Three Ways To Increase Your Fire Insurance Coverage At A Low Cost

Posted on: 24 December 2015

Although your basic home insurance policy should have provisions for insuring your home and your possessions in the event of a fire, many homeowners take the added step of enhancing their fire insurance for reasons such as having a significant number of high-value items stored in the home. If you feel more secure in strengthening your insurance policy in this manner, there are steps you can take to mitigate paying more on your bill. While enhanced fire insurance coverage will cost you a little more each month, a handful of steps can help to ensure that you're paying as little as possible for the coverage you need. Here's how to reach this goal.

Butt Out Your Smoking Habit

Even if you're extremely cautious about smoking indoors, the reality is that having lit cigarettes or cigars inside your home can increase the risk of a fire. Your insurance company knows this and also knows that a smoke-free home is less at risk of fire damage. If you're a smoker, it's a smart financial decision to take steps to butt out your habit. Doing so will put you in line for a drop in your insurance rate -- and don't forget that quitting this costly habit is a smart move for your health too.

Smoke Alarm Installation

The conventional approach is to have one smoke alarm installed on each level of your home, but it's worthwhile to contact your insurance provider and ask if you'd be eligible for a discount for adding more alarms throughout the home, such as in your garage. If you choose to go through with this insurance cost-reducing strategy, keep in mind that it's beneficial to have a combination of different types of smoke alarms throughout your home. The conventional approach is to have some that are hard-wired into your home's electrical network and others that are battery-operated. This way, you'll always have working smoke alarms even if the power is out or your batteries have died.

Additional Measures

Contact your insurance company to ask if you can get a drop in your rate through additional measures. There are a variety of ways that you can reduce the risk of fire damage in your home, but a common method is through the addition of a home security system that also has fire monitoring. This type of state-of-the-art system will immediately detect the signs of a fire and notify the local fire department, which can reduce the risk of the fire spreading and burning your house down.

For fire insurance, contact a company such as Scovotti Insurance.

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