Month: March 2015

Does my Homeowners Insurance Cover Personal Injuries?

Posted on by AgentInsure

You have family and friends coming to visit you at your new home in Castlewood, CO 80112. You’re excited and can’t wait to show them around Castlewood Canyon State Park and enjoy a nice picnic lunch, then do some shopping and finish the day off with a great meal at Duke's Steakhouse.

The purpose of homeowner’s insurance varies and one of the major reasons people have it, is to protect themselves in the event, someone is injured while on their property and file a personal injury claim.

Homeowner’s Insurance covers all sorts of injuries, the three listed below are the most common type of injuries that people sustain:

  • Falls
  • Faulty steps or poor lighting
  • Dog bites

Premises Liability

A crucial type of coverage that is provided by your homeowners insurance is for injuries that happen on your property. A guest can be injured by falling on a slippery surface such as a wet floor or an icy or snow covered driveway, by tripping over a toy, falling down the stairs, or from a faulty deck that collapses. In all actually, a person can be injured by just about anything in your home or on your property.

Invited guests are not the only people who can sue you if they get hurt on your property. Mail carriers, cable installers, meter readers, and UPS/FedEx delivery people, basically anyone on your property who is providing a service (licensees) have been granted indirect consent.

A homeowner is required to warn guests about faulty stairs, or anything that could potentially be a hazard to someone. A simple way to do this and this is more specifically for guests who drop by without calling and service providers is to put a warning signing before the faulty stairs or whatever/wherever the hazard may be. For example, if you have a large beehive in your mailbox, putting a warning note “Caution: Beehive in Mailbox” for the mail carrier could save you a lawsuit and the mail carrier a lot of pain.

If your dog bites someone or your cat claws someone the guests can file a claim against the homeowner. This type of injury is usually a severe liability case, which means the guest, did not have to provoke the dog or cat nor do they have to prove neglect by the homeowner. The simple fact that the animal attack occurred is satisfactory, and homeowners are usually covered by their homeowner’s insurance policy.

It’s easy to find the best coverage for your budget by requesting insurance quotes with Compass Insurance Group.

5 Buzzwords Insurance Companies Consider When Estimating Risks

Posted on by AgentInsure

When you are talking to commercial insurance agents in Colorado, it is imperative that you are informed about what they are looking for during the screening process. Since all businesses need to have insurance, arming yourself about words that may save you money or increase your policy will help you purchase business insurance. The following are five buzzwords insurance agents take notice of when you say them while getting an insurance quote.

Hazard Insurance

If your business handles hazardous products, then you will need to disclose this information upfront. The risks associated with maintaining an insurance policy of this nature is great, so you want to make sure that your business is fully covered.

Loss

There are many ways the word “loss” can be used when referring to business insurance. From the insurance company’s perspective, reducing loss is the ultimate goal. If you can help your insurance company reduce the potential for loss by reducing the risk associated with insuring your company then your policy will be cheaper.

Claims

During the process of getting a quote your insurance company will consider your claims history. If you have a history of filing claims then your business is a potential risk. If you are in an accident-prone industry, then you need to consider risk management to mitigate risks that are unavoidable.

Loss Prevention

Organizations with robust loss prevention policies are great customers for insurance companies. These companies know that reducing their risks are important for the insurance company, their employees, and the organization as a whole.

Risk Retention

Risk retention is a policy many companies adopt to keep their insurance premiums low. They do this by handling some accidents in house, maintaining a reserve, drawing on borrowed funds, and relying on a captive insurer as a complement to their commercial insurance. You can work with your commercial insurance agent to determine a risk retention strategy that will support your overall business goals.

Your insurance company is there to help you remain in business. It is essential that you know what they are looking for and you know how to reduce risks in order to get the best rates for your organizations.