find out if your new home will fall into this category. If your new home is in one of these areas, it is best to purchase your own flood insurance to make sure you get the best deal. It is also important to note that 20% of flooding takes place outside of FEMA flood zones. 

Flood Insurance Is Not Covered in Homeowner’s Insurance

Many first time home buyers make the mistake of thinking that their homeowner’s insurance covers flooding. This is usually not the case. To be certain, you should discuss homeowner insurance options in-depth with a trained insurance representative. 

Purchase What You Need

Your flood insurance needs will be different from other people’s. Make sure that your flood insurance policy is customized to your particular needs.

If you would like to learn more about flood insurance, please contact us at Assure-US, now serving Miami Beach, FL and surrounding areas. 

 

Here at Assure-Us, one of the questions that we are frequently asked is whether your home insurance policy in Miami Beach, FL covers solar panels that you may be planning to install on your roof. Here is important information that you need to know about your homeowner’s insurance policy if you are thinking about solar panels. 

Whether the Solar Panels Are Covered

In most cases, solar panels are considered a permanent fixture or addition to your home. As such, they are included in most policies. However, it is important to not assume they are covered under your policy. Contact your home insurance policy or carefully read your policy to ensure solar panels are not an exclusion under your policy. 

Reasons the Solar Panels May Not Be Covered

It is important to understand that while solar panels may be covered under your policy, they may not be covered in every event. For example, if your homeowner’s insurance policy excludes hurricane damage, solar panels damaged in a hurricane would still be excluded. Maintenance-related issues are typically not covered as well. 

Other Important Factors to Consider

Finally, it is important to consider whether your home insurance policy limit needs to be increased if you are installing pricey solar panels. Your policy may need to be increased once solar panels are installed. 

In most cases, solar panels are covered by your home insurance policy. However, in other cases, you may need to make changes to your policy or purchase a separate solar panel add-on policy to ensure yours are covered. If you are looking to purchase home insurance in the Miami Beach, FL area that covers your solar panels, contact us here at Assure-Us. We can help find a home insurance policy to meet all of your needs. 

Miami is subject to tropical storms, hurricanes, and a predicted rise in the ocean levels that is continuing. Homeowners may risk having a catastrophic loss, which is not covered by their home insurance if they do not understand the details of their insurance policy.

Here are some tips about what to consider when conducting an insurance review along with your agent at Assure-Us, serving Miami Beach, FL and the Miami metro area.

Understand the Policy Limits

There is an overall policy limit, which should be enough to cover the replacement cost of the entire home if it is completely destroyed. Be aware that rebuilding a home after a wide area has been impacted by a natural disaster is much more expensive due to the high demand for construction services.

In some policies, there may also be sub-limits. A sub-limit creates a limit on the coverage for certain kinds of claims. Be sure to discuss any policy sub-limits with your agent because they are much lower than the total coverage limit.

Understand the Terminology

The meanings of the words and the specific definitions in an insurance policy are critically important. Disputes have come up over the terms used to describe coverage. For example, damage from hurricanes due to high winds is different from damage to a home caused by storm surges.

Evaluate the Financial Strength of the Insurance Underwriter

A natural disaster may cause billions of dollars in insurance claims that might exceed the insurance company’s ability to pay all the claims. Insurance coverage is only as strong as the financial capacity of the insurance underwriter that stands behind the policy.

Summary

Now, more than ever, it is a critical time for homeowners in the Miami metro area to work with their agent at Assure-Us in Miami Beach, FL to make sure their home insurance coverage is adequate.

Adding an “in-law" apartment is a common practice in a home where the residents do not need to utilize all the space for just themselves. Sometimes this apartment is occupied by an actual relative of the homeowner. Other times, it is rented out to help offset some of the costs of operating the home. 

In both cases, it is a good idea to talk with your insurance agent at Assure-Us in Miami Beach, FL, to make sure you have the correct home insurance coverage that is adequate to protect the new configuration and use of your home.

When the use of home changes, especially if a portion of the home will be rented out, it is important to talk this situation over with your insurance agent.

Here are some things to discuss with your insurance agent:

• What coverage does the existing homeowner’s insurance provider if a new person is using part of the home?
• What is the difference between a relative using part of the home without paying rent and an unrelated person who pays rent for a portion of the home?
• If rent is paid for part of a home, how does this change insurance needs?
• Should the tenant get “renter’s” insurance for their personal property?
• Should the home insurance be upgraded for the replacement costs of the renovations that are made?
• What are the problems with renovations that are made without having a proper building permit?

Luckily, you do not have to know these answers. Just make the effort to discus them with your agent at Assure-Us in Miami Beach, FL. Your agent will guide you to make sure your home insurance coverage is adequate and make suggestions about what might need to be added to the coverage and possibly what other coverage should be in place. 

If you are planning to add an in-law apartment go ahead and contact your agent at Assure-Us in Miami Beach, FL, today, in order to get everything properly organized in advance.