Mold and How to Prevent it Growing in Your Home

We recently attended a Seminar by Puroclean- one of the top Water Damage Remediation Companies in Florida and we learned a lot.

With our Heavy Summer Rains and High Humidity , we live in an environment that encourages the growth of mold. What causes Mold? How can we prevent it? and What should we do if we suspect Mold Damage in our Home?

• What is Mold?

  Mold is an organism that grows on organic material such as Wood, leaves, paper, leather and cloth. In order to grow, it needs moisture (water) and time. Our high humidity gives mold plenty of moisture and if not remediated quickly, mold can grow rapidly over time- 24-72 hours is all it needs.

• How can we Prevent Mold?

  The most likely places where mold can form in your home, are the water line connections, such as your toilet, your faucets, dishwasher, and Air Conditioning unit. Plastic connectors are not as durable as metal connectors, and can leak water causing mold to grow. So replacing all plastic water connections with metal ones is a great first step to preventing the growth of mold. Repairing and caulking leaky windows and doors is another great way to prevent mold. Check your home for any wet or damp areas that may be the result of water leaking and repair those leaks.

• What should we do if we suspect Mold Damage in our Home?

  Since time is vital to the growth of mold, it is essential that you remediate as soon as you suspect Mold. Professional remediation companies like Puroclean, use a combination of Air Movement from fans, with De-humidifiers to lower moisture and removal of affected areas- most times by replacing the drywall or furniture the mold has infected. But the faster they are called to remediate the mold the more successful they are in controlling the mold spread in a timely manner and the lower the cost to both the consumer and the insurance company.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MANY MOLD CLAIMS HAVE BEEN DENIED BY INSURANCE COMPANIES BECAUSE THEY DETERMINED THE HOMEOWNER WAS NEGLIGENT BY FAILING TO INTERVENE WHEN THE FIRST SIGNS OF MOLD WERE NOTICED.

So if you suspect you have the conditions in your home to cause Mold,

• Find the source of the water and stop the leak.
• Remove the water from the leak area.
• Set up fans to move the air around in the room.

If the Mold has already formed or you have a major water leak in your home, Call a Water Remediation Company like Puroclean who can dry the room, Dehumidify it and remove any mold from your walls or furniture.

Citizens Policy Changes

Citizens Policy Changes

 Effective May 1 for new business and June 1 for renewals, Citizens is reducing or limiting coverage on their Personal Residential policies. These changes affect the Owner Occupied HO3, the Condo Owners HO6 and the Landlord owned Rental Dwelling policies.

 

•   The first major change is the reduction of Personal Liability from $300,000 to $100,000. Most Umbrella policies require $300,000 underlying liability, so this creates a $200,000 "Gap" in coverage that needs to be filled by an Excess Liability policy.

•  Next, the maximum Mold Coverage you can buy is reduced to $10,000 on Property and $50,000 on Mold Liability.

• Lastly, there is now a minimum Sinkhole Loss Deductible equaling 10% of your Dwelling Coverage.

 

            Contact us at Cronin Insurance with any of your questions about these Citizens changes. We can explain how these changes affect you and also see if there are any alternatives to Citizens for your home.

Obamacare

Can Florida Comply With New Health Insurance Exchange Deadlines?

The Department of Health and Human Services released its interim final rule on Affordable Health Insurance Exchanges. The rule will offer states flexibility as they design health insurance exchanges in compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) also known as Obamacare.
States can establish one exchange for the entire state, multiple district-based exchanges, or regional exchanges in cooperation with other states. The directives maintain the January 1, 2013 deadline for states to establish exchanges and the October 1, 2013 for these exchanges to be operational. However the rule does not outline how the federal government would establish exchanges in states that do not comply.


Since the 2012 Florida Legislative Session ended without addressing the establishment of an exchange, odds are that Florida will not be ready to meet either of these deadlines. Many Florida Legislators and leaders are counting on the US Supreme Court to strike down the law, but it is unclear whether the Court will strike it down or when that opinion might be issued. Some are hopeful that a new Congress and new President will repeal the law, but that is also a risky strategy.
As a result, there exists the strong possibility that the Federal Government will establish the exchange for Florida with no input from its elected leaders. Stay tuned.

PIP Reform Passed By The Florida Legislature

PIP Reform Passed By The Florida Legislature

 

In an extremely close 21-19 vote, the Florida Senate passed a compromise with the Florida House and gave Governor Scott one of his top priorities- PIP Reform.  No side was able to get all they wanted, but both the Insurance Industry and Governor Scott praised the compromise.

 

"This is a triumphant moment for the residents of Florida," Scott said in a statement.

 

"There is enough in the bill to improve the no-fault law that we think we should try it," said Michael Carlson, executive director of an organization that represents State Farm, Allstate, & Progressive.

 

The legislation now headed to the governor:

•                     Gives people 14 days to seek medical treatment after being injured in a car accident.

•                     Allows chiropractors to treat PIP patients, but not acupuncturists or massage therapists.

•                     Limits “soft-tissue” injuries to $2500

•                     Removes caps on attorney fees.

•                     Prohibits judges from using multipliers to increase fees awarded in complicated cases.

•                     Allows insurance companies to examine policyholders under oath when investigating possible fraud.

According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, although the number of Florida drivers has remained the same, and the frequency of accidents have declined between 2006 and 2010, the number of PIP claims has increased 28% and the payments on PIP claims has increased 66%.

As a result, most Florida Drivers have seen a 20% increase in their PIP rates in the past year alone.   The hope is that these PIP reforms can stop the pattern of annual PIP increases and lower Auto Insurance rates for all Drivers.

 

 

 

 

Should You Buy Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

We belong to the Florida Association of Independent Agents and one of our mentors, David Thompson recently quoted these statistics: The Insurance Information Institute recently reported that 24 percent of the vehicles in Florida are completely uninsured. That statistic puts Florida in the “top five worst states” for uninsured vehicles. Scott Johnson recently wrote in his blog (www.scottjohnsonflorida.com) that the American Insurance Association reported that 87 percent of Florida vehicle owners carry bodily injury liability. Said another way, 13 percent of vehicle owners carry only “PIP and PD.” Combining those two figures, the end result is that 37 percent of the vehicles on the road have no bodily injury liability coverage. Think about that today as you drive around town; every third vehicle out there has no bodily injury liability coverage. Think, too, about how many others have minimum limits of 10/20/10. While that data is not readily available, I suspect (and it’s pure speculation) that at least 10 percent have those low limits. If that is the case, what we now have is close to half of the vehicles on the road with limits of 10/20/10 or no bodily injury liability coverage at all.  

• Uninsured Motorist (UM) covers "You" for Bodily Injury, Loss of Income, and Pain and Suffering. If you are hit by another driver, and your injuries are greater than the $10,000 PIP benefit, and that driver has either No Bodily Injury Liability (BI) or Not Enough Bodily Injury Liability, you can collect from your own Uninsured Motorist Coverage that which you could not collect from the other driver (up to the limits of your UM Coverage).

• According to the statistics noted above, there is ONE CHANCE IN TWO, that the driver who injures you in an accident has NO BODILY INJURY COVERAGE or Very low limits of BI. This makes Uninsured Motorist Coverage a very valuable Auto Coverage. This is also the reason UM costs more in Florida than many other states. But for a couple hundred dollars you are able to buy Thousands of Dollars worth of an Auto Coverage you are VERY LIKELY TO NEED at claim time.
• Like Bodily Injury Liability, we recommend you buy as much Uninsured Motorist as you can afford. Keep in mind though that you can't buy limits higher than your BI limits. So if you carry 100/300 BI limits, the most UM you can buy is 100/300. One last thing, one of the best bargains for UM coverage is to endorse your Personal Liability Umbrella for UM- you can usually bring your UM limits up to $1,000,000 for only a couple hundred dollars a year!

Should you buy Uninsured Motorist coverage? The Answer is an emphatic YES!

Buy Uninsured Motorist Coverage by Clicking Here.