Home Insurance Articles
How Proper Maintenance Can Lower Home Insurance Premiums
2010-08-11
Looking for a way to lower your home insurance premiums? Look no further than the room you might be standing in. Proper home maintenance gets favored treatment by insurance companies, and can result in cash savings for you. Well kept homes can create upwards of 20 percent reductions for insurance premiums. The best part is that proper maintenance doesn't necessarily mean expensive procedures for the homeowner. Simple, every day attention to your home's needs is all it takes to impress your insurer.
The majority of insurance companies figure their rates on the condition of the policy holder's house. Insurers pay attention to things like unclogged roof gutters, well-kept lawns and shrubs, walkways and driveways in good condition, easy access to fire extinguishers, and an assortment of items that can add up to savings for the homeowner. Install a security system, which can get big discounts from most insurance companies.
Recent roof renovations can lower home insurance premiums, and different roof types may receive additional discount attention by insurance companies. Complete repairs of electrical and plumbing systems can also qualify for lower premiums. Policy holders need to be aware that damages incurred from a storm have to be held to a minimum, if possible. A storm broken window should be quickly covered to avoid additional rain damage, which helps control the extent of a claim and, in the long run, can keep insurance premiums at a steady rate.
How a homeowner plans for his home's care while being away for some time can also figure into the determination of home insurance premiums. Attention to basic home maintenance can eliminate potential problems like frozen pipes and leaky roofs that could go undetected with nobody home. Another item---don't be a bad dog owner. Different breeds of dogs are considered risky because they might be disposed to aggressive behavior. Dog bites can increase your home insurance costs because of the added liability issues.
Think about packaging your homeowner's coverage with other insurance needs---cars, health, and life. It's a good way to lower insurance premiums. Don't file excessive claims for home repairs. Before filing, be dead certain that a claim is in order. Insurance companies keep detailed information on the homes they insure, and an inordinate number of claims can cause premium costs to rise. In the event that you might want to see if a better policy is available, check the home insurance quotes that appear on the Internet. Contact your existing insurance agent and let him know you're interested in finding lower priced coverage. It could be that your current policy only needs a little home repair to qualify for a better price.