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Halloween Car Insurance Coverage Tips

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, October 26, 2017

Lallis and Higgins Insurance, Weymouth, MAEgg Heads. Rest assure you have coverage in place to help repair any damage to your car and paint on the car due to an egg, or any other substance that may cause damage from a vandal. Comprehensive coverage will help you repair any damage done by goblins if you didn't realized in time you've fallen victim to a bad joke.

Flying Pumpkins! You can lean on comprehensive coverage if it's a decoration, or an actual pumpkin that strikes your car. This is covered whether it’s the wind or an actual trick-or-treater that causes the damage.

Raccoons, Deer, Bears, and Cats oh my! Animals get spooked with so many pirates, princesses and monster trick-or-treating - so if you happen to strike an animal while driving you can count on your comprehensive coverage to help your damaged car get repaired. Collision coverage would fall into place if you swerve out of the way of an animal and hit a car, tree or other structure.

Be safe, and have a happy Halloween!


Home Insurance – Protection for You and Others

Joseph Coupal - Monday, October 16, 2017

Lallis and Higgins Insurance, Weymouth, MAYour home is the center of your daily life, and likely your most valuable asset. When your home is damaged or destroyed, you need your claim settled by an insurance company that understands this simple fact. Lallis & Higgins Insurance can help you find the homeowner’s insurance that will best meet your needs and provide the most valuable combination of tailored coverage, quality service and fair pricing.

Insurance for All Kinds of Homes

Depending on where you live – a house, apartment, or condominium – the right home insurance policy can provide you peace of mind as well as the money you need to repair or replace your home and/or belongings. Contact us for more information today!

What you need to know about homeowners insurance

Whether you own or rent, insuring the place you call home can help protect you financially if you suffer a loss due to fire, theft, vandalism, or other covered events. It will also cover you in the event someone is injured while on your property and wins a legal judgment against you.

Homeowners policies differ by which losses are covered, which coverages you choose, and what type of residence you own. You choose which policy is best for you, whether it’s a comprehensive policy that cover losses such as fire, hail, smoke, falling objects, vandalism and theft of personal property, or whether it’s a policy that covers only specified losses.

Lallis & Higgins Insurance is here to help you find the right insurance for your home

Whether you’re a home or condo owner, a renter, or a landlord, Lallis & Higgins Insurance will work with you to find a home insurance policy that fits your needs. We specialize in making it easy to choose the insurance coverage that gives you the best value for the best price.

Your home insurance policy is most often made up of the specific options you choose, so how much you'll pay for your policy depends on:

  • What you select. Oftentimes homeowners insurance options are priced individually, so how much you'll pay for your policy depends on what coverages you buy.
  • How much you want to cover. Higher deductibles usually lower your premium price by shifting part of the loss payment to you. For example, if you had a $500 deductible, you would be responsible for paying the first $500 of the covered loss.
  • Where you set your limits. You may choose to set higher limits than the recommended amount if appropriate to your situation and needs.

The Right Coverage. The Right Price. The Right Value

The amount you pay for your homeowners insurance depends on many factors. Think of your personal housing situation, and the assets you want to protect.

Protection for Your Home

Property or Dwelling Coverage typically pays to repair or rebuild your home if it’s damaged or destroyed by an insured event like a kitchen fire or windstorm.

Protection for You and Other People

Personal Liability Coverage applies if someone is injured or their property is damaged and you are to blame. The coverage generally applies anywhere in the world.

  • When choosing your liability coverage limits, consider things like how much money you make and the assets you own. Your personal liability coverage should be high enough to protect your assets if you are sued.

Medical Coverage

This covers medical expenses for guests if they are injured on your property, and in certain cases covers people who are injured off of your property. It does not cover health care costs for you or other members of your household.

Additional Living Expenses

If you can’t live in your home because of a covered loss, your home insurance policy will pay additional living expenses—commonly for up to 24 months—while damage is assessed and your home is repaired or rebuilt.

Protection for Your Belongings

Your home is filled with furniture, clothes, electronics and other items that mean a lot to you. Personal Property Insurance helps replace these items if they are lost, stolen or destroyed as a result of a covered loss.

Scheduled Personal Property Coverage

If you have special possessions such as jewelry, art, antiques or collectibles you may want to talk to your agent about this additional coverage. It provides broader coverage for specific items.

If You Rent Out Your Home

Landlords may have the option to buy optional liability coverage for the risks posed by tenant-occupied dwellings. Visit our Landlord Protection Insurance page for more information.

Protect the Things that Matter to You

Make an inventory of your home and personal belongings. If possible, make a list as well as take photos or video – using two inventory methods can help expedite the claim resolution process. Keep this list somewhere other than your home. Keep in mind that your policy doesn’t cover damages caused by poor or deferred maintenance on your part.

Every home is unique – talk to us today to find out how to get the best price and value on homeowners insurance for you.


Condo Insurance

Joseph Coupal - Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Lallis and Higgins Insurance, Weymouth, MACondominium insurance is unique. Your condo insurance policy covers your personal property and liability, as well as any additions, alterations and improvements you make to your unit that are your responsibility based on the condo association agreement.

Optional loss assessment coverage is also available to protect you against certain assessments that may be levied by the association. You would be compensated for additional living expenses incurred should you need to vacate your condo after a covered loss. Let Lallis & Higgins Insurance help you find the right amount of coverage to suit your insurance needs. Contact us today.

Massachusetts– What you need to know about condo insurance

Condo insurance provides coverage for your personal property and much more. For a few more dollars, you can elect to carry Full Value Personal Property which ensures that you are reimbursed full replacement value without regard for depreciation after a covered loss.

If you have upgraded cabinets or put in hardwood floors, condo building item coverage protects these investments. Be sure to consult your HOA agreement to determine what the Association policy covers and what you are responsible for. If common areas are damaged, your condo association may levy assessments against all the owners to pay the deductible on their association policy.

Various limits of loss assessment coverage are available. Be sure to consult the HOA agreement to determine the potential for such assessments. Lallis & Higgins Insurance can help you determine your coverage needs to make sure you’re properly covered. Contact us.

Protect yourself and your guests

Your condo insurance policy protects you and your family members against bodily injury and property damage liability claims and any litigation that may result subject to the limits you select. In addition, you can select medical payments coverage which will pay for medical expenses incurred by a visitor who is injured at your residence regardless of fault. Various limits are available.

Extra coverage doesn’t have to cost a lot

Many people supplement their condo insurance coverage with personal umbrella liability insurance for broader protection. If you have special valuable items such as jewelry, art, antiques or collectibles, ask about our Valuable Articles option which provides broader coverage and no deductible in the event of a covered loss.

Find unique insurance that is right for your condo

Contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance to identify the best combination of coverage, value, and price for you. We can help make sure your condo insurance continually meets your needs. Contact us.


Make Sure Your Home is Safe During Fire Safety Month

Joseph Coupal - Wednesday, October 04, 2017

Lallis & Higgins, Weymouth, MAEquip your home with smoke alarms and other tools that can help you gain precious seconds in a fire.

Fire Safety Equipment:

Smoke Alarms

If you have a fire, smoke alarms can cut nearly in half your risk of dying in a fire. Smoke alarms sense abnormal amounts of smoke or invisible combustion gases in the air. They can detect both smoldering and flaming fires.

In new homes: The National Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72) requires hard-wired, interconnected smoke alarms with battery back-up on every level of the home, outside each sleeping area, and inside each bedroom. Alarms must be wired together so that if one sounds, they all sound.

In existing homes: If smoke alarms are not already in place, at a minimum install them on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area. If a fire occurs inside a bedroom, dangerous gases can cause heavier sleep. For the best protection, install interconnected smoke alarms in each bedroom and throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.

To prevent nuisance alarms, vacuum cobwebs and dust from your smoke alarms monthly. Never disable a smoke alarm, even if you experience nuisance alarms while cooking or showering. Instead, use the alarm’s “hush” button. If nuisance alarms are a persistent problem, look for a different type of smoke alarm and ensure they are installed in correct areas in the home.

Use the test button to test your smoke alarms at least monthly. The test feature tests all electronic functions and is safer than testing with a controlled fire (matches, lighters, cigarettes).

If the manufacturer's instructions permit the use of an aerosol smoke product for testing the smoke alarm, choose one that has been examined and tested by a third-party product testing laboratory, and use it in accordance with the product instructions.

If you have battery-powered smoke alarms, replace the batteries at least once a year. Some agencies recommend that you replace batteries when the time changes from standard to daylight savings each spring and then back again in the fall. "Change your clock, change your batteries." Replacing batteries this often will not hurt, but fresh batteries typically last at least a year, so more frequent replacement is not necessary unless the smoke alarm begins to chirp.

If your local area does not observe daylight savings time, pick an easy-to-remember anniversary, such as your birthday or a national holiday, as the day to change the batteries each year.

Replace the batteries in your carbon monoxide (CO) alarms at the same time you replace your smoke alarm batteries.

Replace your smoke alarms every 10 years. This is the recommendation of the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time.

Be sure to install smoke alarms in areas where pets are and in other buildings that house animals where humans can hear them.

Fire Extinguishers

Consider having one or more working fire extinguishers in your home. An extinguisher rated “A-B-C” is recommended for home use. Many fire extinguisher models are designed for one-time use and cannot be recharged.

Get training from the fire department or a fire extinguisher manufacturer. Fire extinguishers from various manufacturers operate in different ways and there is no time to read directions during an emergency. Only adults should handle and use extinguishers.

Install extinguishers high on the wall, near an exit, and away from heat sources. Extinguishers should be easily accessible to adults trained to use them, and kept away from children's curious hands. Heat may make the contents less effective or cause the extinguisher to lose its charge more quickly.

If you try to use a fire extinguisher on a fire and the fire does not immediately die down, drop the extinguisher and get out. Most portable extinguishers empty in 8 seconds.

Look at your fire extinguisher to ensure that it is properly charged. Fire extinguishers will not work properly if they are not properly charged. Use the gauge or test button to check that there is proper pressure. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for replacing or recharging fire extinguishers. If the unit is low on pressure, damaged, or corroded, replace it or have it professionally serviced.

Before you begin to fight a fire with a fire extinguisher, be sure that:

  • Everyone has left or is leaving the home.
  • The fire department has been called.
  • The fire is small and not spreading.
  • Your back is to an exit you can use quickly.
  • There is not much smoke in the room.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Install carbon monoxide alarms to alert your family to this invisible, odorless, colorless gas before it’s too late. Carbon monoxide is created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. Even a small amount of carbon monoxide can poison or kill a person if it is breathed in over a long period of time – such as overnight while sleeping.

Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas.

If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.

Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any partially enclosed area.

For more information, or for a review of your home owners insurance, contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance.

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