Tag Archive for: acts of god

Boating Insurance 101 – The Basics

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Since we already know that you’re an insurance pro, we’ll save you all the boring details about how boating insurance is a vital necessity that protects you in the case your boat is stolen, lost, sunk, or damaged. How it will cover most all water crafts with motors like pontoon, fishing, and paddle boats, or the bigger boats like yachts. And you of course already knew that boating insurance wouldn’t cover the smaller recreational boats like canoes or kayaks too. *wink wink*

Boat in a euphoria by Pixabay user jplenio

But what may you not know about boating insurance? 

Maybe how it covers collision damage, which would cover the repair or replacement of your boat, but could or couldn’t cover the clearing of the damage caused unless you have paid for additional coverage? 

Boats in the mountains by Pixabay user pladicon2012acasias

What about how property damage liability covers the damage you may come across if your boat hits someone else’s boat, dock, or any other property? 

Have you been informed about the bodily injury liability from a boat accident that covers injury you may inflict on someone else while using your boat? And how this could include medical bills, loss of income, pain and suffering, legal expenses, and so on?

Yachts at sunrise by Pixabay user strikers

Could it be the comprehensive coverage that provides compensation if the boat is vandalized, stolen, or damaged by an incident outside of collision?

Or you may already know about the additional coverage options for medical payments, oil spills, roadside assistance, if you hit a whale, fishing equipment, personal property, or damage and injuries from accidents caused by boaters who are uninsured or under-insured? 

Boat in a dock at sunrise by Pixabay user 13434535

All of this possible damage could be covered by the compensation you receive for a claim. However, that depends on your deductible, limits, and if your boater’s insurance will cover the replacement cost, cash value, and the agreed upon value. 

Now, we know your a boating insurance connoisseur, but we hope you’ll tune back in for our follow up to this article with more helpful information that you *wink* already know *wink*.

Yacht by the city coastline via Pixabay user Julius_Silver

As always, we highly recommend speaking with your insurance agent before making any purchases for insurance, and we hope to see you popping by our office, giving us a call at (765)-644-8847, or shooting us an email at quotes@howardwebbins.com.

Article written by contract writer and digital media coordinator: Candace Cox. You can reach her at socials@howardwebbins.com or candacecox96@gmail.com.

 

Candace Cox
Contract Writer &
Digital Media Coordinator  

RV Insurance 101 – Motor Homes

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With the infamous rise of COVID-19, and the unfortunate cancellation of most family vacations, it’s no surprise that RV sales are through the roof. 

Motor-homes, fifth wheels, and travel trailers are all in the RV family, but we’ll be diving deeper into the differences of insurance needs for each of these types of RV’s in a later post. Today we are discussing motor homes.

Image of RV under night sky from Pixabay user JillWellington

More and more people are flocking to the classic family vacation of a road trip and camping out in their motor home. It makes perfect sense too! No need to fuss with excessive exposure to others in a hotel, stay in the motor home! Now you can steer clear of restaurants by making your own food in the RV’s kitchen! The world can finally feel big again, as you hike through national parks and swim in all the beautiful lakes and oceans along your trip. 

Sounds like a post quarantine dream, right?

Well it most certainly can be, but you’ll need to remember that insurance is just as needed for your RV, as it is for your home, auto, and life. They’re different types of coverage after all.

Image of RV in the mountains via Pixabay user MemoryCatcher

What Does RV Insurance Look Like?

RVs and motor homes are considered recreational vehicles. So they will be insured similarly to how an ATV or motorbike is insured. This insurance will protect you from out of pocket expenses in the event that your motor home is stolen or it is involved in an accident that causes bodily harm or property damage. It may even be of help, depending on the level of coverage, if you have a roadside breakdown and need to call for help.

Something to keep in mind is that a motor home is a hybrid of home and auto insurance, so you need to have liability coverage for your RV. However, it’s not just any liability coverage, it’s called vacation liability. 

This is to protect you when the motor home is not being used as a vehicle on the road, but when it is parked and you and others are relaxing in the living room of the RV.

Be sure to ask about this when you meet with an agent, because oftentimes it is overlooked or not offered when you go to buy your RV insurance. You’ll also want to ensure that the RV insurance matches your home insurance liability coverage.

Image of RV by the ocean via Pixabay user StockSnap

How Much Does It Cost?

RVs come in three separate classes: A, B, and C. Class A is the most expensive, class C follows in second place, and Class B is the least expensive to insure. (Yes, yes we know it’s weird that it’s out of order, but we don’t make the rules!) 

Depending on how often you drive your RV (occasional recreation, or living out of it full-time), there will be several things that are taken into account for how much it will cost to insure. Your driving record, past claims and accidents, and more may come into play when you are looking for coverage, you’ll need to consult with your agent when coming to a set cost. However, we can give you a ballpark of $1,000 – $2,000+ per year to cover your RV depending on the above stated variables and the deductible amount you choose.

Image of RV in the woods via Pixabay user MemoryCatcher

Do I Need to Have RV Insurance?

Just like any other vehicle, you need to have insurance on your motor-home. Not just because it’s the safe thing to do in order to protect your financial investment, but because it’s the law in every single state.

There are some variations in the amount of coverage you need to have, but you’ll need to discuss this with your agent in regards to what class your motor-home is, your state requirements (this lends to the requirements of states you may be travelling through as well), using it part or full-time, and if you have custom features on your RV.

Image of RV by the ocean via Pixabay user terpoedit

We hope that this has answered some of your questions regarding insuring your RV, but as always, we highly recommend speaking with your insurance agent to ensure that you are covered exactly how is expected of you, and for what you need personally!Come on in to Howard Webb Insurance, give us a call at (765) 644-8847, or send us an email at quotes@howardwebbins.com for a quote and to get your RV insured today!

Article written by contract writer and digital media coordinator: Candace Cox. You can reach her at socials@howardwebbins.com or candacecox96@gmail.com.

Candace Cox
Contract Writer &
Digital Media Coordinator

Tree Branches and Power Lines Make for an Insurance Frenzy After a Storm

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This past Monday a wild storm came blowing through Indiana and hit one of our client’s homes here in Anderson.

The *Smith family was enjoying a rainy evening in their home nestled in the woods when suddenly, everything went dark. Winds from the storm howled outside their windows and caused a branch to break off from the tree in their front yard. The branch fell right onto a power line that stretched from their garage, to the pole on the street.

Video of branch falling on *Smith house.

Regardless of the unfortunate spell of losing power, the family was extremely lucky. The power lines that were affected hadn’t been updated, and had they been connected, they would have caught the house on fire in an instant.

Image of branch on house 1

Now, what did we do for the *Smith family? Well they alerted us right away and called the power company to have them come and assess the problem at hand. The two most important things a client can do in a situation like this. 

Following that we made sure to mitigate any possible damage to the home by asking if there is any interior damage done. We do this to ensure that if there are any issues inside the home, they don’t exacerbate the situation and we can stop any further destruction from happening. 

Image of branch on car 1

Within ten minutes of the accident at the *Smith house, there was a claim filed and the power company was on their way to their home. Because of this quick action, we were able to get an adjuster to come out, assess the damage, and get their claim on its merry way in order to expedite their repairs. 

You see, in an event like this where many families, businesses, and so on are affected, there are going to be dozens of claims with insurance and the power company. With the claim filed expeditiously, you are now at the top of the list to receive repairs!

Image of branch on car 2

The next morning the *Smith family was safe once again, had electricity restored, the branch cleared away, and the old power lines taken from the property. 

If this is ever you in the future you may be wondering what kind of coverage this family had. Lucky for them they had full coverage of auto and home. 

Image of branch on car 3

The truck that was damaged from the collision with the tree was covered by comprehensive insurance. A comprehensive deductible covers their vehicle because it was a non driving event, but was still a collision. This would extend past this event, to your parked car being hit by another driver, or a similar situation in which your vehicle took damage while you were not driving. 

For their home, we made sure they were taken care of in handling the damage done to the exterior of their home and they are even getting new siding put on now! 

Image of torn down power line.

If, in the future, a tree causes damage to your home (is lying on it), or is blocking your ability to enter the property, then the removal will be covered by insurance (if you have full coverage). If there is no damage, or it isn’t blocking entry, then there is no compensation for removal of the tree. In this case, the tree was not blocking their entry to the home or currently on top of the property, so they chose to handle the situation themselves and get a little extra wood for their summer bonfires! 

Image of power lines down and logs next to lines for safety.

So, when catastrophe strikes, you’ll want to be sure that you are fully covered. This could have been a very different story for the *Smith family had they not been covered with Howard Webb Insurance, and we hope that it reminds you to make a call, or visit our offices today.

All information is in regards to the insurance policy the *Smith family has, you should discuss your policy coverage with your insurance agent to make sure you are covered as best as you can be. 

* Indicates a change of name to protect the identities of the family.

Article written by contract writer and digital media coordinator: Candace Cox. You can reach her at socials@howardwebbins.com or candacecox96@gmail.com.

 

Candace Cox
Contract Writer &
Digital Media Coordinator