Dayton Daily News publishes article from The Columbus Dispatch reporting that losses from recent storms factor into future projections.
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Beavercreek Homeowner Insurance News- Mold in Homes
Mold In Homes
411_MoldInHomes pdf
Mold continues to be in the news, somewhere in the nation, on a daily basis. Mold spores are, literally, everywhere and usually cause no concern. However, when the conditions are right, mold can begin to grow, and if that occurs inside of a home or other structure, it is always a concern and can be a real problem.
The molds that cause problems in homes need just three things to grow:
– Food – Anything that used to be alive (wood, cardboard, paper, wool, silk, leather, etc.).
– Temperature – These molds thrive in the range of 68°F to 86°F (the same range we typically keep our homes).
– Water – Very little is needed. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that indoor humidity above 60% is sufficient to allow mold to develop.
Since our homes normally contain a lot of potential mold “food,” and are normally kept at a temperature conducive to mold growth, all that is missing is water.
Water is also the most likely cause of damage to property across the nation. It includes everything from overflowing sinks, to leaky or broken pipes/hoses, to drain or sewer back-ups, to over-ground water from heavy rains or river/coastal flooding. If the water is in contact with any form of dirt (remember, flood waters certainly contain lots of “dirt”), then the growth can occur even more quickly since dirt always includes organic material – “mold food.”
In all cases, water damage must be remediated quickly and thoroughly or it will result in mold growth. Complete drying, back to normal conditions, is very important since any excess moisture will result in mold growth.
Mold is often seen as obvious “growth” or even “discoloration” on materials like paper or wood. Colors can range from white to orange and from green to brown and black, and it gives off the well-known “musty/moldy” smell.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), The Institute of Medicine (IOM) “found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, and wheezing in otherwise healthy people. The IOM also found limited or suggestive evidence linking indoor mold exposure and respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children.”
The CDC recommends that all molds found in the indoor environment be eliminated, adding, “Generally, it is not necessary to identify the species of mold growing in a residence, and the CDC does not recommend routine sampling for molds.” Since all molds have the potential to cause allergic or allergic-like symptoms in people, especially highly susceptible individuals, they should be eliminated whenever they are found. Knowing the name of the mold does not change anything since the same safety precautions should be used whenever remediating mold, regardless of the “name.”
Mold Prevention Tips
There is no practical way to eliminate all of the mold spores in an indoor environment. But there are many ways to help control moisture and mold growth in your home. The basic rule is: if you can see or smell mold, take steps to eliminate the excess moisture, and to clean and remove any mold. It is very important to quickly identify and correct any moisture sources before health problems develop.
Stop The Water
- Fix leaks in pipes and any damp area around tubs and sinks so mold spores don’t have a growing environment.
- If you rebuild or remodel, do so with water-resistant building materials such as tile, stone, deep-sealed concrete, waterproof wallboard, water-resistant glues, etc.
- Prevent seepage of water from the outdoors into your house. It’s important to have rainwater from gutters or the roof drain away from the house. The ground around the house needs to slope away to keep the basement and crawl space dry.
- Ventilate any crawl space as much as possible to allow for thorough drying
Keep It Dry
- Reduce the moisture in the air with dehumidifiers, fans and open windows or air conditioners, especially in hot weather. Do NOT use fans if mold may already exist; a fan will spread the mold spores.
- Try to keep the humidity in your home below 40%.
- In moisture-prone areas, consider easy-to-clean, water-resistant floor coverings, such as vinyl or stone tile.
- Reduce potential for condensation on cold surfaces by insulating.
Dealing With Mold
- If you discover mold, the first step is to find and eliminate the water source, as above.
- Then, if it is a small area (less than about 10 sq ft), and you feel comfortable, clean the mold with a detergent solution and thoroughly dry all materials.
- If it is larger than 10 sq ft, consider calling a professional mold remediation company, such as PuroClean, the Paramedics of Property Damage™. Their well-trained, professional technicians understand and apply industry standard approaches to remediate mold completely, while being as safe for your home and your family as possible.
Regardless of the circumstances – dealing with mold, water damage, fire/smoke damage, or biohazard remediation – call your local PuroClean office, the Paramedics of Property Damage™. For all property damage situations, these professionals are standing by. They will mitigate the loss to prevent further damage and will then provide restoration services to return the property to a pre-loss condition as quickly as possible. All PuroClean offices have well-trained professional technicians who provide the latest state-of-the-science services to all property damaged from water, fire, smoke, mold, and other disasters.
written by
Will Southcombe
Director of Technical Services,
PuroClean Headquarters
Master of Arts,
Master of Business Management,
Water Restoration Technician,
Applied Structural Drying,
Certified Microbial Remediator
PuroClean Emergency Services
Servicing Dayton, Springfield,
Cincinnati & Surrounding Areas
(937) 401-9700 (513) 897-8990
(866) 791-PURO (7876)
Brought to you by:
Brian Lampton
1326 Parkway Ct
Beavercreek, 45432(937) 427-8444
www.lamptonengleagency.com
[email protected]
Homeowner Insurance Beavercreek Special Limits
Check your homeowner insurance policy for a section often called “Special Limits” These are coverage limitations for certain groups of personal property. All home owner policies have limits and every company is different with what items they limit, and the actual dollar amount for each group. A couple of the items listed are actually extra coverages provided such as watercraft and trailers. Other items are limited such as money, jewelry, silverware and others.
Our agency wants you to be aware of these limits so if there is a concern we can make the necessary changes to your insurance program to cover the items prior to a claim. I don’t know why these limits are in the policies, and I don’t like that they are “hidden” in the policy, and not printed on the front coverage page. Please take a few moments to review your own limits and call your agent if any of them could be a problem.
Our two main insurance carriers Erie Insurance and Auto-Owners Insurance for homeowner policies have these sort of limits (just like the rest) and we have pulled them out of the policy and put them in summary form so they are easy to read and understand. Please contact us if anything on the list could be an insurance problem for you and your family.
Homeowner Limits -pdf
Water Back-Up
There are three kinds of water when it comes to home owner insurance. The first kind
is called flood. There is a specific definition of flood, simply put, it is the water that
comes “ in and down” (in the house) from normally dry land. The second kind of water
is water back-up or sewer drain back-up. This is water and or sewage that comes back
up from drains in the house. The third type of water would be all other water damage,
weather it is from a leaky roof, or a busted water heater, or pressure hose from your
washing machine, for example.
All home policies exclude any damage caused by flood. The only way to cover flood is
to purchase a flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program. All home owner
insurance policies also exclude the second type of water, or water back-up. Coverage for
this type of water damage can be purchased and added back on to your home policy as an
option for extra premium. This optional coverage is usually limited to $5,000 or $10,000
depending on the insurance company. The third type of water damage is typically
covered on most regular home owner policies.
Let’ s emphasize the importance of the water back-up or sewer & drain back up damage
coverage. We feel this coverage should be considered with every home policy. Even
if you’ re on a slab, up on a hill, it doesn’ t mean you’ re not susceptible to water back-up
loss. The drains in your home can become clogged from regular use, or tree roots getting
in the drain lines. Many folks have plumbing services come out once a year to “ snake
out” or clean out their drains. Most water back up losses involves damaged carpet and
flooring which usually results in larger losses.
There is a reason insurance carriers charge extra and limit coverage for water back-up.
These types of losses occur very frequently, and are usually over $1,000.
Please don’ t short change yourself, review your home policy, and make sure it has water
back-up or sewer and drain back up coverage.
Beavercreek Ohio, Homeowner Insurance rates are rising
The following two articles show that property rates in Ohio have been increasing for the past couple of years. The hurricane “Ike” in 2009 was partly to blame. Ohio property insurance has been hit with storms featuring high winds and hail causing increased claims in the past few years. However, the news is not all bad. Ohio’s home insurance rates are still among the lowest in the country. According to Ohio insurance institute, a trade association, Ohioans enjoy the 6th lowest home rates in the country.
We have highlighted a couple of news stories from the Dayton Daily News, and WDTN for additional information.
Umbrella Liability Policy For Individuals
Personal Lines Umbrella Liability Policy
What It Is And What It Isn’t
First, what it is. It is a liability only policy that adds a high amount of additional liability coverage to the personal auto and home policies. In most cases it adds $1,000,000 or more of additional liability protection over the personal auto and personal liability (home) policies. These catastrophe liability policies are very economically priced, yet offer tremendously high limits of coverage. A person who owns one house and two autos can purchase a one million umbrella policy for as little as $120 per year. That means for $120 per year a person has added an extra $1,000,000 of liability protection over their personal liability and auto liability coverage. There are a few important items to note. Some companies require that they also insure the home and autos that go “underneath” the umbrella. Some companies require customers to increase their current liability limits before they can add the umbrella policy.
Most companies do not include un-insured motorists bodily injury with the umbrella coverage and charge extra to add this coverage.
Check with your agent about these things.
What an umbrella policy isn’t. It does not cover property at all. It isn’t what it sounds like; it doesn’t cover “everything else” that the other insurance policies don’t cover. For example, if your home has a fire and you own a boat that is in the garage and it burns up, and the boat is worth $3,000 and the home policy doesn’t cover it, the umbrella policy won’t cover the boat either. The umbrella policy does not cover any property, it is a liability policy only.
Personal umbrella or catastrophe liability policies are a crucial part of insurance protection. Folks who own their own business are encouraged to purchase an umbrella policy. People who have young drivers, or families who’s homes and or assets exceed their auto liability limits should consider owning an umbrella policy. They are easy to get and very inexpensive.
Beavercreek Auto Insurance
What are the factors that can affect the costs of my car insurance?
- Gender, age and even marital status.
- Driving history. The “cleaner” driving record you have, the lower your insurance costs will be.
- The area of driving. The insurance company will quote a higher rate in a big city.
- The condition of your car.
- The amount of insurance.
- Credit history will also influence the amount of your premium.
How can I my auto insurance rates be lowered?
- Drive legally in order to maintain a good driving record.
- Comparison shop for insurance.
- Obtain higher insurance deductibles.
- Get discounts whenever they apply to you.
- Protect your credit rating.
Every Insurance company uses their own rates and they are based on their own experience. A major factor in auto rates in recent years is a persons credit history. Insurance companies will rate based on a number of factors relating to that persons credit history, such as the number of loans they have , the number of credit cards they have, and what the credit limits are, their pay history and other factors are used.
The best thing to do is develop a good working relationship with your agent so you can have conversations about these things in order to maximize your coverages and minimize your premiums. Our agency prides itself on people who genuinely care about our clients and strive to do our best to return calls, provide value and most of all deal honestly with our customers.
Security During These Uncertain Financial Times
In the face of financial insecurity in the market place, workers and retirees need to have assurances that their money is safe, sound, secure. We would like to help. One of the issues facing workers today is the management of their 401K retirement accounts upon separation from service with an employer. In todays uncertain economic times safety and security seem to be un-attainable.
We suggest these folks consider insurance annuities. Annuities are safe, secure and can be used in individual IRAs, Roth IRAs, 401K retirement roll overs, or as a replacement for traditional bank CD’s. Annuities generally pay a higher interest rate than the bank CD’s and are guaranteed contracts. This means that the investor will be guaranteed a positive investment result. We only recommend annuities from the highest rated companies who practice the best, most conservative, financial management and have a history of solid financial ratings.
Contact Brian Lampton today and ask how an annuity could provide peace of mind, and an excellent addition to any one’s retirement portfolio.