Should You Make a Claim on Your NC Homeowner’s Insurance?

In the wake of one of the worst storms in centuries, many homeowners may be shocked to learn filing a claim on their insurance may actually hurt them over time.

Paying for the repairs out of pocket should be weighed against filing a claim. Too many claims in one year will send a red flag to your insurance company causing them concern and possibly canceling your policy. 

 

Every time a claim is made or even inquired about it goes into an industry database called Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, or CLUE. This information is available to most insurance companies, making it harder for the consumer to obtain insurance from another company after being dropped.

Under federal law, you can get one free copy of your report every 12 months at ChoiceTrust. You can also look at claims made on specific properties. If you are considering purchasing a home, you should check its history. For a fee, you can obtain a“Home Seller’s Disclosure Report” detailing the insurance loss history of the home you are considering. Knowing this information before your purchase can help you decide if you are making an informed decision. Too many claims on a property, can affect the rates of your homeowner’s insurance even if the claims aren’t yours.

A Word about Adjusters

You should receive the same claims adjustment whether you use an independent or the insurance company’s claims adjuster. The adjuster is a licensed professional who is trained to find the source of damage. They report to the insurance company their findings and if the claim is legitimate. If you do not agree, you can dispute your claim with your insurance company.

 

At Marshall Insurance, we are here to help you with your insurance needs. As a long standing independent insurance agency, we are committed to helping our clients in not only finding the best rates but helping in times of need.

Boat Insurance

Boat Protector Policy

So what can we do for you?  Erie Insurance’s Boat Protector Policy safeguards your boat, boating equipment and accessories. It also protects you with liability and medical payments coverage.

ERIE offers:
•Comprehensive coverage that covers many types of losses. (Some of which you might not even have thought of.)
•No additional cost up to $500 for boating equipment and accessories.
•Coverage for bodily injury caused to others such as swimmers, jet skiers or other boaters. •Payments up to $250 per occurrence for emergency towing to the nearest marina.
•Award winning claims service that ensures you will be contacted promptly after reporting a loss. (Really, why should you have to wait?)

Contact us today to get your boat protector quote!

Landscapers Insurance Coverage

Landscapers are exposed to various types of risk every day they're in business. Landscaping accidents can cause injuries or property damage that could lead to lawsuits and financial loss. Adequate landscaping insurance can protect your business from these types of situations.

Landscaping insurance, now offered through Marshall Insurance' carriers could include a Business Owners Policy (BOP) with General Liability insurance, Workers' Compensation insurance and commercial vehicle insurance.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance, or GL, is a fundamental part of landscaping insurance. It could provide protection against lawsuits and other financial liabilities that result from things like accidents or other mishaps.  GL is often bundled with a variety of other coverages in a Business Owners Policy, or BOP.

Workers' Compensation Insurance

Workers' Compensation insurance through Marshall Insurance could help cover the medical costs and a portion of lost wages for an employee who becomes ill or injured during work. Discover if you're eligible to include Workers' Compensation coverage to your landscaping insurance package.

Landscaping Insurance for Vehicles

Landscaping vehicle insurance provides continuous coverage throughout the year, saving you money on premium and allowing you to avoid costly breaks in coverage.

We provide all types of contractor vehicle insurance including:

• Pickup Truck Insurance
• Truck Insurance
• Business Auto Insurance
• Van Insurance
• Dump Truck Insurance
• Trailer Insurance

In addition to outstanding commercial vehicle claims services, our companies  also provide flexible payment options and fast online bill payment capabilities.

See What You Could Save!!

Get a commercial vehicle quote online or call us at 704-684-0082 and learn more about landscaping insurance with a BOP, Workers' Compensation, and commercial auto insurance today.

Who Needs Landscaping Insurance?

A wide variety of businesses could benefit from landscaping insurance. Examples include:

• Landscapers
• Tree trimmers
• Arborists

• Landscape architects
• Landscape designers
• Lawn irrigation contractors

Protect Your Home While You're Away

The National Realtors Association reports that there are more than six million second or vacation homes in the United States. Many people who seek escape from the cold, dark, icy days of winter head to second homes in warmer climates during the winter months.

Others leave their homes to enjoy summer vacations at the beach, or winter ski and snowboarding adventures in the mountains. No matter what your destination, here are a few things you should do to protect your primary residence while you're away.

Give It That Lived-in Look

When you're going away for an extended period of time, you should try to make your home look like it is still occupied. If there is the appearance of activity at your home, there is less chance that the house will be burglarized. Here are a few ways to make it seem like you're home:

• Set lights and a radio or television on timers so they'll go on and off at different times of the day.
• Use call forwarding to have your calls sent to your vacation home's phone line or cell phone. You can also turn off or lower the ringer volume on your phone so that it can't be heard from outside. If you are going to leave a greeting on your answering machine, be sure you don't leave any information about being away from home. Rather, leave a generic message like "we can't come to the phone right now, please leave a message."
• Arrange for landscaping services while you're away. Have someone mow the lawn, rake the leaves and shovel the snow.
• If you're leaving a car at your house and you don't have a garage, have someone move your car periodically or ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway or in front of your house every so often.
• Have your mail held at the post office and suspend delivery of your newspaper. Or ask a neighbor to pick up your mail and newspaper daily.

Have an Expected Visitor

When you're going to be away, it's a good idea to ask someone to check on your home on a regular basis. Ask a friend or family member to stop by about once a week so that if there is a problem it can be taken care of quickly. They should check that doors and windows are secure and open and close curtains and shades every now and then to help make your house looked occupied. Be sure to give your "home checker" a spare key-don't hide a key anywhere near or around your house because thieves know where to look. Also, if you have a home security system, be sure that your expected visitor knows how to set and disarm the alarm.

Avoid Frozen Pipes in Winter

Frozen pipes are not only frustrating to deal with but they can also cause a great deal of damage to your home. So, before you leave this winter, be sure that your heating system is checked for proper operation and make any necessary arrangements for continued fuel delivery. Also make sure that any pipes in crawl spaces and attic spaces are well insulated and set your thermostats to at least 55 degrees so that your home is kept warm enough to prevent pipes from freezing. Finally, leave kitchen cabinet doors and bathroom vanity doors open so that heat can circulate to pipes under the sinks.

Insurance and Your Dog

Dog bites are no fun, especially if it was your dog that did the biting. You can be faced with a lawsuit and will need to defend your dog even if the bite was due to someone provoking your dog. Do you have insurance coverage for it? In a lot of cases, your homeowners insurance should cover damages like that. But there are some cases when it might not.

There are some breeds of dogs that are considered more aggressive and dangerous than other breeds in the insurance world. If you own a dog, it is important that you know if he will be covered or not if he bites someone. It is hard to defend a dog that falls into the aggressive category, so a lot of insurance companies have decided to consider them a higher risk. You may need to have increased limits of liability on your homeowners policy if you own a dog that is on the list.

The list is quite extensive and contains about 75 different breeds including Rottweilers, Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes and American Bulldogs.  Talk with us to see if your carrier follows the list when determining what type of insurance we can offer you. Your current homeowners insurance may not be enough to protect you if your dog decides to bite someone – even if it was in defense of you, himself, or the household.

If you never mentioned your dog to us before, you will want to do it now. You don’t want to find out later that you will not be covered under your policy if something goes wrong. If your current policy isn’t enough, find out how to get more. Protect your dog and your finances by having the right insurance policy.   

Having a Safe Workplace is Smart Business

Business owners have the absolute responsibility for the day-to-day health, safety and welfare of employees and worksite visitors. To make your work place safer, know the three common areas of risk: people, environment and company.

People First!

Keeping your employees safe and healthy is good for your business. To do that:

• Offer prevention and wellness activities
• Have options in place so injured employees can receive immediate treatment
• Consistently search for and eliminate workplace hazards
• Offer early intervention and rehabilitation programs for drug and alcohol abuse and mental health problems
• Make free flu shots available

A Safe Environment

Heavy equipment, electrical hazards, even keyboards can pose health threats to your employees. For a safer workplace environment:

• Conduct routine maintenance and housekeeping measures
• Frequently check for proper ergonomic conditions
• Check all equipment for unsafe wear and tear
• Educate workers on identifying hazards and risks
• Make sure employees wear necessary protective equipment
• Create and rehearse a worksite disaster plan
• Control and eliminate toxic chemical use where you can
• Make your workplace smoke-free

From the Top

Safety starts with a company’s leadership. To establish and communicate your vision, mission, policies and trust:

• Keep confidential medical information protected
• Offer educational programs to improve health and safety
• Thoroughly analyze accidents for prevention
• Have a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence
• Offer access to cost effective health care benefit programs
• Begin an employee assistance program

If you have any employees, most states require you to have an active workers compensation policy to insure coverage for those employees against a workplace injury. In most cases, the owners of a sole-proprietorship or a partner in a partnership are not considered employees and have the option whether to cover themselves or not.  For more information about workplace safety and disaster preparedness, visit these sites:

• Consumer Product Safety Commission – www.cpsc.gov
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration – www.osha.gov

For more information about insurance for business owners, contact us at 704-684-0082, e-mail us or fill out our contact form.

Insurance for Convenience Stores

Convenience stores in NC benefit from many of the specialized insurance services developed by Marshall Insurance' carriers for the retail grocery industry, including our knowledge of how to make your store safer.

Our customized programs feature coverage for: canopies, gas pumps and other outdoor property, high-crime periods, and liquor liability.

Coverage Highlights Basis of coverage Occurrence Coverage available Available coverage includes:

• Auto liability and physical damage
• Workers’ comp
• Umbrella
• Building and business personal property
• Gasoline pumps and canopy
• Business income actual loss sustained Coverage notes Key differentiators:
• Responsible claims handling — over 61% of liability claims closed at no payment
• Tailored accident prevention and safety programs
• Extensive industry experience

Specialized property coverage extension form Optional coverage available Includes:

•Liquor liability
•Market advantage enhanced coverage (includes 27 enhanced coverages, such as business income-civil authority — no waiting period, BI extended period of indemnity — 90 days)
•Building ordinance and law
•Money and securities
•Employee dishonesty
•Signs
•Computer coverage
•Food spoilage
•Utility services
•Identity recovery

Coverage extensions to qualified insured
• Businessowners’ policy (BOP)
• Package policy

Contact Us Today!

Phone: 704-684-0082

E-mail:  gary@marshallins.net

Website:  http://www.marshallins.net

Contact Form

Garages & Auto Repair Shops

People come to auto service centers to have their vehicles repaired, not damaged. Unfortunately, accidents don’t just happen on the open road. Sometimes they happen in parking lots and repair bays.

At Marshall Insurance, we are proud to offer an exclusive auto service center insurance policy that can be tailored to meet the specific needs and risks of your shop. 

Our Garage/Auto Policy provides coverage for the legal liability of automobile dealers, garages, repair shops and service stations.

Coverage includes bodily injury and property damage arising out of garage related operations. It can also provide coverage for damage to customers’ autos and property, as well as damage to garage-owned autos. This coverage can be written in conjunction with business property coverages in order to provide a complete protection package for your business.

Contact us today to get a quote or to learn more about our comprehensive and affordable auto service station policy!  

5 Reasons You Should Get a Home Security System

You’ve been thinking about a home security system for some time, but you haven’t decided whether to make the commitment. On the one hand, you’d love the peace of mind it will provide. On the other, it could put a serious dent in your budget.

That said, it’s time to take a fresh look at some reasons you might want to install a system and pay the monthly monitoring fees. There’s also a reason why your system might end up costing you less than you might think.

Consider the following:

You can’t ignore the statistics

According to the FBI, a break-in occurs every 15 seconds in the U.S. The average loss from those incidents was $ 2,185. Those numbers could catch up with you sooner or later. A home security system will make it harder for criminals because the proper authorities will be notified at the first sign of an incident at your home. In the case of a home invasion, it is vital that you get help in a hurry.
But there’s another factor, too. Just having a security system sign in your yard and decals on your window, in many cases, will send criminals looking for the next house. They much prefer easy prey to a home with a security system.

What if criminals strike anyway?

There are two ways a security system can pay off in case burglars accept the challenge and break into your home. If your system has video surveillance, you’ll collect evidence that can be used by law enforcement agents to identify – and prosecute – the people that ransack your home and take your stuff.

The other way having a home security system can help is that some security providers have offers in which they will pay at least part of your deductible for your home insurance claim if your house is burglarized while the system is armed.

Systems don’t just prevent break-ins

Security systems don’t just protect you from break-ins. Many also have options to include sensors that detect smoke, carbon monoxide and other problems. Early warning of a fire can greatly reduce the damage you could suffer from a blaze. The carbon monoxide sensors can detect a menace that can affect your health with little or no warning. Many systems also have medical alert capacity in case you or an older relative suffers a problem.

Forget the creepiness factor

OK, this might seem a little Big Brother-like at first. But some security systems also allow you to monitor the comings and goings of people in your household. You’ll know when your ‘tween gets home from school. You can also tell when your teenager really got home on Friday night. All creepiness aside, this is important information for a parent.

A system can save you money

You’re convinced now that you need a system, but there is still the matter of the expense. However, buying a home security system actually could save you money elsewhere in your budget. Home insurance providers typically offer discounts for policyholders with monitored security systems. Will it offset the total cost of the system? No. But it will cut the price down enough that it could make a system fit within your price range.

Peace of mind is hard to quantify. But be sure to consider the question of buying a home security system from a number of perspectives before ruling it out.

North Carolina Workers Compensation

At Marshall Insurance, we pride ourselves on being experts within the NC insurance industry. Our extensive insurance knowledge and ability to form mutually beneficial relationships with our clients has enable us to recognize unique sets of risk – and furthermore develop advances insurance strategies in which we can battle them.  One issue in particular that demands expert attention – North Carolina workers compensation.

At Marshall Insurance, we understand that your business is your greatest investment, which is exactly why we are dedicated to helping you distinguish what you need to safeguard your team your business venture right now.

In its simplest form, the North Carolina workers compensation system strives to be the most effective process available to get an injured workers back to the workforce as soon as possible. It provides the employee with peace of mind; reassuring them that if an on-site accident did occur, they would receive appropriate medical attention – without the heightened cost.

As a business owner, you are required to have coverage for workers compensation in North Carolina, in order to comply with state and federal regulations; but that doesn’t mean that just any policy from just any agency will do.  You need expert coverage strategies and advice tailored by the leading NC insurance specialists found here at Marshall Insurance.

The right North Carolina workers compensation package will help protect your employees in the event of injury or illness during the course of employment. Our extensive solutions can provide coverage for:

• Medical expenses
• Lost income/wages
• Rehabilitation costs
• Death benefits
• And more…

Here at Marshall Insurance, we can provide you with a North Carolina workers compensation policy that is specifically designed to meet your distinct business needs. Through a careful evaluation and review of your operation, we can determine exactly what your unique business venture needs to adequately protect your employees.

Contact us at 704-684-0082 or e-mail us to learn more about our North Carolina workers compensation policies and how you can better protect your business and your team!  If you would like a workers compensation quote, please complete this form.

Changes to NC Auto Safety Inspection

NCDMV has announced changes to the safety inspection process to go into effect 1/1/09

1. The safety inspection sticker will go away in 2009. Instead you will be required to have your vehicle inspected prior to your registration renewal. If the vehicle is not inspected prior to the renewal date the system will not allow you to renew your tag.
2. If any repairs are required in order to pass the safety inspection you will have 60 days instead of the previous 30 days to complete repairs and pass the inspection.

For more information go to the NC DMV website; http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/