Does My Home Insurance Cover Flooding in Inlet Beach, FL?

Flooding is a concern for any homeowner, especially in coastal areas like Inlet Beach, FL. And while your home insurance policy may cover some water damage, it’s essential to understand that flooding is typically not included. That’s why it’s so important to have a separate flood insurance policy in place.

What is Flood Insurance?

Flood insurance is a type of coverage specifically designed to protect your home and belongings from damage caused by flooding. While your standard home insurance policy may cover some water damage, it typically excludes damage caused by flooding. That’s why it’s so important to have a separate flood insurance policy in place.

What Does Flood Insurance Cover?

Flood insurance can help protect your home and belongings from the damage caused by flooding. It can cover the cost of repairs to your home and replacing any damaged belongings. Many policies also pay for the total loss of your home up to your policy’s limit.

Do I Need Flood Insurance?

Flood insurance is not required by law, but it is required by most mortgage lenders if you live in a high-risk area. That’s because floods can happen anywhere, and the damage they cause can be significant. Even if you don’t live in a high-risk area, it’s still a good idea to have flood insurance.

How Much Does Flood Insurance Cost?

The cost of flood insurance depends on several factors, including the value of your home and belongings, the amount of coverage you need, and the deductible you choose. A Dune Lakes Insurance agent can help you determine the right coverage for your needs and get you the best rate possible.

For more information on flood insurance, contact Dune Lakes Insurance today. We’re here to help you find the coverage you need to protect your home and belongings.

What Does Home Insurance Cover?

The house you own may be the most significant investment of time and money you will make in your lifetime. You will want to do anything in your power to protect your home, and one of the things you can do is to ensure that you have an adequate amount of home insurance. The agents at Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL want you to know and understand everything that home insurance covers.

In Florida, homeowner’s insurance is not required, but if you have a mortgage on your home through a bank or some other type of lender, you are more than likely required to have an active home insurance policy to protect your lender’s investment in your home. Even if you do not owe money on your home, having a home insurance policy is imperative in case something does happen. As the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

What Does Home Insurance Cover?

Your home insurance policy will cover the structure of your house itself. This is very important if your house is damaged by a fire, vandalism, or even some natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado. A home insurance policy will also help you replace any personal belongings you might lose due to one of these events, as well as your furniture, appliances, and other things you have in your home. Your policy will likely include theft incidents so that you can replace items that may get stolen due to a burglary or similar incident. Most home insurance policies cover outbuildings like a garage, decks, and even your shed.

Contact a Home Insurance Agent

To secure the proper amount of home insurance, you should contact a home insurance agent who is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and experienced when it comes to home insurance policies. The agents at Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL are ready to assist you, so call for a quote and appointment today to get your home insurance policy started!

Why do Florida businesses need to have commercial insurance?

When you are in the Inlet Beach, FL area, you can find that the region of the state is a great place to start a business. If you want to be a business owner in this area, it is vital that you protect your business with insurance. Generally, having full coverage can protect your organization and is required. Companies should invest in a full commercial insurance plan for various reasons. 

Cover any Business Assets

An important reason to have a commercial insurance plan in this part of Florida is to ensure your business assets are appropriately covered. Any company that is looking to grow in this region will want to have proper assets to help support growth and operations. If you have a commercial insurance policy, it will give the coverage needed to ensure these critical assets are protected. 

Reduce Liability Risks

It is also an excellent option to have a commercial insurance plan to offset and reduce liability risks. If you own a business, there is always a chance that you could be named in a liability claim. A great way to mitigate this risk is by investing in a commercial insurance plan that includes a liability insurance provision. This will help ensure you and your business are supported if found liable for an accident that results in damages for another party.

It is always helpful to have commercial insurance when running a business in the Inlet Beach, FL area. When you are ready to start looking for coverage in this region, calling the team with Dune Lakes Insurance is a great way to start. The professionals with Dune Lakes Insurance will give the support needed to select a plan that will adequately protect your organization. 

5 Times You Might Need Umbrella Insurance

Most people are familiar with the basic types of insurance, such as health, car, and homeowners insurance. But there is one type of insurance that many people don’t know about: umbrella insurance. Umbrella insurance is designed to provide additional coverage beyond the limits of your other policies. Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL offers you this guide on when you might need umbrella insurance. 

5 Times You Might Need Umbrella Insurance

1. You Have Valuable Assets

It’s not just the rich who need to be concerned with protecting their assets. Anyone with a substantial amount of assets should consider how those assets could be exposed in an accident, lawsuit, or other unexpected events. For example, if you were to cause a serious accident that resulted in the death of another person, your personal assets and any business or investment interests you have could be at risk.

2. You Have Teenage Drivers in Your Household

If you have kids who are just learning to drive, it’s important to make sure that they, and others on the road with them, are protected. If a teenager causes an accident due to inexperience or negligence, you could be sued for damages beyond the limits of your auto insurance. Having an additional coverage step such as umbrella insurance can help protect you from unexpected costs.

3. You Are a Business Owner

If you own a small business, it’s important to have adequate coverage in the event of an accident or lawsuit. Your general liability insurance may not be enough to protect your interests fully. Umbrella insurance can provide an extra layer of protection for your business and its assets.

4. You Frequently Travel

If you travel often for work or pleasure, you may be exposed to additional risks. For example, if you were to cause an accident while driving in another state, your auto insurance policy may not cover the full amount of damages. In this case, umbrella insurance would provide the extra coverage you need.

5. You Participate in Recreational Activities

If you or your family enjoy sports and other activities that can pose an injury or damage risk, it’s important to have adequate insurance coverage. For example, if you are an avid golfer and injure someone with your golf ball, you could be sued for damages. If you have umbrella insurance, you would be protected against any costs that exceed the limits of your golf or general liability insurance.

Get Umbrella Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL 

Umbrella insurance can help protect you from unexpected costs in various situations. Whether you have valuable assets, teenage drivers, or a business to protect, umbrella insurance can provide the extra coverage you need to stay protected. Dune Lakes Insurance offers affordable umbrella insurance policies that can help safeguard your interests and assets. To learn more, call us today.

What are the Benefits of Flood Insurance?

Did you know that many Americans strongly believe that only those regions that are designated as flood-prone areas can only experience flooding? That is a misplaced misconception because everywhere it rains, it can flood. That said, it’s pivotal to consider buying a flood insurance policy from Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL.

Are you still having doubts about flood insurance? Here are the reasons why you should invest in flood insurance.

Protection of assets.

Do you ever think of how much your home cost? Probably thousands, if not millions of dollars! Your dwelling is one of the most precious investments in your lifetime. As such, it warrants solidified protection from imminent calamities. This coverage safeguards you from incurring costly out-of-pocket repairs. Flood insurance covers your building’s walls, roof, floor, permanent fixtures, and other areas listed in your policy.

To safeguard your family and loved ones.

Nothing is comforting like getting assured that your family and loved ones are protected if unexpected disaster strikes. Home is a safe destination for your family and pets. If floods transpire today, your family and loved ones might encounter the challenge of being relegated to homelessness. To avert these troubling moments for your loved ones, procure flood insurance to ensure that you revert to normal after flood damage.

Provision of peace of mind.

The unpredictability of weather exposes one to the likelihood of a given calamity striking at any given moment without prior warning. Unprecedented menace like flooding manifests itself with devastating effects. Therefore, the only way to wipe these worries whenever a storm is looming is by purchasing flood insurance to offer financial protection during unforeseen events.

Flooding is one of the most devastating perils experienced in America, including in Inlet Beach, FL. Luckily, you can protect your home and loved ones with flood insurance. Ready to get started with flood insurance? Don’t hesitate to contact our agents at Dune Lakes Insurance today.

What Parts Make Up a Homeowners Insurance Policy?

When most people think about homeowners insurance, the first thing that comes to mind is the standard policy. However, there are several different parts that make up a standard policy. They include:

1. Dwelling Coverage

The dwelling coverage goes toward the current structure of your home. This includes the walls, foundation, roof, and other parts attached to it. The cost to rebuild your entire house is factored into this category as well, because it would be needed if you were to file a claim for this part of your policy. However, some causes of loss, such as earthquakes, floods, and poor maintenance, are not covered.

2. Personal Property Coverage

The personal property coverage goes toward the stuff you own and keeps inside your home. This includes furniture, appliances, clothes, and all other items that aren’t attached to your house or held together in any way. If something were to happen to these things and you had them insured, then they would be paid for by this portion of your policy.

3. Liability Coverage

The liability coverage goes towards the legal cost of defending yourself if you are sued by someone injured while on your property or if they injure themselves and decide to sue you for damages. It also pays for any medical expenses they might have should this happen.

4. Additional Living Expense Coverage

If something happens to your home and you are forced to move out, this coverage goes toward paying for your living expenses until you return home. If necessary, it could be used for temporary housing costs or even eating in a restaurant.

There are many different things that make up a homeowners policy. To know exactly what it covers, you will need to read through the fine print of your particular policy before buying it. Are you in Inlet Beach, FL? Contact Dune Lakes Insurance today to learn more about this! We can also help homeowners find the right policy for their needs.

Commercial Insurance: Let’s Talk Liability

Attention business owners of Inlet Beach, FL! Are your commercial liability policies up to date? An accurate assessment of your liability insurance requirements is vital. The folks at Dune Lakes Insurance are available to help you assess your liability needs.

Liability is one of two main aspects of commercial insurance (the other is property insurance) and provides financial protection and compensation against the loss or damage to someone else’s property or for injuries sustained while on your premises or while using your product.

Any business with employees in FL is required to carry workmen’s compensation insurance, aka employer liability insurance. This type of liability insurance provides financial cover if an employee should be injured while working. Depending on the policy structure, this may provide cover for medical bills, loss of income benefits, and even protection from lawsuits brought by the employee against the employer for work-related injuries.

Small businesses will sometimes purchase some called a business owner’s policy (BOP). This policy may include aspects of cover for liability, property, and commercial auto insurance. Commercial auto insurance specifically should have its own liability section.

Another type of liability insurance for businesses is commercial general liability insurance. This type of liability insurance is for bodily injury (BI), and property damage (PD) claims.

Commercial umbrella insurance is an unusual type of commercial insurance that sits above your primary policy and is usually for liability claims over and above the norm and is normally used when your main liability policies are exhausted.

Dune Lakes Insurance serving Inlet Beach, FL is there to help you navigate your liability insurance requirements. Speak to a consultant today and make sure you are adequately covered for liability.

What is Umbrella Insurance?

When shopping for insurance, whether it is for your home, automobile, or even your business, you may be quite confused. There are so many different plans, with different costs, making it even harder to choose. 

You may also be given the option to add umbrella insurance to your plan. You may be wondering exactly what it is. 

Personal umbrella insurance will go above and beyond your normal insurance plan. You can’t get umbrella insurance by itself. Instead, it works with your insurance to give you extra coverage. 

Since most plans have a limit to how much they will pay, you may want to look into an umbrella plan. Once the cost to repair your home or your medical bills get to a certain point, your insurance won’t have to cover anything else. If you can’t afford to spend an extra few thousand dollars if your car is totaled or your home needs major repairs, you may want the extra protection that you get from an umbrella plan. 

Those that have expensive property, such as art and jewelry, may also want to take an umbrella policy out on them. If someone breaks into your home and takes your property, your homeowner’s insurance may only cover so much when it comes to replacing your possessions. It may not cover the ten thousand dollar necklace that you love so much! 

Umbrella insurance is just some extra insurance to make sure that you are covered, just in case. It will cover extra medical bills or property damage once your regular insurance reaches the limit.

If you are unsure about whether you need umbrella insurance, you should speak to a professional. Here at Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL, we would be glad to talk to you about your needs. 

Florida Flood Insurance – Are Condos Covered Under Flood Insurance?

Florida is one of the most beautiful states to live in as we have generally wonderful weather almost year-round.  But, as with virtually all places around the world, there’s always a flip side to beautiful climates.  For example, In southern California, you always have the risk of wildfires and earthquakes. 

For Florida, the big flip side is the proximity to water and with it, tropical storms and hurricanes.  A vast majority of these storms that form out in the Atlantic Ocean do end up missing Florida.  But, there’s always that chance that there’s a direct hit from a storm and with it comes high winds and heavy rains.  For this reason alone, flood insurance is highly recommended for any dwelling.  Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL offers flood insurance for condos and other types of dwellings.

Condominiums

If you own a condominium, chances are that your HOA (Homeowners Association) does not provide flood insurance for the buildings.  You can, however, purchase flood insurance to protect your individual unit from flood water damage.  The actual structure itself may not be protected in the event of a flood, but at the very least, your items will be protected due to the flood insurance coverage.

Keep Everything Itemized!

It’s a good working practice to keep a booklet that lists everything inside your condominium.  List everything from articles of clothing to cutlery inside your kitchen drawers.  Don’t keep this booklet inside your condo as the booklet could be damaged in the event of a flood.  You should keep this booklet someplace safe at a different location.  A good place for it would be a Safe Deposit Box at your local bank or a PO Box at your local Post Office.  Also, keep the booklet inside a double or triple-sealed freezer bag or better yet, if you have a food bag sealing device, use that to seal the booklet up.  If you want to be extra safe, you can seal another bag over the sealed bag to offer up twice the protection.  This is protection in case the alternate location (post office, bank, etc.) also floods during the same storm event.  

More Information

If you would like to learn more about flood insurance for condos, please contact Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL today!

Protect Yourself Financially With Home Insurance

Home insurance is one of the most important policies that you need. If you’re a homeowner, there should never be a time that your house isn’t covered by home insurance. It offers many ways to protect you financially. If you need home insurance, give us a call at Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL. 

Covering Your House

When you own a house, it comes with a number of risks. One is that an incident like a disaster or accident can cause major damage to your home. A big enough event can even destroy a home and make rebuilding necessary. That’s one reason why people rely on the protection they get from home insurance. As long as the inciting event was covered, it will pay for the repairs needed and even for the rebuilding. Without insurance, every bit of that would have to come from your pocket. Home insurance provides powerful protection in these instances. 

Protection for Your Possessions

Try to think about all of the possessions that you have inside your house. They add up to an enormous value overall, but they could be at risk for disasters and other incidents that can ruin them. An accident or calamity could ruin what you have inside your house, or even destroy much of it if not all. Home insurance protects you from having to repair everything on your own dime. It pays for you to replace your ruined items with new ones. 

Liability Protection

Another part of your home insurance policy is coverage for liability. If someone were to fall or otherwise get hurt on your property, you could be liable for all of the resulting medical bills plus lost wages and more. Home insurance protects you from those costs. 

Get Home Insurance

If you need home insurance, contact us at Dune Lakes Insurance in Inlet Beach, FL.