By James Lunders, Agent

Do you have a finished basement? Do you store valuable things in your basement? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you owe it to yourself to do two things this year as spring approaches. First, schedule some time to meet with your insurance agent for a review of your homeowners policy. In addition to making sure you have enough coverage to replace your home and personal property, make sure you are covered for the right things. In this case, the peril of “Backup of Sewer and Drain.” The basic homeowners policy in the state of Iowa does not normally cover this peril. It can be covered with a relatively inexpensive endorsement. Should your basement become filled with water due to the backup of your sewer line or the failure of your sump pump, you can get valuable coverage with this endorsement to help you recover. That brings us to the second thing you need to do as spring nears. Check your sump pump to make sure it is in working order. Due to freezing temperatures your sump pump does not often need to run all winter long. As things begin to warm and thaw in the spring, sometimes the sump pump is needed to do double duty. In addition to making sure your sump pump works, you want to make sure it is serviced on a regular basis and cleaned properly so it can do its job when needed.

Here is a helpful link to learn more about maintaining your sump pump.

You can also get a water alarm to alert your household of a water intrusion from the drain or sump pump.  This is another inexpensive step you can take to avoid the  inconvenience that comes with a water loss.  Water Alarms are available at most Home Improvement Centers:

Click Here for an Example of a Water Alarm

No one likes to have water in their basement. Make sure you have done all you can to prevent it from happening and make sure your insurance agent has you covered in the event it happens anyway.

By James Lunders, Agent

There are so many “rainy days” that people can experience — a sick child, a broken-down car, a late mortgage payment.
But what about a lawsuit?
These days more and more lawsuits are being filed — not just against big corporations, but also against people like you and me. Litigation can be expensive when you add up lawyer’s fees and settlements or jury awards. If you have assets, such as cars or a home, you should consider a personal liability umbrella policy.
What is an umbrella?
A personal liability umbrella policy is designed to give you extra liability protection. It can include coverage for various situations such as false arrest, false imprisonment, wrongful detention, libel, slander, defamation of character or invasion of privacy.
This policy can be beneficial, especially if you are ever sued because of an accidental injury to someone else or damage to their property.
For example, if a visitor tripped and fell down your stairs, your homeowners insurance would cover his or her doctor bills.
But if the person went a step further and decided to sue you; would your homeowners policy provide enough coverage? If a jury awarded damages that exceeded your coverage limits, you could be in jeopardy of losing your home or other assets. This is where the umbrella could help you out by giving you extra protection. A personal liability umbrella can also be applied to your auto coverage.
Why an umbrella?
A personal liability umbrella policy can give you a lot of coverage — about $1 million worth — for a small premium.
It can protect your assets when you need it the most and can bring you piece of mind knowing that you have it around.
To see if this is a policy that can be beneficial to you, talk to your insurance agent.

This site is being developed daily and should be up to speed by the end of February, 2008.

Thank you for visiting.

James