Now that Thanksgiving is behind us I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday that was claim free and full of good food and good company. With that being said we are now officially in the Christmas season and I want to continue to build on last week’s blog post Homeowner’s Insurance for the Holidays.
Holiday Movie Dont's
One thing that comes to mind when thinking about Christmas is of course Christmas lights. Many homeowners’ will decorate the inside and the outside of their homes with strands and strands of lights and various other decorations. I am sure many of us have seen the movies “A Christmas Story” and “Christmas Vacation”. One of the memorable scenes from both movies includes the use of too many Christmas lights. Both movies are a good example of what not to do. In “A Christmas Story” the father hooks up multiple strands of lights to one adapter and plugs it into a single outlet. The end result was of course the lights popping, the outlets smoking, the fuse being blown, and the lights in the house going out. Luckily today’s lights come standard with safety fuses in the plugs to ensure overzealous decorators don’t overwhelm the electrical circuits in a home’s wall socket.
Potential Light Hazzards
Although the chances of lights catching fire or the tree going up in flames from Christmas lights are slim that does not mean you want to decorate your house like Chevy Chase in “Christmas Vacation”. Let’s recall his character Clark Griswold barely left any open space on the exterior of the house without a light. As great as a house or tree would look with lots and lots of lights there is such a thing as too much. Electrical circuits can become overwhelmed, malfunction, or fail all together which can result in a fire. The electrical system in your house like receptacles, extension cords, and wiring are all susceptible to wear and tear. When buying lights be sure to read the safety instructions and be sure to avoid an overload or any other type of hazard that can result from too many strands strung together.
What happens if…
If the unthinkable happens and there is some type of electrical fire do you know what your homeowner’s insurance covers? Consider this: If your house catches fire it is highly likely you will not be able to stay in the house for not days but probably weeks or months. You will need to find another place to live while the damage is repaired.
Loss of Use Coverage
This is an important part of the Homeowner’s policy that is often over looked. Some policies will give you unlimited coverage, some will give you minimal, and some may not have it at all. Think about it. If you and your family become displaced for an extended period of time do you want to pay the bill out of pocket? You may need to take up residence at an extenended stay hotel or if you have children may need to rent a townhouse or condo for a couple of months so that routines are not disrupted. Loss of use coverage will help cover the cost of staying in a hotel or some other place while your home is being repaired.
When you are digging out your decorations from the attic, garage, or basement why not dig out your Homeowner’s policy? Let our team at the Suppa Agency evaluate your policy and make sure that all of your bases are covered. We can give you piece mind when you are out shopping or attending holiday parties because you will be Safe with Suppa. Call us today at 412-238-8200.