Although Lakewood, Colorado is a safe city, you should always be prepared for a possible home burglary. There are simple tips to help prevent thieves from targeting your home and disrupting your life. You also need to make sure your homeowners insurance will cover any possible losses. As an independent agent, we will compare quotes and rates will help make great insurance affordable.

First, always lock your doors and windows when you are away from home. This may seem like a simple tip, but many people leave their house vulnerable by not checking to make sure doors are locked, especially the dead bolt. This is one of the easiest ways for preventing a burglary.

Second, install motion activated light in the front and back of your home. Often, if a burglar is looking at your home, when bright lights come on he will move to an easier location.

Third, check into a home security system. Many of these programs are affordable and will alert you and a security company if there is something going on at your home. This will also alert emergency personnel if there is a fire at the house. Installing a security system may also earn you a discount on your homeowners insurance policy.

Remember, safety is a number one priority. No matter how prepared you think you are, there is a possibility your home could be broken into. When you speak with an independent agent about your homeowners insurance, make sure you have the coverage you need. If you have not inventoried your household belongings, you should do this as soon as possible. You may even want to take pictures or video and store the information off site in the event you need to make a claim.

If you have homeowner’s insurance, one of the things you want to be covered for is vandalism and damage to your home or property. If your neighbor is removing his snow by plowing it over onto your property, that could cause some damage to your lawn, your driveway, and anything you have in those areas. Some states, like Colorado don’t allow people to plow their snow onto the property of other people. It’s illegal, and it should be reported if you see it happening. In the meantime, make sure you’re covered for any damage that a neighbor might cause by plowing snow over onto your property.

To make sure you have proper coverage in the meantime, talk to your independent agent in Lakewood about what you already have and what you need. That way, you’ll be sure to be covered for any damage that might occur from someone else’s improper snow removal. If you have any questions about what, exactly, will be covered, your independent agent should be the one you ask. Don’t just assume, because that can cause you problems in the future.

Insurance coverage is an important part of being a responsible homeowner, and even if your neighbors aren’t doing the right thing you want to make sure you stay protected and don’t do anything that could get you into trouble. If you see that someone is plowing snow onto your property from theirs you can call and report them. The next call you make should be to your insurance agent in Lakewood to make sure you’re covered for any damages. If you’re not covered, go ahead and get coverage at that time so you’ll be protected in the future. Then you can document any damage that’s already happened for a police report and document future damage for your insurance company.

When homeowner’s think about what is included in their policy and what is excluded, most states across the United States are in agreement about these issues, however there are some exceptions to the rule where one state may have an abundance of mudslides, or floods while others have more than their share of wildfires. It will take the help of your independent agent in Lakewood, Colorado to sort through your insurance issues.

Homeowners need to make sure that they have stated a high enough amount of money in their insurance policy to rebuild, should their home be destroyed. You, the owner and your family will need to have a place to stay while rebuilding is going on, so make sure you stated that your policy included additional living expenses for at least two years. Get knowledgeable help from us as your local Colorado independent agency in exploring your claim process in the event that you lose your home in a wildfire.

Most people do not think about a wildfire taking their home and personal possessions. Most do not even have an evacuation plan. You need to review your insurance policy at least every year. Find out what your policy covers and what is excluded while you reside in Colorado. As a rule the typical homeowner’s insurance policy covers damages from fire, wind, hails riots, explosions, water damage (not flooding), theft, cost of living elsewhere, liability on and off the property. Floods are never covered unless there is an individual flood policy.

The natural disaster exclusions from typical insurance policies are as follows: sinkholes, floods, and earthquakes, damage from large hail, hurricanes, lightening, wildfires, and Tornadoes. Homeowners who went through wildfires in Colorado are not being reimbursed by their insurance companies enough to rebuild. Insurance companies are depreciating claims and payments to those who lost their homes and possessions.

Legislators are trying to pass new criteria for those who become victim of wildfire losses. Some Lakewood residents would like to see the full face value of polices paid upfront and then there would be no depreciation and insurance holds. Most states including Colorado are requiring a full list of loss of possessions. Most agree in Colorado that there needs to be changes in how insurance claims are handled in Colorado.