Preventing the Most Common Insurance Claims

In 2005, the most common property claims reported to Nationwide® were related to:

1. Wind
2. Water damage (non-weather related)
3. Lightning
4. Theft
5. Water damage (weather related)
6. Ice – sleet – snow
7. Hail
8. Fire
9. Other physical damage
10. Liability and medical payments.

If you’re buying a new home or preparing your home for sale, here are a few simple things to help you reduce the likelihood of a claim, lower costs and keep you safe.

Trees: Inspect trees near your home for health. And make sure they are not growing too close to your roof. If in doubt, have a bonded, licensed and insured arborist examine them.

Roof: Make sure your roofing shingles and flashing are in good condition. Broken or discolored shingles may need to be replaced.

Gutters: Clean, level gutters are a sign of good roof maintenance. Make sure that down spouts deliver gutter water away from your foundation.

Siding: If your home has aluminum or vinyl siding, inspect it for missing pieces or disjointed interlocks. Also, make sure it fits flush to your home.

Foundation: Check your house’s foundation a few times a year for cracks and other signs of settling.

Deck: Check your deck or porch for signs of age including wobbliness, splintering or warping of planks and exposed nail heads.

Garage: Inspect your garage floor for evenness. If you have an electric garage door, check the obstacle sensor to make sure it’s operating properly. Install a carbon monoxide sensor and test it periodically.

Plumbing: Consider having a professional plumber inspect all pipes, fixtures and water heaters. Sinks and tubs should drain rapidly. Any pipes in the crawl space or basement should be properly insulated to prevent bursting during a freeze.

Weather-strips and Caulking: All windows and doors should have weather seals properly fitted. Caulking around tubs, toilets and sinks should not be excessively dried or cracked.

Electrical Outlets: Verify that your electrical receptacles have faceplates and are properly grounded. Outdoor, bathroom and kitchen outlets should be equipped with ground-fault circuit interrupter outlets.

Smoke Alarms: Be sure to have at least one smoke alarm per floor. Test each regularly. Some smoke alarms can be linked so that people on one floor are alerted if there is smoke detected on another floor.

Security: All doors accessible to the outside should have deadbolts or similar locking systems. Keep track of all house keys. Make sure spares are in a secure location – not under a flowerpot or doormat. Consider enrolling in a subscription-based security monitoring program.

Get Flood Insurance: Many people live in a potential flood zone! However, flood damage is often not covered by traditional insurance policies. Purchase flood insurance from a trusted insurance partner participating in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Keep these tips in mind when moving in or moving out. Because preparing for the unexpected can help protect you from the unimaginable.

Provided by:
Nationwide Insurance & Lowes

Tips for Making Your Home More Secure

You can make your home much less attractive to them by taking a few simple steps to make your home more secure. Most of these security measures are easy tasks and only require a few simple tools. A little free time is a small investment for your peace of mind.

1.) Installing a quality lockset not only adds to your home's beauty, but it also sends a message to would be intruders.

2.) Deadbolts are an inexpensive and effective way of adding security to exterior doors, and make great supplements to standard locksets.

3.) Adding a peephole allows you to see who's knocking before you open the door.

4.) To make your sliding patio doors more secure, cut a piece of closet rod to fit in the track behind the sliding door and adjust the track clearance so the doors can't be removed from their frame.

5.) Install keyed sash locks on your windows to make them more secure. If you like to let in fresh air, look for locks that also have a vent locking position.

6.) Low voltage lights are easy to install and provide an excellent, low-energy light source to highlight areas you don't want in shadow.

7.) Lights with motion detectors are a convenient and efficient source for outdoor security lighting. Well-positioned motion detectors make it virtually impossible for anyone to sneak up on your home.

8.) Security cameras are great for keeping an eye on children playing in the yard and they allow you to see who's coming to the door from inside your home.

9.) A storage shed with a good lock keeps your outdoor items organized and safe.

10.) Keep your hedges and foundation plants pruned so they don't hide potential entry points to your home. Overgrown plants offer intruders a place to hide while they attempt to break in.