Drypro

One of the first things you think of when buying a home is insurance for your house and car. If you want to start a family, health, dental and life insurance are of course a must.

And then there’s quality of life insurance. By this we mean insuring the things that enhance your life: your cherished possessions. Maybe you’ve inherited your great-grandmother’s tea set. Or your great-uncle’s pipe. Or a long-ago ancestor’s painting or book collection. And you surely have recent purchases that mean a lot to you.

Whether old or new, possessions aren’t just material things. They’re the ingredients of a nice home and a nice life. This is why your homeowner’s policy should encompass coverage for your belongings. If you lose family heirlooms in a fire, it’s true they can’t be replaced, but you should at least be able to buy similar ones on eBay that will help preserve your memories. And you should be able to replace any modern possessions that get damaged by flood, fire or mold.

If you’ve had a flood or fire but your possessions survive intact, you’ll need to move them out while restoration work is being done on your home, and you’ll need an insurance company that will store them for you and keep them in optimum condition. If your possessions are damaged but salvageable, your insurance company should pay the cost of repair and restoration services.

These are things to keep in mind when choosing an insurance policy. We’ve all been taught that possessions are not the most important things in life. Maybe they don’t matter most, but they do matter.

If you’re a homeowner, and especially if you have a family, you do a lot of checking. You check your thermostat, your furnace, your car’s oil and gas, your credit card and bank balances, what groceries you need to buy each week — the list goes on. And you check up on your kids, which can lead to a lot of bickering, but it’s worth it to keep them safe.

But how often do you check your smoke detectors? They’re like guardian angels of safety, but unlike angels, they’re not immortal, and you should never take them for granted. Batteries can conk out, and other parts can get worn out over time. Detectors typically last ten years, and here’s how to maintain yours at optimum efficiency.

You should consult your detector’s manual to see how often checking should be done. We recommend putting a reminder in your cell phone or computer that will “ping” you when the time comes. Also, any time you pass by your detector, take a quick look to make sure the alarm indicator is on. And keep it clean! A Swiffer duster is a great way to keep the detector free of dust and bugs that could interfere with proper functioning.

If your detector runs on batteries, check them every month and replace if any signs of corrosion appear. If you use the hard-wired kind, you still need to check the backup batteries. But if your detector makes a canary-like chirping sound, it’s time to get on the stick and change the batteries right away, because they’re probably defective.

A detector can give off false alarms, so keep yours away from the kitchen, because steam and smoke from cooking can set them off. We once even had a customer who showered with the bathroom door open, and the steam traveled to the detector and set it off! Better to shut the bathroom door and open a window if you have one in there.

Always read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to test your detector.

A smoke detector is a vital part of any home security system. Home security protects against human crimes, and smoke detectors protect against nature’s dangers!

Follow these steps and you’ll sleep better knowing your home is safe!

If you’re a landlord, you might (unfortunately) relate to this.

Once a bad tenant, always a bad tenant, especially when they disappear without notice and leave you a “farewell note” in the form of a dirty, smelly, damaged apartment. But when a tenant does the decent thing and gives you notice, there are steps you should take before they move out, to ensure that the apartment is ready for new renters. 

Write a reminder to the tenant of his or her obligations, i.e., removing all PANDHE, properly disposing of trash and garbage, and cleaning out of the fridge, pantry and cabinets. Also remind them about transferring cable TV, phone, Internet, etc. to their new location.

Create a property inventory form for the tenant to fill out that will inform you of any damage they might have done to the place.

After they’re gone, put on your detective hat and look for clues to any broken rules. For instance, do you forbid pets and or smoking? Sniff around for evidence of cats or cigarettes. (If you smell pot and want to have some fun, breathe deeply. Just don’t tell anybody.) If it turns out you need professional odor removal, we’ll take care of it, and your former tenant will pay. If your building has decks in the back and you’ve forbidden the use of bird feeders, check for feathers and stains.

Remember that there’s such a thing as normal wear and tear, but then, there’s serious damage that the tenant could’ve prevented. Depending on the extent of any damage, you may need to call your lawyer, insurance agent or adjuster. And as always, call us. If you need to take action against a former tenant, we’ll help every step of the way.

And now for everybody’s favorite thing: filing a homeowners insurance claim! Seriously, folks, it’s not as bad as you might think, and the rewards make it all worth it.

First and foremost, get it over with! Do it right away, because most insurance companies have a one-year time limit for claims. Plus, it’ll be good to get it out of your hair.

Read over every detail of your policy to make sure your losses are covered.

When you contact your insurance company, have ready as much information as you can about the damage to your home, businesses, and/or personal and household/office effects.

Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, your insurance company isn’t likely to require an in-person inspection for small claims. They’ll do remote inspections and collect photo and video evidence.

How quickly you get paid will vary from state to state according to local laws. Other factors influencing your payout are how fast you file, how fast your claim is accepted or rejected, and the size, type and complexity of your claim.

The same is true regarding whether your rates go up after a claim, e.g., if your claim is non-weather related, or a personal liability claim.

Through it all, don’t forget to consult Drypro for any help you need!

We recently heard from a customer whose basement was flooded. Although we were able to fully restore the basement, one thing could not be replaced. He had a box of tintype pictures of his ancestors, and the water made most of them stick together and rust over. Even if we could have separated them, the images were destroyed. And they were irreplaceable; tintypes don’t have negatives. Why did this happen? Because he stored the box on a bottom shelf, the first thing that gets hit in a flood.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this sad story is a reminder that your most precious belongings should be stored in watertight boxes and kept on your highest shelves, or better yet, in your attic if you have one. As you protect your home and family, don’t forget to protect your family history.