When it comes to hiring a contractor, most people have a basic check list that they go through in order to ensure that the individual they hire does not end up causing more work, hassle, and costs than the project should entail. Whether you are looking for someone to do your landscaping, build a house, put in a new deck, erect a fence, paint, or do some repairs, you probably have checked some reference and have an idea how their costs stack up.
One thing that many home owners forget to check when it comes to hiring a contractor for their work is whether or not the individual carries liability insurance. This can be a big mistake on the part of the homeowner, because failure to carry liability insurance on the part of the contractor can mean that the person who hired her or him is responsible for any financial court costs if injuries occur as a result of work on your property.
You might think that injuries are unlikely, but you just never know what might happen on a job site. Even something as harmless as weed eating can result in an eye injury to a passer by if the contractor is not careful, and without liability insurance carried by the contractor the home owner will be the one bearing any medical costs or court settlements. In fact, any injury that happens to someone on your property or in your home as a result of work being done will be considered your fault in the event of a court case, unless the contractor carries his or her own insurance.
It is not just guests or people passing by your home that you have to be concerned with, either. The contractor’s own employees can hold you accountable for injuries they sustain while working on your property, and unless the contractor has liability insurance you will have to pay the costs. If the contractor does carry liability insurance, then the policy will pay for injuries to employees.
The one exception to the employee rule is if the contractor herself is injured on the job. In that case, the homeowner is not held responsible.
In every other case, though, it is important that you make sure that your contractor carries liability insurance. Failure to make sure they do could end up costing you a lot of money!
Watch the video related to home owner insurance
The Long Count Calendar of the Ancient Mayans ends on Dec 21 2012. There isn’t much information regarding what the Mayans thought would occur in 2012, but the consensus of opinion is that there will be great change. To some people this means a positive, spiritual change. Others, like myself, consider that a catastrophic event may have been predicted. I have no idea if something bad will happen in 2012 or not. Nobody really knows. Most home owners have fire insurance, even though they do not expect their house to ever burn. They have it because losing their home and contents would be devastating, and insurance is quite cheap. The human species does not have an insurance policy that covers a global cataclysm in 2012. Until governments, organisations or high-worth individuals make an effort, my intention is to do the best I can, because at least 1 person out of 6 billion people should make an effort.
Help answer the question about home owner insurance
Can you change home owner's insurance and is it difficult?I already enrolled in a home owner's insurance but am getting dogs that this insurance does not allow, they are going to be puppies but once they are grown I will have to change insurance .Is it a big hassle?
For home insurance the best way to get a great quote is do a policy comparison on home policies. Make certain that you compare similar options with the same deductibles, home type, location, etc so that all things are a good comparison.
What I always recommend is an online comparison quote at
http://best-home-insurance-comparator-usa.blogspot.com/
since they have top name home insurers and can give several quotes on home insurance polices.
Home insurance covers lots of different things. I'm not sure about Oklahoma laws and regulations, so I suggest you contact a nearby homeowners insurance agent. Or this site may help you to compare many home insurance companies at once
http://best-home-insurance-comparator-usa.blogspot.com/
Hope this help,
My video company is just down the street from there.
KJA is correct.
1. You need to speak with the agent regarding your policy and what "changed". It may be that the change was necessary to comply with your mortgage company. However, he has to notify you of things like that. If it is not necessary and you don't want it, they will need to take the charge off your bill.
2. Contact your mortgage company to see if there is any money left in escrow to cover the additional cost if it is necessary. They will also need to take that into account to properly collect your escrow.
When you rent, have the prospective tenant fill out a rental application. These applications are usually at a store that sells legal forms. You can get lease forms there also. Make sure they fill out all the information, and sign the application. Charge $15 to $20 for the application. If they refuse to pay, do not consider them. Call their employer and ask for human resources or payroll, not their supervisor. Tell him what they stated as monthly income and length of employment "Is that correct?" His monthly income should be three times the amount of the rent. Do not check his present landlord. Check his previous landlord. (the present guy may lie if he wants to get rid of him). Ask if he was a good tenant, was he a good payer, why did he move, would he rent to him again. Check court records. In my state this can be done on line. I look for evictions in the last three years. I look for judgments in the last three years, I ignore traffic tickets. I look for misdemeanors in the last three years. I look for felonies over the last six years. If you discover any of these, avoid him. If you can find a local place to get a credit check on him, do that. I judge credit by the score only. In a very poor neighborhood the score should be 530 or better. 580 to 630 in a better area. Best wishes.
Guns and dogs don't affect your rates.
What affects your rates the most, are:
1. your credit score
2. how much it will cost to rebuild your home
3. how high your deductible is
4. which "extras" get added to your policy
5. what your house is made of (brick or wood)
6. how old your house is
7. where your house is located
8. your prior claims history, AND your house's prior claims history
If you don't own the house yet, the answer is, buy a brick single family home less than 20 years old, in a suburban neighborhood. Increase the deductible to $1,000 or $2500. Getting a quote with the same company that writes your car insurance can give you a discount on BOTH policies, up to 25%.
If you already own the house, look at increasing the deductible, to $1000 or $2500. If the house is over 20 years old, and/or you've done any big projects on it, make sure the insurance company knows. Usually there are substantial surcharges on the policy, unless the wiring, roof, electric and plumbing have ALL been updated within the past 20 years.
And for both, be sure to stop using credit cards, pay off your accounts, close all but the oldest, get your credit score cleaned up. There's a HUGE difference in rates, just between the guy with a 750 score and a 550 score.
**I've never seen a company surcharge or discount for felling trees, for gun ownership, or dog ownership. All they do is decline to WRITE you in the first place.**
Negligence on the part of the homeowner does not invalidate your coverage. Many property losses are caused by the owners negligence (i.e. unattended candles, forgetting a pot is on the cooktop range, wood burning stove is not installed properly or forgetting to turn off the tub faucet) but insurance pays the claim.
By the way you did not have a "flood". The above poster is correct that flood is excluded but in your case it was water damage due to broken plumbing.
First of all, they are not looking for Homeowners Insurance. That is insurance on the house to protect them against fire or other damage to the house. What they are looking for is mortgage life insurance which will pay off if one of them dies. Since they have health problems, the best bet would be to go through the company where they have the mortgage. It will probably be impossible to find a company that will insure them outside of the mortgage company itself. Try that and good luck.
Honey, likely your problem isn't your credit, it's your location.
NO ONE is writing new policies in Florida right now. You'll have to go to an independent agent, and end up with Citizens – they are the ONLY game in town. Florida windstorm for the wind, NFIP for the flood, Citizens for the rest.
There isn't ANY competition in Florida – you could have an 800 credit score, and it wouldn't change anything.
Your original company isn't the ONLY one leaving Florida – the very few companies that aren't flat out leaving FL, flat out aren't writing ANY new policies.
Yes, it's going to cost you an arm and a leg. Yes, you'll have to pay your annual premium up front. Yes, it's going to be like this for the next few YEARS, at least. And yes, the prices for Citizens, Flood, and Wind are going to skyrocket over the next few years, because Citizens is VASTLY underfunded ($80B in funding, including lines of credit, $400B in insured properties – if they were a REAL company, any state would put them in receivership for not being financially solvent).
Meanwhile take the next few years and knock yourself out to get the credit situation fixed – because if/when the insurance situation gets repaired in FL, THEN you're credit score will be an issue.
But to answer your direct question, yes, in ANY state except California, an insurance company can refuse to write your homeowners policy due to low credit score.
To get an accurate, fair quote, talk insurance broker. A broker works with many different companies and can find the best coverage and company for you. To find a broker, log onto a website like http://www.homeownerswiz.com and request a free quote. Be sure to ask about earthquake insurance, which you must purchase separately. One of the nation’s largest earthquakes occurred in Missouri in 1812. Chances of another may seem remote, but consider the downside: You will have a home you cannot sell and cannot afford to repair, because your home equity will be wiped out.