Protect Your Business From Hurricane Damage

Posted by B3X2lG9n0X3 on

NJ Business Insurance | Hurricane Damage Protection

NJ Business Insurance | Hurricane Damage Protection

It’s easy to relax and feel very little, if any threat from a hurricane when your business isn’t directly on the coast. But just because major hurricanes don’t hit your area of NJ often, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared when it does.  All it takes is one, and in Bergen County NJ it’s not if we will have to deal with a hurricane, but when. With that in mind there are steps to protect your business from hurricane damage and get the most out of your NJ business insurance.

The best way to recover from a disaster smoothly is to have a plan in place ahead of time. Performing a business impact analysis is the first step to a solid recovery plan. Considered the impact to every department and every process of your business that has the potential to be disrupted should your area be hit by a hurricane. Does your NJ business insurance cover all your vulnerabilities?

Once you have your business impact analysis set, then perform a pre-loss assessment. This will keep you from being caught off guard by the potentially high costs of being hit by a hurricane or any natural disaster. This will also help you to not rush to any poor decisions in the heat of the moment like getting price gouged by unscrupulous contractors. Calling a professional restoration company to perform the pre-loss assessment for you can get you solid estimates for different repair scenarios. This ultimately allows you the ability to know exactly how much, and what kind of NJ business insurance you really need.

One of the best pieces of advice we could give you on steps to protect your business from hurricane damage, is to partner with a contractor you trust ahead of any weather events. Establishing a trusting relationship with a contractor allows you to save time and money. They know if you are hit with a hurricane that they are already hired to do the restoration work. You already know what they will charge. With these details already in place you will be on the road to opening your doors back up in much less time than if you had to go through a hiring process. You are also guaranteed an experience restoration expert will be on the job.

One final piece of advice on steps you can take to protect your business from hurricane damage, is to create a response plan, and practice it with your employees. Set up a system of communication so you are easily able to reach employees, customers and emergency services. It is important to your business to be able to have the lines of communication open as soon as possible. If nothing else, you will want to check and make sure everyone is okay. Once that is established, you can then get down to planning out when employees will be able to get back to work. A phone, text or email chain work best in these situations. Also plan a meeting place in the event all lines are down. It is important that every employee understand the response plan and are able to follow all the steps.

There is nothing you can do to avoid your business being hit by a storm like a hurricane. But when you think ahead and follow steps to protect your business from hurricane damage, you can limit the loss and stress in the days and weeks to follow.

 

Questions To Ask When Buying Homeowners Insurance In NJ

Posted by B3X2lG9n0X3 on

Questions To Ask When Buying Homeowners Insurance In NJ

Whether you are a first time home buyer in NJ or you are looking to update your current homeowners insurance policy, it is important to begin by choosing a trusted company who has a long track record of happy customers. When you choose the right company to insure your home, you can sit down and talk through all the important issues that need to be taken into consideration when covering your home. Here are important questions to ask when buying homeowners insurance.

What Is The House Worth?

First, you need to decide on the home’s insurance value. This is based on what it would cost to rebuild the house, not the market value of the house. You can work with your agent to figure this out by using tools that consider the size and building materials used in the home.

What Is My Deductible?

You will have to choose your deductible amount when choosing a homeowners policy. You can save money on premiums by choosing a higher deductible amount. This also ensures that you will not be making several small claims, keeping you a more attractive customer and lessening the chances of being dropped by the insurer. Just be sure that with a high deductible, you have an emergency fund available to cover you.

Do I Need Flood Insurance?

Flood insurance will not be covered in a standard homeowners policy. If your home is at risk of flooding, you can buy flood insurance through your homeowners insurance agent. At Bogle, we can help you acquire flood insurance. If you have a mortgage on your home, the mortgage company may require you to have flood insurance if the home is at risk. This includes many areas in New Jersey.

Are The Contents Of My Home Covered?

Homeowners insurance will automatically cover your possessions up to a percentage of your home’s insurance value. Many time this percentage will be set at 75%. So by that logic, if you are insured for $200,000 you automatically will have your possessions covered up to $150,000. There may be a lower limit for items such as jewelry. Therefore, if you have a high amount of valuables, you may want to add some additional coverage for them. To streamline a claims process, inventory the contents of your home and keep that list updated. You can do this with photos and/or videos of each room. That way, if you have an incident you will know exactly what is missing or damaged.

At Bogle Agency Insurance, we have been in business for nearly 100 years with a long track record as a trusted NJ insurance company. Contact us today to talk about your homeowner’s policies!

 

Basic Preparation Tips Will Reduce Flood Insurance Claims

Posted by B3X2lG9n0X3 on

Basic Preparation Tips Will Reduce Flood Insurance Claims

Basic Preparation Tips Will Reduce Flood Insurance Claims

Although floods can happen at any time, and for any number of reasons including failed dams, new construction and even droughts, there is no better time to seriously assess your flood insurance coverage than hurricane season. Most flood insurance policies take at least 30 days to kick in so you’ll want to be sure that you get yours in place right away. Once in place, you still will want to take safeguards to insure you prevent the need to make any claims. Following these basic preparation tips will reduce flood insurance claims.

The first thing to do is to prepare your property for a flood. Even just a few inches of water can cause thousands of dollars in damage. So, by taking just a few minutes to prepare your property you can greatly reduce the damage that would be done by a flood. Simple things like clearing your gutters, and keeping trees and bushes trimmed go a long way against wind and running waters. Another important, yet overlooked tip is placing your furnace, water heater, washer and dryer up on blocks at least 12 inches above the flood levels.

Creating a list of important personal possessions and documents, and placing them in a safe location that will remain dry during a flood is the next important step to take. Things like insurance policies and agents contact information, household and business related documents, financial records, birth certificates, marriage licenses and major purchase receipts are the kind of things you will be happy to have safe when they are needed.

While you have taken the very important steps to secure your property and possessions, the most important thing to protect is your family. Creating an emergency family plan is the key to staying safe and calm during a natural disaster. Make sure if you have small children they understand when to call 911 and how to do it. Keeping all emergency numbers next the phone also helps keep any panic to a minimum.  Keeping first aid items and water well stocked in the home reduces the need to leave the house during unsafe conditions. If it is necessary to leave the home during a disaster, work out an emergency route and meeting place with your family.

It does not take much time, money or effort to put these safeguards in place. You will be grateful that you did if the unfortunate time comes that your home and family face a disaster. But following these basic preparation tips will reduce flood insurance claims, and keep your home as untouched by disaster as possible.