Heath Ritenour Offers Seasonal Advice to Avoid Homeowners Insurance Claims | Business | Before It’s News
The Chairman and CEO of Insurance Office of America (IOA), Heath Ritenour, has revolutionized the way Americans approach homeowners insurance. While implementing the latest in adaptive technology to streamline insurance processes and make them far quicker and easier for clients, insurance expert Heath Ritenour has remained firmly committed to maintaining the “human touch” that has driven IOA’s success for the past three decades.
Nothing is more important to Heath Ritenour than reaching out to existing and prospective clients with a focus on transparent communication and honest connection. As part of these personal efforts, he is reaching out to homeowners everywhere with tips on how to avoid potentially costly property claims this impending fall and winter.
Insurance Claims That Go Hand in Hand With the Winter Season
Although he loves giving his clients the peace of mind that a solid homeowners insurance policy provides, Heath Ritenour knows that the best way to protect clients’ interests is to stop property damage before it starts. In this spirit, he is releasing warnings about common homeowners insurance claims that tend to peak during the winter months.
As temperatures drop, homeowners should remain vigilant to guard against:
1. Bursting Pipes
When pipes are exposed to temperatures below freezing for a considerable amount of time, any water within them will freeze. This problem is made far worse by the fact that water expands by nearly 10% in volume when it freezes.
Within a closed pipe, the expansion of water as it freezes will place enormous pressure on the pipe walls and joints. When this pressure becomes too high, the pipe will burst.
Unless a burst pipe is immediately and effectively dealt with, it can cause significant damage to the home. An enormous amount of water will flow freely from a burst pipe until it is shut off at a valve upstream.
2. Fallen Tree Branches
As heavy snow falls on large sections of the United States, its accumulating weight can cause big problems in many ways. For example, homeowners with one or more large trees on their property should beware of damage from overburdened branches.
In addition to heavy snow, freezing rain can coat tree branches in thick ice, which weighs on them and places them at a far higher risk of breaking. When large branches fall, they can cause extensive damage to your roof, walls, and other external structural elements. Even a relatively small branch can break a window easily.
3. Home Fires
It may seem counterintuitive at first, but the coldest months of the year place the average home at a significantly higher risk of fire. However, the reasons for this seasonal increase in house fires are actually quite simple.
In freezing weather, people are far more likely to use a space heater or light up the fireplace to keep warm, and these attempts to get more cozy comes can cause unforeseen catastrophes. According to recent statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, space heaters cause 44% of all heating equipment-related fires in America, while fireplaces and chimneys cause an additional 29%.
The holidays also engender a seasonal spike in house fires. Not only do homeowners tend to overload outlets with Christmas lights and other electric-powered decorations, but a surprisingly large number of fires start when party a centerpiece comes in contact with an open candle flame.
4. Snow and Ice-Related Water Damage
Unfortunately, burst pipes are far from the only cause of residential water damage. During the winter months, water is far more likely to enter your home from windows or ventilation openings and even straight through the roof or exterior walls of your home.
Water damage can easily occur if ice and/or snow builds up on rooftops and rain gutters, prohibiting the proper drainage of runoff moisture. This can cause water to build up over time and slowly seep into your home.
How to Protect Your Home From Damage This Winter
Now that you are familiar with the biggest winter threats to your property, what exactly can you do to protect yourself against them? Furthermore, will your existing insurance policy adequately cover you if your preventative efforts fall short?
To answer these questions, IOA CEO Heath Ritenour presents a handy guide to help you deal with the most common insurance claims that winter brings.
1. Bursting Pipes
While your home insurance policy may cover damages incurred from a burst pipe, it may leave you responsible if you brought the situation upon yourself through sheer negligence. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, the independent insurance customer education and provider platform Insurance.com recommends keeping your home at 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher at all times.
If you leave your home for a prolonged period of time, you may worry about unexpected power outages or heating system malfunctions. For these reasons, you may want to consider turning your water off and emptying your pipes completely.
Other measures to prevent frozen pipes include keeping all drains clear of water, disconnecting external hoses, and leaving garage doors closed. During extreme cold snaps, you may want to let cold water continually drip from one or more inside faucets. To better respond in an emergency, homeowners would be wise to know how to shut off their main water supply as quickly as possible.
2. Fallen Tree Branches
Standard homeowners insurance policies cover damage from tree branches that may fall for a variety of reasons including the weight of snow and ice accumulation. However, if the insurer discovers that the tree involved was dead and should have been removed prior to the damage, your claim may be denied on the basis of negligence.
If a branch or fallen tree lands on your house, you should refrain from repairing the damage until an insurance adjuster has an opportunity to assess the situation. If tree-related damage makes your house unlivable, your insurance policy may also cover the cost of temporary lodging while repairs are completed. You are likely covered under your homeowner insurance policy even if the offending tree is rooted in your neighbor’s yard.
3. Home Fires
Unless a fire is deemed an intentional case of arson, it will likely be covered by any standard homeowners insurance policy. However, a house fire is a terrible and terrifying event that takes much that simply cannot be replaced.
To prevent winter fires, be sure to keep both space heaters and fireplace flames a minimum of 36 inches away from anything that might catch on fire. These combustible substances can range from furniture and decorations to clothing and pet fur.
Space heater users must take care to read and follow all manufacturer’s instructions precisely. Furthermore, you should never leave heaters unattended, particularly around pets or children.
Fireplace owners also should pay a professional to clean and inspect chimneys on an annual basis.
4. Snow and Ice-Related Water Damage
Like many of the issues above, water seepage may not be covered by your insurer if the damage occurs as a result of your own negligence. This is particularly likely in cases of damage from gradual water infiltration that could have been detected and addressed a long time ago.
As we have previously discussed, the snow and ice dams that commonly form over gutters and other drainage infrastructure are primary causes of seepage from outside. Fortunately, you can stop these dams before they start by minimizing snow melt on your roof.
This means properly Insulating your home to prevent heat from escaping through the ceiling, sealing any gaps that might let warm air leak into your attic from below, and ensuring that your attic is well ventilated with cold air from outside. The personal finance media outlet The Balance also recommends cleaning your gutters of leaves and other debris before and during the winter months.
Heath Ritenour’s Final Words
Nobody wants a reason to file a homeowners insurance claim. Recognizing this fact, Heath Ritenour has established himself and the IOA team as experts on property damage prevention as well as insurance policy processes and personalized customer service.
By adhering to the tips above, homeowners can keep their residences snug and secure all winter. Don’t fall prey to the worst that the cold and stormy weather can dish out this year
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Originally published at https://beforeitsnews.com on October 20, 2021.
