Boost Home Insurance During Christmas & Holidays

Practicing Holiday Safety Can Reduce Home Insurance Costs

By Meha Ahmad, InsuranceAgents.com Staff Writer

During the holiday season, homeowners should think twice before shrugging off the importance of updating their home insurance policy. If you think you pay too much for your current policy as it is, consider comparing home insurance quotes.  Get rates free & compare.  Keep this in mind, when you reduce your home insurance cost, you put money directly in your pocket since most insurance policy premiums are rolled into your mortgage.  Compare rates now and see how much extra you'll have for Christmas, it's free!

Holidays-particularly Christmas-pose a higher home insurance risk for homeowners. It's supposed to be a holiday of family and warmth, but can be an opportunity for a disastrous home fire and other causes of property damage and personal injury.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Christmas Eve and Christmas are among the top days for home candle fires and contribute to as much as 16,000 holiday home fires annually in the U.S. Homeowners should consider the Christmas and general holiday season as a chance to update their home insurance policy. They should also include extra home insurance coverage to the policy, even if it's just temporary, in case a Christmas disaster isn't fully covered by the original policy.

While fire can be the No. 1 concern for home insurance policyholders, there are other factors to worry about. Here are just a few questions you should ask yourself: Is it possible for relatives visiting for the holidays to get hurt on my property? If so, does my home insurance policy have enough liability coverage? What if something valuable breaks-does my home insurance policy cover that? Do I need to add the new Christmas presents to my home insurance? Will the coverage be affordable?

Top 10 Christmas Tips to Reduce Home Insurance

By incorporating just a few safety tips into your holiday, you can significantly reduce the risk of property and financial loss to you, as well as slash your home insurance costs. Here are 10 tips that will positively affect your home insurance:

1. Invest in homeowner-friendly décor . Use flame-retardant/fire-resistant/non-combustible decorations.
2. Place candles in safe areas and NOT near dangling decorations, or anywhere near the Christmas tree. In fact, avoid decorating with candles at all if you can avoid it.
3. Don't overload extension cords . It's a careless mistake that will lead to a headache of a home insurance claim.
4. Be cautious when changing bulbs . If you need to change that one flickering bulb in the strand of lights, UNPLUG THE LIGHTS FIRST.
5. Keep pets away from the décor , to eliminate the chance of pet-related property damage or home fires.
6. Be careful when decorating the tree . Try not to overdo it or be over-ambitious. Thousands of people fall off a chair or ladder and sustain injuries simply from trying to decorate their tree. I
7. Don't leave decoration lights on overnight . Turn of all things electrical at the end of the night.
8. Remember the dinner! When preparing Christmas dinner, do not leave anything that is being fried/grilled/baked/etc. unattended. Set timers if you have to. Christmastime sees a high number of home insurance claims due to cooking fires.
9. Got valuables around? Keep them hidden away , or even upstairs to reduce the likelihood of their being affected. Ailment
10. Be neat and organized . If your holidays are typically filled with kooky relatives, rambunctious children, and lots of presents, take care and keep your home clean and organized. Lots of adults, kids and presents will accumulate to a much higher home insurance liability risk. There is more chance for someone to fall and get injured, especially on presents and boxes strewn about.
     

Instead of worrying over home insurance risks and costs, allow you and your family to focus on making holiday memories that will last the rest of your lives. The best way to do this is by increasing home insurance coverage beforehand and practicing holiday safety precautions. To find low rates and coverage, get in touch with a local home insurance agent  to obtain and compare policies/rates.

Published: Monday 23rd November 2009