When the economy takes a down turn, insurance agents usually see an increase in the number of theft claims reported. While we wish that no one had to experience a robbery, here are some tips to make your claim go more smoothly.

-Know your coverage! In most cases a standard Homeowners policy only includes a minimal amount of coverage for commonly stolen items such as fine arts, electronics, and jewelry. You might need to schedule these types of belongings for a specific amount of coverage. Or you may have to insure them on their own policy if they can't be covered on your Homeowners insurance.
-File a police report immediately. This is going to be required by the insurance company to document the theft. 
-Take pictures of any damage to the building before you have it repaired. Your first instinct is to secure your home against future break-ins, but before you have the window replaced or the door repaired, document the damage. You can then submit them with the receipt to the claims adjustor to be included in the claim.
- Although it may be impossible to know everything that was taken, try to give the police an itemized list for the police report. You may even have to file an amended report after you have time to take a full inventory. The reason behind this is that he list of items that you present to the insurance company should match the items listed on the police report. For example, if your list says "movies," but the police report says "video games," the insurance company may refuse to pay for movies.

-Include as much detail as you can. Instead of the police report indicating "various games and movies" were stolen, give the police the number of games/movies that are missing, and the names and titles of as many of them as you can remember. The more information you can provide to the claims adjustor, the more likely he will be able to reimburse you.
-Catalog your personal property! Whether its by taking pictures of your household items, or by scanning digital copies of receipts, the more the better. Because insurance fraud is a growing problem in Florida, insurance companies want to see proof of ownership before they can include it in a claim. Do you have pictures of yourself wearing the missing jewelry? Do you have the original packaging for your gaming system or laptop? Do you have the jewel cases for DVD's and video games? Did you keep the instruction manual for the digital camera? Keep these types of things together in a safe place. If you take pictures you can email them to yourself so you can access them from another location (don't just keep them on the laptop in case that is taken in the burglary.) Or bring them to your insurance agent and see if they will keep them in your file.
Claims are never enjoyable since they start out with damage or theft to your property. But with some planning, you can help to make the claims process less painful so you can get back to normal faster.

The 2011 hurricane season is starting, and we urge all of our friends and neighbors to be prepared. You can review Hillsborough County's 2011 Hurricane Guide at http://www.tbrpc.org/tampabaydisaster/hurricane_guide2011/HG_2011.html

I got a SR22 but don’t own a car.  How do I get my license status corrected?

Staged Auto Accidents- Tampa #1

Do I need car rental?

Did you know that if a hurricane or tropical storm is developing around Florida, most auto companies will not allow you to add Comprehensive or Collision coverage to your existing policy or reduce the deductible?  Also, you cannot start a policy that includes  Comprehensive and Collision coverage  during this time.  You can start a liability only policy.

What is a SR22?

It is common knowledge that homeowners have seen the market values of their properties drop drastically in recent years. Homes in the same neighborhood are selling at a fraction of the price for which they were purchased. With everyone tightening their budget, it is no wonder that we frequently get calls to lower Homeowners Insurance coverage to match the decreased value of the home. Many people are suprised to find out that this isn't always possible to do.

A typical Homeowners policy (HO3) automatically covers the dwelling for "Replacement Cost." Although your home may not be 'worth' much on the market, you depend on your insurance policy to replace your home with new materials in the event of a claim.  This means that the insurance company has to take into consideration the worst case scenario in which the existing structure has to be torn down, the debris removed, and a new house built with brand new matierals.  Insurance companies rely on cost estimating programs to determine the approximate replacement value of each home. Despite the drop in market value, most of the values for the cost estimators haven't changed. You might think that since the economy is so slow and there are so many contractors out of work, the cost of new construction would be cheaper than it was in years past. But keep in mind that a major storm event could dramatically increase demand and reduce supply. Even though many people feel the current replacement cost estimates are unfairly inflated, they could find themselves under-insured in the aftermath of a category 5 hurricane that wiped out the local lumber yards and home improvement stores.

If you truly feel you are over-insured, you can ask your agent to do an updated replacement cost estimate of your home. However, don't expect the result to mirror the current market value of your home. After all, the market value is affected by age, condition, and location. The Homeowners policy is designed to replace the home with a new one.

 Having a claim is already a stressful situation. Running into problems along the way only makes matters worse. The best thing that you can do to avoid extra frustration is to review your policy BEFORE a claim and make sure the information on it is correct.

If a city water line bursts and results in a flood to your property,  is there coverage under your homeowner policy for the damage?............No  it is not.
A flood can result from a water source other than storm and hurricane activity.   This type damage would also be covered with a flood policy. 
A flood is "A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties (at least one of which is your property)