“Any th i n g wo r t h do i n g i s
wor th do i n g po o r l y - unti l
you lea r n to do i t we l l .”
– Steve B row n
HEALTHY, WEALTHY & WISE
JANUARY 2014
In This Issue
}} GOTCHA! Beware
Unpleasant Insurance
Surprises
}} A Cure For Dry, Irritated
Eyes
}} Winter Pet Care
}} Catching Snowflakes
}} Recipe: Lime Chicken Soft
Tacos
}} Good Clean Funnies and
Quick Tips
GOTCHA! Beware Unpleasant
Insurance Surprises
Property insurance is one of those things that
you buy and hope that you’ll never have to
use. But what happens when you do need to
make a claim? How can you be sure that you
are covered? If your home is damaged by fire,
flood, storm or wind damage, you expect to be
covered for the loss. However, there are a few
insurance policy “gotchas” that could leave you
holding the bag.
INSURANCE GOTCHA #1 – NO FLOOD
INSURANCE: Freakishly heavy rains hit
and a stream near your house overruns its
banks. Before you know it, water is rising
in your front yard, rushing by like a wide,
shallow river. You watch helplessly as murky
water creeps under your door and pours into
your living room, bringing with it unknown
contaminants and microorganisms. Water
seeps under walls and into adjacent rooms,
wetting hardwood floors, saturating carpet and
penetrating into baseboards and drywall.
ABC CLEANING
555.123.4567
www.abccleaning.com
Hours later the water subsides and you assess
the damage. It becomes obvious that you need
help. You call ABC Cleaning to extract the
water, clean, dry and repair your home. When
you file a claim with your insurance company,
you are shocked to find out that is not a
covered loss because you do not have flood
insurance. You may have to pay thousands for
all of the repairs out of your pocket.
Protect yourself from this “gotcha” by keeping
an up-to-date flood insurance policy.
INSURANCE GOTCHA #2: SUDDEN
AND UNEXPECTED: Most homeowner’s
insurance policies only cover you for sudden
and unexpected losses or damage. So if you
fail to spot ongoing plumbing leaks, missing
shingles, or rotting windowsills, the damage
may not be covered if it occurred over an
extended period.
Mold, wood rot and corrosion are types of
damage that are not sudden and unexpected.
Insurance companies consider them deferred
maintenance or negligence. You should
periodically inspect your home and fix those
little issues that can become major problems.
INSURANCE GOTCHA #3 – BUILDING
CODE UPGRADES: If your home suffers fire
or storm damage requiring structural repairs,
a building permit and inspections may be
required in order to have the work completed.
See “Gotcha” on next page }