FAQ's & Tips...

Help Us Help You

HELP US HELP YOU KEEP DOWN THE COST OF YOUR INSURANCE AND
PROTECT THE INSURABILITY OF YOUR HOME

These tips can help you avoid cancellation of your homeowners or business owners policy.

• Pay premiums promptly. Use the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) method if available.
• Have at least a $500 or $1,000 All Other Perils (AOP) deductible and enjoy savings in your premium.
• Maintain a good credit history. Order a credit report occasionally to check your history.
  Some credit agencies are:

• Obtain a copy of your CLUE report. You can order online at www.choicepoint.com. This
  Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange database contains information filed by a
  homeowner on a property.
• Do NOT use your policy as a maintenance policy. Do NOT report small or careless and
  preventable claims.
• Maintain your property in good repair. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
• Be careful in the selection of pets. Some dogs with a history of biting such as Rotwiellers,
  Pit Bulls, and some Terriers will cause your home to be uninsurable.
• Do not have a trampoline in your yard. This will cause your home to be uninsurable.
• If you have a swimming pool in your yard, make sure it is properly fenced with a
  self locking gate. Ask your agent for the exact guidelines.
• Keep in touch with your agent at least once a year to review your coverage and to ensure
  your property continues to meet the insuring guidelines of the insurance company.
• Prevent water damage claims, safeguard against fires, and prevent break-ins and thefts.
   

Review the sections following this one for helpful tips.

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• The rubber hoses on your clothes washing machine and dish washer should be replaced by stainless steel hoses that can be purchased at a local home improvement store. You can do this yourself with a wrench. The cost is about $20.
   
• If your air conditioner unit is inside your home, you must be sure to keep the drain line open. It should be cleaned once a year.
   
• Overflowing toilets are a source of water damage claims. Everyone in your home should know how to close the valve behind the toilet to shut off the water. Show your children. Valves that are not used often can become stuck and hard to turn. Close and open the valve occasionally to keep it loose. If it becomes stuck, a substance like WD40 will loosen it.

• If your home does not have an outside shutoff valve, call a plumber and have one installed. Without such a valve, you have no way of shutting off the water to your house in event of a water leak or burst pipe.
   
• If your home has a shutoff valve, make sure everyone in the household knows where it is and how it works. Show your children.
   
• When you leave your home for any extended time, even overnight, shut off the water to the house by closing the shutoff valve. In absence of a shutoff valve, at least close off the water supply to toilets, sinks, tubs, and washing machines. Each of these usually has an individual cut off valve.
   
• Clean your gutters and down spouts of leaves, etc. on a regular basis.
   
• Never operate any household appliance (washing machine, dish washer, etc.) while you are away from home.

• Your home or place of business should have a cutoff valve so that the water to the building can be cut off. Close this valve and then drain the water from the pipes inside by opening all valves and allowing the water to drain out. Once the water is drained, close the valves in anticipation of the water being turned on once the cold weather has passed.
   
• Pipes can freeze in a building even with the heat left on! It is best to drain the pipes when the temperature is forecast to drop below the low 20s. Remember pipes on the North side of the house will freeze first.
   
• If you do not have a shut off valve, leave the heat on in the building and open all cabinet doors where pipes are located. This will allow the heat to enter these spaces. Such cabinets are under the sinks in the kitchen and bathrooms.
   
• Outside pipes or inside pipes likely to freeze (attic, crawl spaces) should be wrapped with insulation such as foam jacketing or approved heat tap insulation. If the products are unavailable, the common newspaper makes an excellent insulation. Keep the paper thick and tie it tightly around the pipes with cord.
   
• Exposed pipes under a house with an open foundation (like a beach house) will freeze quickly. These pipes must be wrapped or drained. The water to all secondary residences should be shut off when the home is not in use.

• Install smoke alarms on each floor of your home and near the kitchen. And test the batteries at least twice a year, changing them as necessary.
   
• Have a fire extinguisher on each floor and another one in the kitchen.
   
• Never leave an open flame unattended. This means the kitchen stove, the outside grill, the fireplace, candles.
   
• Clean the dryer vent regularly. Most dryers have a lint accumulation between the back wall of the dryer and the drum.
   
• Make sure your electrical wiring is up to code. Homes over 30 years old were not designed to handle today's rising electrical demands. Have an electrician inspect your
  home.
   
• Do not use frayed extension cords. Do not overload an electrical outlet.
   
• Be sure you know where shut off valves to all gas appliances are located and where the main gas shut off valve is outside your house.
   
• Know how many amps your home is wired for. Modern homes need 150 to 200 amp service.
   
• Lights that dim, circuit breakers that trip, the smell of burning metal or plastic - these are trouble signs! Take action.
   
• Remove all potential fire hazards from the building and store combustible material outside the main building.
   
• Make sure all windows open easily in the event an emergency escape becomes necessary.
   
• Teach your children fire evacuation procedures. Stage a fire drill. Make sure they know how to exit the house. Have them actually open a window and remove the screen. Have them crawl on hands and knees in a darkened house and locate the exits.
   
• Evacuation plans and other safety tips can be found at the National Fire Protection Association's website... www.firepreventionweek.com
   

• Contact a professional cleaning service vendor like:

  • Servpro (http://www.servpro.com/)
  • First Restoration Services (http://www.firstrestoration.com/)
  • Service Master (http://www.weclean.net)
  • Disaster Kleenup International (www.disasterkleenup.com)
  • Carpet Care Services 
  • Puroclean of the LowCountry .
   
• For clothes and other washables , contact a professional cleaner such as Lyerly's Cleaners (www.lyerlys.com)
   
• Limit movement in the home to prevent soot particles from spreading to undamaged areas.
   
• Place clean towels and old linen on rugs, carpet, and upholstery.
   
• Coat chrome faucets, trim, and appliances with petroleum jelly or oil.
   
• Change HVAC filter.
   
• Tape double layers of cheese cloth over air vents before running the HVAC.
   
• Drying will be faster when the room temperature is above 70°F (degrees Fahrenheit).
   
• Dehumidifiers will remove air moisture and allow drying to occur more rapidly.
   
• Air movement is important to drying. Utilize fans.
   
• Remove excess water by mopping and blotting.
   
• Place aluminum foil or wood blocks between furniture legs and wet carpet.
   

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