Home, Sweet, Home
Homeowners: You just invested in a place to rest your head and create endless memories with your family. While you spend the next couple of decades paying off your home loan, there are preventative measures you can take against pesky neighbors and Mother Nature. Maybe you enjoy surprises—but not the ones that create the need to file an insurance claim on your home. According to the Insurance Information Institute, about 1 in 15 insured homes has a claim each year. Here are the most common causes of claims made, and preventative measures against them.
| Cause | Prevention |
| 1. Fire damage | 1. Avoid all fire hazards. Keep watch on burning candles, remove clutter around your stovetop, avoid using appliances with frayed cords. Be careful with fires and be sure to dispose of ashes outdoors in a metal, lidded can. |
| 2. Thieves | 2. A security system is your best bet to prevent break-ins and save you cash on home insurance. Also, simply make sure your home is locked—both doors and windows. Keep your small, valuable assets in a safe. |
| 3. Exterior Wind/Hail Damage | 3. Keep your foliage trimmed to help prevent breakage of limbs on a windy day. During a storm, double-check your yard to make sure all loose items such as outdoor furniture and toys are stored in a garage/shed to prevent flying objects damaging your home. |
| 4. Other weather-related damage | 4. Keep your gutters clean. Do not pour grease down your sink to prevent clogged pipes leading to floods in your home. Investigate leaks as soon as you notice them. |
| 5. Vandalism/Mischief | 5. Some things are out of your control—eggings, others’ pets digging up your garden, spray paint, whatever the case, keeping a video surveillance of outside your home can scare off neighbors. |
By: KayLynn
Do you have questions about your insurance? Find an insurance agent near you with our Agent Finder
Search All Blogs
Read More Blogs
A Blog About Blogs: Blogging’s Most Popular Topics
What Do You Choose to Read About?
Retail Sales Through the Years
From a Family Trip Downtown to Picking up Your Smartphone
Using Your Smartphone to Enhance Your Life
Get More From Your Smartphone with These Life Enhancing Ideas
What You May Not Know About Electric Vehicles
If You Haven’t Been Keeping Up, Electric Cars Are Coming Into Their Own
What You Should Know About College Living Spaces
There are More Off-Campus Living Choices Than Ever
Things You May Not Know About Radio
You May Listen Almost Every Day and Still Not Know These
The Dramatically Changing Workplace
It Seems to Have Happened So Fast, Didn’t It?
Life’s Important Numbers
Not Including Your IQ, These Numbers Could Impact Your Life Most
Want an SUV? Could It Be a Porsche?
You Can Still Get a Porsche Even if You Are Committed to an SUV
Five Surprisingly Easy Home DIY Projects
Try These Confidence-Building DIY Projects