The most common types of homeowners insurance claims vary depending on several factors, including the region, the type of property, and the policy coverage. However, here are some of the typical types of homeowners insurance claims:

• Water Damage: This includes claims related to burst pipes, plumbing leaks, appliance malfunctions, and water seepage.

• Fire Damage: Claims resulting from fires, whether they are caused by faulty wiring, cooking accidents, or natural disasters such as wildfires. Fire damage claims can involve the repair or rebuilding of the home and replacement of belongings.

• Wind and Hail Damage: These claims are common in areas prone to severe weather conditions like tornadoes and hailstorms. They may include roof damage, broken windows, and structural issues caused by high winds or hail.

• Theft and Burglary: Claims related to theft and burglary can involve stolen possessions, damage caused during break-ins, and sometimes even temporary accommodation expenses if the home is uninhabitable after the incident.

• Liability Claims: Homeowners insurance often includes liability coverage if someone is injured on your property. These claims may arise from slip and fall accidents, dog bites, or other injuries that occur on your premises.

• Vandalism: Claims resulting from vandalism, including graffiti, intentional property damage, or destruction caused by individuals.

It’s important to note that the specific coverage and claim types may vary based on your policy, so it’s essential to review your homeowners insurance policy and consult with your insurance provider for accurate information regarding your coverage.

Switching home insurance typically involves a few steps. Here’s a general guide to help you through the process:

1. Review your current policy: Take the time to understand your existing home insurance policy. Make note of the coverage, deductibles, limits, and any additional features or endorsements you have.
2. Assess your insurance needs: Evaluate your current situation to determine if your insurance needs have changed. Consider factors such as the value of your home, any renovations or additions, and changes in personal circumstances. This will help you find the right coverage when comparing insurance providers.
3. Get quotes: Contact multiple insurance providers to get quotes for comparable coverage based on your needs. You can usually request quotes online or by calling their customer service. Provide accurate information to get an accurate quote.
4. Purchase the new policy: Finalize the switch by purchasing the new home insurance policy. Provide all required information and make the necessary payment to initiate the coverage. Ensure there is no gap in coverage during the transition.
5. Notify your current insurer and cancel the old policy: Once you have your new policy in place, contact your previous insurer to cancel your old policy effective from the start date of your new policy. Confirm the cancellation process and any potential refund you might be eligible for.  Keep proof of cancellation for your records.

To get a quote or discuss how we can help you with switching, call us at (800) 234-2103 or get a free 30 second quote on westernmutual.com. 

Taking care of your home on a consistent basis can be time consuming, but cost saving and useful in the long run. Staying on top of home maintenance will help foster a safe, healthy and comfortable home for you and your family. We are here to help with a to-do list broken down into when and how often they should be completed.

Quarterly to-do list

• Check for pests and look for possible entry points into your home.
• Deep clean kitchen.
• Look for leaks around toilets and sinks.
• Inspect grout and caulking in shower and tubs.

Twice a year to-do list

• Wash windows and screens.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Clean gutters and downspouts.

Annual to-do list

• Have a licensed roofer inspect roof for damaged or loose shingles.
• Clean out dryer vent.
• Defrost freezer.
• Power wash and reseal deck.
• Have chimney inspected and cleaned.
• Check weather stripping around windows and doors.
• Flush water heater.

Always know where your main water shutoff and gas shutoff are in case of emergency.

For more tips or to learn about our A rated home insurance, visit http://www.westernmutual.com.

The sun is shining, the flowers are in bloom and the birds are chirping. It must mean that it’s springtime. Another sign that its springtime is the feeling that your home may need a thorough cleaning. Let us help you in this follow up to our outdoor spring-cleaning article. This time around we have compiled a list of a few spring-cleaning tips to refresh and renew the interior of your home.

Declutter – getting rid of unwanted or unused items in your house is a great place to start. This will give you more room and makes things easier to organize, and a less cluttered environment can help de-stress your mind. Having a garage sale, donating to places like Goodwill or other charitable organizations are useful solutions to getting rid of stuff you no longer need.

Deep clean the bathroom – you’ll want to make sure you have some good and durable cleaning supplies for this one including a toilet brush, scrub-free shower and tub cleaner, a sponge, glass cleaner, paper towels and rubber gloves. Spray and soak your tub shower and let it soak in for bit before wiping everything down. Spray the inside of the toilet with cleaner while scrubbing with the brush and then wipe the exterior with disinfectant wipes. Clean the mirror with glass cleaner and then wipe down the sink, faucet, and counter.

Deep clean the kitchen – the best equipment for cleaning the kitchen would be disinfectant wipes, sponges, a mop, vacuum, and broom. Use a wet sponge to wipe down the sink and counters as well as the exterior and interior of your appliances such as the stove, refrigerator, and microwave. Sweep the kitchen floor with a broom and use a vacuum with a nozzle attachment to get to those hard-to-reach areas in the cracks. Next, you’ll want to mop the kitchen floor to give it that clean and disinfected look and feel.

Dusting the entire house – using feather dusters and dry cloths to get rid of dust might not be the most effective way to go about it. This method can send the dust into the air you breathe inside your home and will eventually find its way back to the areas you dusted. Instead of the old-fashioned way of dusting, try using damp washcloths, microfiber cloths and a vacuum cleaner to trap the dust, so it doesn’t stay floating in the air. Another useful household item can help reduce dust in the home would be an air purifier so you can trap airborne particles.

For more home care tips, follow us on social media @westernmutual or visit us online at http://www.westernmutual.com.

Springtime is a time of renewal and refresh. That’s why it’s the perfect time of year to get started on a revitalizing your living space by cleaning and organizing. Balancing busy schedules with work and family might make you feel overwhelmed when trying to figure out a productive cleaning session. Having an organized list can go a long way to having a productive and orderly spring home cleaning session. Today we are going to give you a helpful list that focuses on the benefits of cleaning the exterior of you home.

• Inspect & clean out gutters – this is a great way to prevent serious water damage. Also, cleaning your gutters helps protect your roof because heavy blockage can cause them to break and damage your roof.

• Clean & organize garage – an organized garage space is obviously more aesthetically pleasing, but this creates a safer environment by reducing tripping hazards.

• Power wash siding – this is a great way to rid your siding of dirt and grime as well as harmful substances like fungi, mildew, bacteria. These substances can be quite harmful to the health of the occupants and can cause permanent damage to the house.

• Clean windows – the benefits of this one might seem obvious. Of course, your home will look better with spotless windows and being able to see out your window better because of removing smudges, dirt, stains, bug splatters etc. However, this cleaning task has safety and health benefits as well. Some of these benefits include decreasing allergens and unhealthy mold in your home, being able to spot window problems, stopping insects from entering and making nests in the home via the window.

• Power wash driveway – an often-overlooked cleaning task when it comes to long term benefits. A consistent power washing routine removes dirt and grime, stains, stops the spread of weeds, mildew, mold and other growths can cause long term damage.

For more home tips, follow us on social media @westernmutual or visit us at http://www.westernmutual.com.

Maintaining a clean home can be a challenge in general. Especially, if you have kids or pets. Adding on the rainy and stormy season can bring a new set of challenges. Being prepared can help with this daunting task.

Designate a spot to place shoes, rainboots, coats and umbrellas close to the front door – Removing wet or muddy items that you bring in from the rain, before going too far into the home will help leave some of the water and elements out of the rest of the home and help mitigate dirty or wet floors. Keep a shoe rack, umbrella holder, and a place to hang raincoats upon entry.

Clean with disinfectant regularly – Dampness in the home can increase the chances of mildew growing. Moisture is where microbes and bacteria tend to thrive. It’s important to disinfect the wet floors and surfaces as well as making sure to dry them.

Maintain clog free drains – Make sure your exterior drainage system is allowing for rainwater to pass and not collect around the outside of the house will help prevent flooding and excess water or mud around the home.

Check for leaks – Doors and windows can develop small leaks especially during heavy wind driven rain. Thoroughly inspect the area around doors, windows, skylights during and after rain storms for wet spots or stains.

If you found these tips helpful, please share with friends and family! For more rain and home tips, follow us on social media.

Here comes the rain! Is your home as prepared as it could be to handle the rain and storms of fall and winter? Here are a few easy tasks that can help protect your home from damage during heavy rains.

1. Clean out your gutters and downspouts. All those falling leaves from the year can clog up your gutters and prevent your home from successfully draining away excess water, potentially leading to leaks.
2. Take a look at skylights, windows, doorframes for any noticeable water entry or deterioration. if necessary reseal any window or doorframes. These will fare much better if addressed before a big storm!
3. Have a licensed roofer take a look at your roof for any potential leaks and replace any missing or damaged tiles. This could save you from a time consuming and costly roof leak or water loss.
4. Trim away any overhanging trees or shrubs that could cause house damage in winds an rain.
5. Always have an emergency kit including flashlights on hand in case of loss of power.

If you want to review your coverages or policy information, visit our Customer Service Center at https://www.westernmutual.com/policy or call us at (800) 234-2103.

How do you know if you have one? Look at your main gas meter for a small device that looks like the one in the photo above. If you don’t have one and want to install one, you must only install a state approved device and it must be done by a licensed plumber for safety.

While anti-virus technology is constantly evolving, email phishing scams and online identity theft has increased dramatically in recent years. Here are a few ways to help spot a phishing scam.

1. Look at the email address sending. Misspelled or uncommon domain names, or numbers inside the domain. Ex. john@miss10n.com, john@mission.nexx, john@missionnnn.com
2. Suspicious attachments asking you to click from email addresses you don’t know. Always double check you know who the email is from before you click an attachment.
3. Emails requesting login information, credentials, or sensitive and private data.
4. Urgent calls to action or threats.

If you receive a phishing email do not open any links and report to your email provider.

It’s officially August and we are officially slow (or fast) marching towards fall and the new school year. Time to make those last minute summer plans and start or finish checking off your summer fun must dos. While we may have the summer heat a few more months, here are some ideas for the last glorious weekends of official summer.

• Backyard Grill and Chill – Family, neighbors or friends or all of the above, one of our top summer musts is the backyard grilling and chilling with our favorite people and community.
• Beach Day – or Lake Day Pack up the car with your favorite beach games, boogie boards, snacks, an umbrella and beach chair and don’t forget the sunscreen.
• Summer Roadtrip – Don’t forget to lock up the house and ask a trusted neighbor to keep an eye on your home.
• Me Day – Lounging around the home, reading, hitting the spa, whatever recharges you
• Outdoor Community Event – Summer outdoor concerts, movies in the park, Community picnic – there are always outdoor summer local events that are can’t miss.
• Ice Cream – It’s cold, sweet, and delicious, if you haven’t had an ice cream cone by now is it even summer?

Tell us, have you already filled your summer and enjoyed all the fun? Or are you still scrambling to enjoy these last few weekends?