Umbrella Insurance in Bremerton, WA

8 Scenarios That Would Warrant an Umbrella Insurance Policy

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Umbrella Insurance in Bremerton, WAThere are many scenarios that would warrant the need for an umbrella insurance policy. We outline a few of them here.

Example #1: Your teenage daughter is babysitting the neighbor kids and leaves the house for a moment to run to the store. When she returns, one of the children is badly injured and requires surgery. The child’s medical bills exceed $300,000. The parents of the children sue you to cover the medical bills.

Example #2: Your son dislikes his gym class as well as the teacher. He goes on social media and writes some very reproachful comments about the teacher that leave him in a bad light. The teacher sues and is awarded $500,000.

Example #3: Your 17 year old child decides to pick up some friends and go “cruising” in your car. He loses control of the vehicle while showing off how fast the minivan is. Each child is critically injured. Your umbrella policy helps cover the medical bills.

Example #4: You invite friends over to your home to celebrate the 4th of July. You provide all the entertainment, food and refreshments, including alcohol. One friend who is known for drinking too much, does just that, gets in his car and drives home getting in a terrible car accident that kills one person. The family sues you and you’re found to be liable for serving the friend too much alcohol.

Example #5: Your rental property’s deck is rotted and your tenant falls through it badly injuring their leg and requiring reconstructive surgery. A jury awards the tenant $750,000 for damages.

Example #6: You host a wedding on your property and rent a bouncy house. The house is not staked down and blows away in the wind with children inside of it. The kids are fine, but you’re sued for negligence. The families of the children are awarded $100,000 each for mental and post-traumatic stress.

Example #7: Your dog gets out viciously attacks the neighbors show dog. The dog can no longer show because it has scars and a limp. You’re sued for loss of income and a jury awards the dog owner $450,000.

Example #8: You’re the “cool mom” and agree to buy your kids and their friends alcohol if they promise to stay at the house. One of the friends leaves the house and is killed in an accident. He is found to be intoxicated. The parents of the child sue you for providing them with alcohol. A jury awards $2 million.

There are countless situations that can occur and exhaust your current liability limits on your home or auto insurance policy. The good news is that umbrella insurance policies are relatively inexpensive. Contact an agent at our office for your personalized umbrella insurance quote today.

H&K Agency Inc. is a no-fee independent insurance agent specializing in property and vehicle insurance designed to fit your needs. We represent a variety of top insurance companies in Washington State who offer terrific coverage at the best prices.  Our services are available throughout Port Orchard WA, Bremerton WA, Silverdale WA, and the surrounding areas. For all of your personal insurance needs, give our knowledgeable agents a call at (360) 377-7645.

Wildfire Prevention in Bremerton, WA

How to Protect Your Home & Property from Wildfires

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Wildfire Prevention in Bremerton, WAWildfires occur every year and summer season is also known as fire season. Each year millions of acres across the country are scorched by both nature as well as human caused fire. By knowing how to minimize losses, human caused fires can drastically decrease with the proper education. Use these simple steps.

Equipment or toys can spark a wildfire

Lawn mowers, weed-eaters, chain saws, welders, tractors, dirt bikes, and more can all cause sparks. Don’t mow dry grass or weeds. When you are maintaining your yard, avoid dry yard debris buildup.

If you are using a tractor, dirt bike or welder, avoid driving or using your welder near dry grass or brush.

Keeping your Home Safe from Wildfire Damage

Use fire-resistant building material for your home.

The roof and exterior surface need to be composed of non-combustible or fire resistant materials. This would include brick, stone, aluminum, tile, sheet iron, asphalt or slate. If your home is composed of wood or cedar, consider this a risk. Homes that are located in especially fire prone areas can escape damage by being entirely built of concrete and stone.

Maintain Your Roof

When your roof is filled with leaves, pine needles, branches, moss, you are increasing your risk for wildfire damage. Be sure to avoid letting these items collect on your roof.

Keep your Property Free of Dead Plants or Trees

Tree branches should be kept to a height of 15 feet. Also, be sure tree branches aren’t near your chimney. If a branch is within 10 feet of the flue opening of the stove or chimney, remove it.

Keeping things like sheds and wood piles at least 30 feet away from your home helps reduce the chances of a fire jumping from one structure to the next.

It is important to understand the limits of your insurance policies as many natural disasters like floods or earthquakes require a special insurance policy while wildfires are generally covered under the comprehensive portion of a homeowner’s insurance policy. The price of the policy may be higher if you live in an area that is prone to yearly fires or if a fire station is far away.

H&K Agency Inc. is a no-fee independent insurance agent specializing in property and vehicle insurance designed to fit your needs. We represent a variety of top insurance companies in Washington State who offer terrific coverage at the best prices.  Our services are available throughout Port Orchard WA, Bremerton WA, Silverdale WA, and the surrounding areas. For all of your personal insurance needs, give our knowledgeable agents a call at (360) 377-7645.

Five reasons to have a local, independent insurance agent

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There are many ways to shop for car insurance, home insurance and more. With the advancement of technology, not only do you have more ways to shop, but you can do it on your own time. However, insurance is a complicated product. It isn’t as easy as going to a site like Amazon or Ebay and selecting what color you want. Local independent agents offer more, and in most cases, pricing will not be cheaper if you decide to purchase online. Several reasons to purchase insurance locally include:

  • Insurance agents are discount detectives. Insurance agents WANT to help you save money. By choosing a local independent agent in Bremerton, WA, you not only are getting a local professional, but the best rates available to you. Agents know that price is important when shopping for insurance, so they will work to win your business.
  • Multiple companies to choose from. Because they’re independent insurance agent, they represent many companies, not just one like a captive Allstate or Farmer’s agent. If you call an 800# to get your insurance, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Call a local independent insurance agent and get quoted through multiple companies all at once, in the same time it takes you to get just one quote by calling a direct writer like Geico.
  • Can change companies as you change. Buy a home or get married? Maybe the company you’re with now isn’t the best solution for you anymore. The great thing about having an independent insurance agent on your side is they can move you to a company that better fits your new situation. Maybe bundling your home and auto insurance make better sense with another carrier.
  • Knowledge. Let’s be honest… how many of you can explain the differences in: Comprehensive, Bodily Injury, UMBI, UMPD, PIP, Medpay or how much fungus coverage you get on your homeowner’s policy? It is so important to have a local insurance agent because they can help you understand these things and counsel you on what options are best for you.
  • One-Stop-Shopping. Home, Auto, Life, Health, Motorcycle, Business, Farm, Commercial and more, all at one place! Your independent insurance agent can help you with all of your insurance needs so you don’t need to remember where each product is.

So, if you’re looking for insurance in Bremerton, Port Orchard or Silverdale, WA call the insurance professionals at H & K Insurance.