It is hard to imagine some days but spring is just around the corner.

With spring comes potential property damage as weather changes occur.

Here are a few tips on what you can do to protect your home and minimize your risk for property damage:

Shovel Snow Away from Your House

Most people know to keep their driveways cleared of snow during the winter.

However, snow is dangerous in late February and March due to constant temperature changes that can melt and refreeze it.

This can cause water damage.

Additionally, water from the snow melting can leak into cracks and refreeze as ice, which can cause those cracks to widen further.

Don’t wait for the sun to take care of all the snow. Keep it shoveled away from your house so it can’t cause damage if it refreezes.

Make Sure Water Doesn’t Build Up

Between rain and last-minute snowfalls, your house will inevitably have water around it in the early weeks of spring.

Make sure water does not have an area to build up.

If you have a garage door and heavy rain is expected, leave it open just a little above the ground and clear the garage floor of any valuables.

Instead of water building up around the corners of the garage, this allows the water to spread so that it’s much thinner and isn’t damaging walls.

It can then be swept out when the rain is clear.

Additionally, if your house is lower than the area around it, take proper steps to ensure water can drain away. Your yard should be graded and have water flowing away from it.

If an area of the house has water flowing towards it, this should be fixed as soon as possible.

Clean Your Gutters and Roof

Snow, as well as any leaves from the fall, can get stuck in your gutters and remain there, not allowing rain water to run properly.

This can cause water damage to your roof.

Make sure all your gutters are clean so that water can flow away from your roof.

Keep your roof clean and free of snow and ice, or consider hiring a professional if you aren’t comfortable doing it yourself.

Regularly Check for Leaks in Any Appliances That Handle Water

Sinks, toilets, washing machines, showers, and dishwashers are all common household appliances that use water.

You should always check and make sure they are not leaking. During times of fluctuating temperatures, leaking water is especially dangerous because of its potential to refreeze.

Make sure your house is properly heated and that any leaking appliances are fixed quickly and aren’t used while they have leaks.

A bonus tip: If you are headed out of town, turn off your water. It is amazing how quickly damage can be caused by a leaky toilet or pipe.

As the weather warms up, do your part to be ready for it.  You’ll thank yourself later when you’re enjoying the sunlight and not searching for a repairman.

The Internet is a world in of itself, deeply connected to almost every facet of life. Whether it’s for education, communication, business or even simple entertainment, almost everyone has some degree of online presence. While the internet can be helpful and a great resource, however, it also has its’ own set of dangers. If you have any regular accounts or important information on the internet, be sure to use these guidelines to keep you and your family safe.

Back It Up

A lot of businesses now use electronic documents, data and files to store information. This allows for easy access to them instead of using paper copies. However, there is a potential risk in this format. If an issue arises, such as the computer your information is stored on is corrupted or the online account that holds the data you need can’t be logged into, you can potentially lose valuable business documents. This can also cost you time and money when you have to rebuild what you’ve lost.

If you have an electronic file you can’t afford to lose, back it up. Having a second version available in case the first one is lost gives you a safety net. Make sure the backup isn’t stored in the same place too.  Store it in another location you can retrieve it at so it can’t be lost with the original.

Use Inconspicuous Passwords

Passwords are almost always used for any online account or personal computer log in. This is your most obvious line of defense against hackers, thieves and criminals who want to target you. However, passwords are not foolproof. Cyber criminals are persistent and have ways of figuring passwords out.

When creating a password, use one that can’t easily be traced to you. Don’t use your own personal information, such as your middle name or your spouse’s birthday. Use a combination of letters and numbers that are either random or are a phrase no one would immediately think of. Be sure not to store your passwords on your computer either – write them down somewhere if you need to and don’t keep it by the computer. Finally, don’t use the same password for everything. If a hacker figures out that one password, they can now access everything.

Keep Your Security Updated

Anti-Virus programs are a good investment.  Firewalls keep malicious technology such as malware and spambots out of your computer.  It can cost a lot of time and money to repair an infected machine. Always be proactive in not letting them set up camp in your computer in the first place.

Additionally, conduct anti-virus scans regularly.  Don’t wait until something seems wrong.  If caught in the early stages, a virus can be cleared out more easily.

Always Use Common Sense

Finally, and most importantly, use your sense of judgement.  Don’t open emails that seem suspicious or use any kind of website you don’t feel comfortable with.  If something seems sketchy, don’t risk it.  Viruses can infect your computer through these means, even if you don’t input any information.  Just like how we’re taught to not answer any suspicious phone calls or texts, the internet should not be explored recklessly – always stay on the side of caution.

A car crash occurs every 60 seconds. 

When two or more vehicles collide, lives are at risk, and costs in the form of auto, medical and legal expenses arise.

If you were in an accident and sued would you have enough coverage?

Sometimes, it can be confusing what level of coverage you need in any one policy or coverage within a policy.

To protect your financial future in today’s litigious society, an umbrella policy may be the solution.

An umbrella policy is like a safety net for your other insurance policies. When an underlying policy’s limit is exhausted, the umbrella policy can kick in.

Take the car crash example from above.

You might have enough auto-insurance to cover the damage of the collision. But what if someone is injured and they take you to court?

In situations like these, it can be hard to predict not only how much coverage you need, but which kinds you need.

Umbrella insurance increases your liability limits.

With an umbrella policy, you are taking a step towards protecting yourself from the expenses from lawsuits and potential hardship for your family. Major accidents such as vehicular collisions or serious bodily injuries are all examples of situations where extra coverage may be needed.

However, there are other scenarios that can benefit from extra coverage too.  Here are a few situations to think about:

• You have a momentary distraction while driving.  Even the best driver may cause an accident with serious injuries and property damage.
• Your swimming pool attracts both invited and uninvited guests, regardless of the tallest fence or the most thorough precautions.
• Your teenager, while driving friends to a school event, is involved in a major accident.
• You injure a water skier while boating.

These situations can occur quickly and are usually unexpected, so having an umbrella policy in place if they happen keeps you from being completely uninsured when they occur.

Want to learn more? Contact us at Allied Insurance Managers