Space Heaters: How to Stay Warm AND Safe

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It’s getting colder in Maine. With today’s high fuel prices, many of us try to delay turning on the heat as long as possible. For some people, that means using a space heater to “take the chill off”. As with any appliance, it’s important to know the associated hazards and best practices for avoiding them.

Fires and Burns

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that space heaters are involved more than 25,000 home fires every year, causing more than 300 deaths.The SPSC estimates that another 6000 people, many of them children, visit emergency rooms for burns from touching hot surfaces.

  • Check the wires, fuel lines and tanks often to make sure they’re in good condition.
  • Keep combustibles at least 3 feet away from space heaters.
  • Leave your space heater on the floor, unless it’s designed otherwise.
  • If you smell gas, turn off all controls, open a window, and leave the area.
  • Propane is heavier than air. Avoid electrical switches or appliances if you smell gas. And, of course, no smoking!
  • Do not use electric space heaters in wet areas, such as the bathroom.
  • Keep children and animals away from space heaters.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

CO is an odorless, colorless gas produced by incomplete combustion of gasoline, natural gas, propane, kerosene, coal or wood. Symptoms of CO poisoning include:

  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness

Prolonged exposure can cause lack of coordination, confusion, loss of consciousness, and even death.

Modern space heaters (made after 1983) have sensors that automatically shut off the appliance if a reduced level of oxygen is detected. In addition, your best protection is a good, working CO detector.

If you have property in Maine, and have questions about home, renters or condominium insurance, our Portland area insurance agency can help. We’re locally owned, and represent many of  Maine’s best insurance companies. That means we can provide you with customized choices.  Contact a Noyes Hall & Allen agent for answers!

Here’s to a mild – and safe – heating season!

Should You List Jewelry on Your Homeowners Policy?

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That was the most common question at Saturday’s Jewelry Checkup Event that we hosted along with Days Jewelers.

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Jewelry?

In short: yes, but…

  • Theft of jewelry is limited, usually to $1,500 or less.
  • Your property deductible applies, usually at least $500, often more.
  • Personal property is only covered for 16 “named perils” on the average homeowners policy. For example, ‘theft” is covered, but “losing” something is not. The 16 perils are fine for things like TVs and clothing, but not jewelry. Perils, like losing a gemstone aren’t covered.

5 Reasons to List Your Jewelry on Your Homeowners Policy

  • The value is agreed to before a loss. Instead of having to prove the worth of your jewelry after it’s gone, you list each item with a detailed description and set a value on each piece. Items over $5,000 usually require a professional appraisal every 5 years.
  • Broader coverage. Theft is covered; so is loss of a gemstone – even loss of an earring that’s discovered after you return from a night on the town, or an engagement ring lost at the beach.
  • No deductible applies. You can save money on homeowners insurance by increasing deductibles without having to worry about paying for a lost earring or a missing gemstone.
  • Preservation of limits for your other property. Unless it’s listed, your jewelry falls under your “personal property” limit, which is a percentage of your home’s building insurance limit. If you have a lot of expensive jewelry, even if it’s damaged by a covered peril like fire, you may not have enough “personal property insurance” to replace both your jewelry and your other belongings. Listing your jewelry separately saves that other insurance for your belongings.
  • It’s affordable. Separately listing $5,000 of jewelry usually costs less than $40 a year.

Insurance companies call listing items such as jewelry, furs or fine arts separately on your homeowners policy “scheduling”.

Does your policy declarations page say “Scheduled Personal Property”?

If not, you may want to call your Maine insurance agency to add it.

If you are a Noyes Hall & Allen client, and want to add jewelry, you can request it here, or call the office at 207-799-5541.

If you  are not yet a client, live in Southern Maine and have questions about homeowners,  insuring an engagement ring, renters insurance or condo insurance, call Noyes Hall & Allen agent at 207-799-5541. We’re happy to help.

Recent Law: Texting & Driving Illegal in Maine

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As of this week, Maine is the 33rd state to ban texting while driving. The recently enacted law includes a minimum $100 fine for drivers caught sending electronic messages including texts, emails or instant messages from a mobile device.  The law stops short of banning hand-held cellphone use by drivers. Several Atlantic states, including Connecticut, New York and New Jersey prohibit drivers from using hand-held devices.

map of texting bans by state as of Sepember 2011
source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (iihs.org.laws/maptextingbans.aspx)

It remains to be seen whether Maine auto insurance rates increase for drivers who are caught texting while driving. More likely, scofflaws may lose Maine Auto Insurance Discounts if their MVR (motor vehicle record) shows a violation.

It’s unclear how Maine commercial vehicle insurance policies might be affected if a business’ fleet drivers are ticketed for texting & driving.   In general, commercial underwriters have a higher threshold for violations before surcharging a policy.

If you have questions about your personal  auto or business vehicle insurance, contact Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance agency in South Portland at 207-799-5541. You can also request a Maine car insurance quote or a Maine business insurance quote on our web site.

Am I Covered if a Falling Satellite Hits My House or Car?

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I realize I’m out of the loop, but was I the only one surprised to wake this morning to news that a huge piece of space junk is headed straight for Earth?

As usual, my friend Sabine was way ahead of me. She had already tweeted this insurance question (and blog post idea!):

 

 

The Answer to Every Insurance Question is: “It Depends”.

If you have  Maine homeowners insurance, business property insurance, or anything other than the most basic kind of property policy, you’re covered for damage caused by “aircraft, including self-propelled missiles and spacecraft”.

If you have  Maine car insurance, commercial vehicle insurance, or contractors’ equipment coverage, and have included “other than collision coverage”, you’re covered against hurtling space junk. If you bought “liability only” coverage, you’re taking your chances.

Fortunately, your chances of getting hit are infinitessimally low. Probably.

If you live in Southern Maine, and  have questions about your insurance, our Portland area insurance agency can help. Call Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance at 207-799-5541. Or, post on our wall by finding Noyes Hall & Allen on Facebook or tweet us @NHAIns on Twitter.

 

What is “Dwelling Fire” Insurance?

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Most Maine home insurance is written on a homeowners policy. But certain types of property do not qualify for homeowners policies, either because of the characteristics of the property or its occupancy. Properties that do not qualify for Maine homeowners insurance are often insured on a Dwelling Fire policy.

Does a Dwelling Fire Policy Only Cover Fire?

The name is misleading. All Dwelling Fire policies cover more than just fire. How much more depends on which policy form you have.

Dwelling Fire policies offer 3 common flavors: DP-1, DP-2 and DP-3. Homeowners policies also have 3 options, HO-1 through 3. The vast majority of Maine homeowners policies are HO-3; likewise, DP-3 is the most common coverage level found on Maine Dwelling Fire policies.

DP-3 Dwelling Fire policies and an HO-3 Homeowners policies have very similar coverage for buildings. Building coverage is considered “open perils”: unless a cause of loss is excluded, it is covered. The lower-numbered policies provide more restrictive “named perils” building coverage; only specifically listed causes of loss are covered. The DP-2/HO-2 building section covers 12 named perils. The DP-1/HO-1 only covers 4: Fire & lightning; windstorm; explosion; and vandalism.

The Difference Between a Dwelling Fire Policy and a Homeowners Policy

There are several key differences between the two policies.

  • Dwelling Fire policies do not automatically include Liability or Medical Payments coverage.
  • Theft of contents is not covered by Dwelling Fire policies (you can sometimes purchase a small amount for an additional premium).
  • Dwelling Fire policies typically don’t permit optional coverage extensions that are common to homeowners policies (e.g. water backup; identity theft; fallen tree removal; food spoilage).

 

Related Post: What’s the Difference Between a Homeowners Policy and a Dwelling Fire Policy? 

Why do I need to Buy a Dwelling Fire policy?

A Dwelling Fire policy may be required for:

  • Property rented to others.
  • Seasonal property.
  • Other properties as determined by an insurer’s Underwriting Department.

A Dwelling Fire policy covers your property for more than fire. Coverage is generally not as broad as a homeowners policy, but it’s not as limited as the name implies. For advice about your particular situation contact your Maine insurance agency or Noyes Hall & Allen at 207-799-5541.

Do I Have to Wait for the Insurance Company Before Repairing Maine Storm Damage?

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Hurricane Irene visited Maine yesterday. Fortunately, the southern Maine wind damage was mostly limited to fallen trees and limbs – at least judging by our clients who contacted us to report an insurance claim.

The most common claim question today is “A tree fell on my house. Can I remove it, or do I have to wait for the insurance company to inspect it”? As this prior post explained, fallen trees aren’t always covered by insurance. But, if a tree lands on your home or other structure, your homeowners or business policy probably covers both the damage it causes and the cost to remove it.

Generally, it’s fine to remove the tree from your home or driveway to assess the damage and to  make temporary repairs to preserve your property. You don’t need to wait for the insurance adjuster to see it; they can usually tell what happened by the scars that the tree or limb left behind.

5 Things to Do if a Tree Falls on Your Property

  • Document the damage with digital photos or video.
  • Take action to preserve your property from further damage. Remove the tree from the structure, make temporary repairs, or move property indoors.
  • Save damaged property for the insurance company to inspect.
  • Schedule – but don’t begin – permanent repairs. Repair contractors are very busy after a natural disaster. The earlier you schedule your job with a reputable, experienced and insured contractor, the better the chance of your property being repaired faster. Do not start repairs until the insurance company has a chance to see your damage.
  • Report your claim. Noyes Hall & Allen clients can contact an agent to start the process.

If you have questions about Maine homeowners insurance, condo insurance, renters insurance or insuring your Maine business property, call Noyes Hall & Allen at 207-799-5541.

Does a Maine Homeowners Insurance Policy Cover Hurricane Damage?

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That may be the most popular insurance question of this week as Hurricane Irene curves its way toward the East Coast.

The Good News…

Most Maine homeowners insurance policies cover wind damage, wind-driven rain, damage to a home from falling trees, and other common types of hurricane damage.

BUT…

In the past 5 years, many insurers have introduced special deductibles for property located within a quarter-mile of the coast. Sometimes, the deductible applies only in the case of a hurricane, or other “named storm”. Other insurers’ policies have higher deductibles for all wind damage, even from a February nor’easter.

These deductibles are usually expressed as a “percentage deductible”. Common deductible percentages are anywhere from 1 to 3% of your property insurance amount. In other words, on a $250,000 home, a 2% wind deductible would be $5,000, and would apply to any wind damage.

You should check your own policy to find out what kind of deductible is on your homeowners, Maine renters insurance or Maine condo insurance policy, and how large that deductible is.

What About Other Hurricane Claims?

Standard homeowners policies do not cover damage from loss of power, such as food spoilage or basement water backup caused by a sump pump not working. Often, you can buy some power failure coverage.

Likewise, homeowners policies have little or no insurance coverage for fallen trees, unless they strike a structure or block a driveway. Some insurers sell endorsements that offer limited coverage for this.

Finally, flood damage is NOT covered by homeowners policies. You must buy NFIP Maine flood insurance to have flood coverage.

FMI

For more information about Maine hurricane insurance for homes, autos, condos, boats or other property, contact Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance at 207-799-5541. If you are already a client, and need to report a Maine insurance claim, visit our web site, or call the number above for instructions.

Hitting Miranda Cosgrove’s Bus: A Liability Insurance Fable

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If your household is like mine, you have an iCarly fan. Teens and tweens across America were distraught by news that iCarly’s star Miranda Cosgrove’s ankle was broken in a bus accident, causing her to postpone her popular “Dancing Crazy” summer tour. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.

How Much Auto Liability Insurance Should I Buy?
That’s a question we hear often. Many people who shop for Maine auto insurance have purchased “split liability limits”, which contain separate limits for bodily injury and property damage. On split limits policies, Bodily injury is also subject to a “per person” sub-limit. If you have one of these policies, your liability coverage might say 100/300/50. This means you have $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, subject to a $300,000 maximum per accident; and $50,000 property damage.

What If You Cause a Serious Accident?
Let’s pretend that you were responsible for the accident that injured Miranda Cosgrove, and you had those common Maine liability limits shown above.

There were 5 people on the bus. Would $100,000 be enough to pay for any one person’s medical bills? Would $300,000 be enough for all the bus’ occupants? Maybe. Maybe not. What if our fable had a commuter bus full of people? Uh-oh.

And that’s just the injuries from one vehicle. What about the damages from lost income due to the postponement of Miranda Coscrove’s tour? What about any other vehicles that may have been involved?

Who Will Defend Me Against a Liability Suit?
This fable has a knight in shining armor! Your auto liability insurance pays defense costs – regardless of whether the suit is groundless, and in addition to the limits of your policy. As long as you have liability limits remaining, your insurer will defend you.

What if You Don’t Have Enough Liability Insurance?
 If you’re legally liable for damages, and your insurance isn’t enough to pay them, two bad things happen.

  • Your defense coverage stops. That means you have to pay for your own legal representation to defend yourself.
  • Your assets and future earnings are fair game. You could be forced to turn your home, investments, savings or other assets into cash to pay the damages. If that’s not enough, the court can garnish your future wages.

That’s a Fable. What Are the Chances?
Fortunately, they’re slim. But, celebrity sightings in Maine are common, especially in summer.  And, you might be unlucky to meet a celebrity in the worst way possible – by accident.

Remember, you don’t buy insurance to protect you from the probable – you buy it to protect your assets from financial disaster.  Buy enough to protect your assets and your future earnings. We generally recommend against split limits, and often suggest that our clients consider Maine personal umbrella insurance. For custom advice about your situation, or a Maine auto insurance quote, contact Noyes Hall & Allen agent at 207-799-5541 – and live happily ever after.

 

Three Ways Green Drivers Can Save on Maine Car Insurance

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Even Maine’s most environmentally conscious citizens usually own a vehicle. You might own more fuel-efficient or hybrid model, or you may drive fewer miles than average, but in a rural state like Maine, few people can live a car-free lifestyle.

If you own a vehicle, auto liability insurance is mandatory in Maine. But green auto insurance discounts can help you reduce your costs and your carbon footprint at the same time. Here are three ways to save money on insurance by going green.

Drive Less

Recently introduced in Maine, Progressive Snapshot discount offers you up to a 30% discount for driving less, driving more safely, and avoiding driving during those dangerous post-midnight hours. Other insurance companies are following suit.

Some people call this as Pay-as-You-Drive insurance, or PAYD. Organizations like the Better World Club, consumer advocates and public planners have advocated this type of discount. A study by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (,pdf) concludes that “…PAYD changes insurance into a variable cost, so motorists save money when they reduce their mileage. As a result, they tend to drive less.”

While it’s not for everyone, many people who drive only when necessary could rack up significant car insurance savings. Do you qualify for the Snapshot discount? Check our recent blog post, or call your local Maine Progressive Insurance Agent.

Get a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Companies like Travelers Insurance offer Maine insurance discounts for electric and hybrid vehicles.  Would you like a Maine Electric or Hybrid car insurance quote? Click on the link to the left or contact Noyes Hall & Allen at 207-799-5541.

Go Paperless

There are two ways to save money on your insurance by going paperless.

  • Paperless policy delivery – The insurance company produces electronic copies of your documents, which you can retrieve on your computer, smartphone or iPad. Paperless insurance discounts pass the savings along in the form of lower rates.
  • Paperless billing (electronic funds transfer, or EFT) – You can save $60 a year on your car insurance by setting up automatic monthly withdrawal of your premiums. Instead of the insurance company mailing you a bill, they take the money from your checking account. This saves paper, time and postage. It also avoids a potentially catastrophic lapse in insurance coverage due to late payments.

By being a green insurance buyer, you do good for the environment AND your budget. For more information about green insurance discounts contact our Greater Portland, Maine insurance agency.    We’re independent and committed to you!

Three Ways to Keep Epsilon Spammers from Phishing Your Money!

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On March 30, Epsilon, one of the world’s largest email marketing companies, reported a breach of their system.  Epsilon sends more than 40 billion emails a year to consumers who register on one of their clients’ websites or who give their email addresses while shopping.

Have You Received an Email Like This One?

“Dear Valued Customer,
On March 30th, we were informed by Epsilon, a company we use to send emails to our customers, that files containing the email addresses of some [company name here] customers were accessed without authorization.”

Millions of people have. As of April 18, 2011, clients of more than 100 companies and brands have been hit, including big names like GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, Radio Shack, PacSun, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, J. Jill, Sears, Crate & Barrel, Walgreens and Abercrombie & Fitch.

According to Epsilon, the breach was limited to email addresses or customer names only; they report that no other personal identifiable information was stolen. Despite that, many security experts are concerned about the implications.

Having even a person’s email address and their spending habits or favorite brands may make it easier to craft a sophisticated phishing attack. For example, you could get an email that appears to be from a company you know and trust, asking you to log in and provide  information that may seem harmless. This nefarious technique is called “spear-phishing”.

Prevent Phishing Attacks

1.  Stay on guard – especially now. Be extra careful about where you click and what information you enter on a website.

2.  Scrutinize emails from any company. Look for typos and strange URLs. Look at the email address of the sender. Don’t click on those links!

3.  Call the company in question if you get a suspicious email,. No company should be asking you for sensitive information by email.

If you have questions about identity theft in Maine, contact Noyes Hall & Allen, a Maine Trusted Choice independent insurance agent. If you’re looking for Maine data breach business insurance, our business insurance specialists can help.  Call us at 207-799-5541.

Thanks to Steve Anderson for sharing these tips, which we’re sharing with his permission.