Stuck at home? COVID-19 has forced individuals and families into quarantine, and for some of us, this means a very full house. Whether you are lucky enough to be able to work from home, or you’re all inside because of quarantine mandates, it may be testing your patience to the max. Read on for our top tips for maintaining sanity with a full house. 1. Working From Home If you are one of the lucky ones able to do your job at home, you may have discovered there is a bit of an adjustment period. Your family members may think that working from home means you are available whenever they need you, but often this is simply not the case. You’ll want to sit down with your family and let them know that just because you are working from home does not mean you can be at their beck and call 24/7. Explain that you need to be left alone during working hours, and if there are any immediate needs, family should at the very least, knock before entering your area. If you do not have a separate room to call an office, make sure to explain to your family that they need to be quiet around you while you are working from home and try to avoid the same area you are operating from. If you are a single parent, it may help to interweave together your work schedule with your children’s schooling schedule as much as possible. Depending on how much supervision your children need, you may be able to spend a half an hour with them helping with school, and then while they work on projects or reading assignments, you are free to schedule work meetings and catch up on your own assignments. Giving your children attention while you are able to can also help to minimize video call interruptions when it comes time to do your job. 2 Unemployed and stuck at home If you’ve been laid off due to COVID-19, this can certainly feel like a very scary and overwhelming time. These are not normal circumstances, and collectively, we are living through a crisis. With so much upheaval and uncertainty surrounding us, it helps to focus on what can be controlled. People have started receiving their stimulus checks, which can go a long way in helping to bridge the gap while unemployed. You are also eligible for unemployment benefits if you’ve lost your job due to a layoff, downsizing, or a closure and you meet your state’s minimum earnings requirement. And due to the stimulus package, in addition to your stimulus check, you are also eligible to receive an extra $600 weekly on top of unemployment benefits. 3. Maintain a Schedule One of the best methods for maintaining your sanity in a house full of family is to stick to a schedule as much as possible. Schedules help you to establish a routine, and having a routine that you can rely on helps to relieve stress. If your household is used to waking up at 6 am every day to get ready for work or school, then it helps to maintain that schedule still – even if there is seemingly no reason to.
Adhering to a schedule comes with many benefits and will act as a barometer for normalcy. It will also help when things do return to normal that you have maintained a dependable schedule – there will be less of an adjustment back to “real life.” Every decision we have to make adds to stress levels and weakens self-control. Adhering to a schedule means one less thing to make a decision about daily. In addition to lower stress levels, maintaining a schedule helps you to enjoy quality time with loved ones, frees up your time for activities you actually enjoy, and helps you to sleep better.
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Indiverse Insurance donates $$ for each new Renters Insurance Policy now through July 31 Indiverse Insurance Services has recently decided to fundraise for Gleaners Food Bank, to help lead the fight against hunger. Your gift will make a difference for the 1 in 7 Hoosiers who don't know where their next meal will come from. Gleaners works in partnership with over 590 local pantries, schools, soup kitchens and multiple community organizations to serve hungry Hoosiers in 21 counties in central and southeast Indiana. Just last year, Gleaners distributed over 7 million pounds of fresh produce - a 60% increase from the previous year! Fresh, healthy produce, protein rich meats and dairy, as well as shelf-stable items allow families to make and eat meals together. It's easy to help support our goal and feed hungry Hoosiers - you can make your donation online when you click here and search for Indiverse Insurance. You can also mail a check with our company name in the memo line to Gleaners at: 3737 Waldemere Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46241. Any amount, big or small helps! A gift of just $1 can feed up to 5 people. Thank you for your support! Click here to visit our personal page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://support.gleaners.org/site/TR?px=1056564&pg=personal&fr_id=1040&et=8n_E_cXGdEjF1aBdMBT70w&s_tafId=1080 Millions of Americans are working from home these days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When situations like this happen, insurance brokers point out that the number of home and renter’s insurance claims usually starts to increase for causes which are not related to bacteria or viruses (the majority of insurances don’t cover them either way). They also advise that you check with your company about who will pay for repairs if you have work equipment delivered at home and an in-home accident happens. Working from home usually results in more time spent with pets, children or doing things around the apartment. Routines change. This, in turn, may lead to bodily injury as well as property damages (yours or your neighbor’s).
Last but not least, if we take into account that the number of home delivery orders increases when people spend more time indoors, the safety of the persons providing this service while being on your property should also be taken into account. However, if you happen to be in a business which sells things from home, keep in mind that your renter’s insurance won’t cover injury caused to business clients who come to your house. What should you pay attention to when working from home in order to avoid unwanted accidents? These 4 basics things can provide a good start to your own list:
Sharing apartments with roommates is becoming more common as housing prices skyrocket. But can tenants share their renters insurance? Renters insurance does not cover your roommates unless they are listed on the policy. Roommates can sometimes purchase a joint renters insurance policy together, but it’s probably not a good idea because claims and coverage can become complicated quickly. We recommend that each tenant in a rental unit purchases their own policy. Here's why. Does renters insurance cover your roommates? Renters insurance only covers the people listed on the policy, so if your roommate isn’t named, they are not covered. This is true for all renters insurance coverages, including personal property, personal liability and additional living expenses. So if you and your roommates’ property is damaged in an apartment fire, insurance only covers the property of the policyholder and listed individuals. Renters insurance does not protect unlisted roommates because covering more people increases the insurance company’s risk. To reflect this risk, your rates will likely rise if you add another individual to your policy. Additionally, renters insurance does not cover theft by a roommate or intentional damage to property caused by your roommate. It is not always possible to add roommates to your renters insurance policy, especially if you and your roommate are not relatives. States have different regulations and insurance companies have different policies. Therefore, it is frequently impossible for roommates to purchase a joint policy, even if they want to. Does each tenant need renters insurance? You are not legally required to have renters insurance, but your landlord can require it as part of your lease agreement. Therefore, every tenant is not required to have renters insurance by law, but every tenant can be required to purchase renters insurance by the landlord. Even if your landlord doesn’t require it, we still recommend buying a policy because renters insurance provides great value. Why separate policies are better There are a handful of reasons why roommates shouldn’t share a renters insurance policy. Here’s what we think are the most compelling arguments for separate policies:
1. Claims go on the policyholder’s record. If a property claim is filed under a renters insurance policy, it is recorded in the policyholder’s CLUE report (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange). Insurers use CLUE reports to assess their customers’ claims history, and that in turn factors into insurance rates. That means if you’re the policyholder and your roommate needs to file a property claim, it will go in your insurance history. Having a claims history usually results in higher insurance rates, which applies to other insurance products like homeowners insurance and auto insurance. If you or your roommate file a claim that the insurance company agrees to reimburse you for, the claims payment usually goes to the policyholder. This can create an unpleasant situation, as you and your roommate will have to decide how to split the claims reimbursement. 2. Liability protection extends outside the apartment. Renters insurance includes liability insurance, which protects people on the policy in and out of the house. That means by including a roommate on your policy, you are taking partial responsibility for your roommate’s actions in the sense that a liability claim against your roommate could affect your CLUE report. For example, if your roommate’s dog bites someone on a walk, the legal and medical bills could come back your way. Or imagine your roommate’s guest is injured in your apartment. Once again, the aftermath could result in a claim on your policy and show up on your CLUE report. 3. Unequal coverage needs. Policy limits are shared between individuals on an insurance policy. That means if your policy has $25,000 of personal property coverage, $25,000 is the maximum amount the insurance company will cover — not $25,000 per person. You and your roommates’ coverage needs are likely to differ. For example, what if your roommate has a jewelry collection, but you don’t? Your roommate might want to add a jewelry endorsement to increase the coverage limit, but that will raise your rates. In cases like this, a combined policy can make splitting the cost tricky. 4. Removing your roommate can be difficult. If your roommate moves out, you’ll have to remove them from the policy. This can be a headache because you’ll have to negotiate new rates and coverage with your insurance company. Renters insurance is not required by law. However, landlords may still require that you get it as part of a lease. Renters insurance isn't required by law, but your landlord can require you to purchase it as part of a lease. But even if your landlord doesn't require you to have renters insurance, that's no reason to forget about it. Renters insurance covers a wide range of events that your landlord's insurance doesn't cover and that are up to you to take care of.
What does renters insurance cover? If you're renting a home or an apartment, renters insurance provides property protection, liability coverage and additional living expenses (ALE). For a monthly premium, your renters insurance will help pay for covered damages to your property or theft. Renters insurance can also take care of medical or legal fees if someone is injured and you're responsible. Furthermore, it may also provide financial assistance if you have to relocate while damage to your rental is repaired. Can landlords make renters insurance mandatory? Landlords can require that you purchase renters insurance and show proof of coverage as part of your lease. There are currently no cities or states that legally require you to get renters insurance. However, rental leases are considered legally binding contracts. If your lease includes having renters insurance as part of the rental agreement, you are required to get it. If you do not get it or let it lapse, the penalties can include fines and even eviction. Among other tenant rights, some states may have laws that place restrictions on property owners requiring renters insurance if low-income or public housing is involved. If you aren't sure of your state's laws on the matter, check with your state's consumer affairs department. Why landlords require renters insurance: If a property owner wants you to have renters insurance, it doesn't come down to just one reason. If you get renters insurance, it covers a lot of ground, both legally and financially. Renters insurance provides landlords with significant legal protection. If someone is injured in your rental, they may try to sue the property owner for damages. Renters insurance can cover your liability without your landlord being brought into legal proceedings. Furthermore, it allows your landlord to recoup costs for damages that may be your responsibility. If you cause a fire or water damage in your unit, or the damage spreads to other units, landlord insurance will cover the costs of repairs, but only after they pay the necessary deductible. Your landlord may reclaim the deductible cost through your renters insurance provider. Landlord criteria for renters insurance: Most of the time, your landlord will state the requirement for renters insurance as a clause in your rental contract. If it is not included as a clause when you first sign the contract, the landlord may request that you buy it at a later time if they give the legally required amount of time to do so. In terms of the amount of renters insurance your landlord may require you to buy, chances are they will require a minimum liability amount, but no property coverage limit. How much of your property you choose to cover under renters insurance is your own concern, whereas they may want to see a certain amount of liability coverage on your part to avoid medical fees or lawsuit concerns you're responsible for. Most renters insurance policies offer a minimum of $100,000 in liability coverage, but higher limits are usually available for a higher premium. In some instances, landlords may require you to add them to your renters insurance as an "additional interest". If you canceled your renters insurance policy or were late with a premium payment, being added as an additional interest would allow the landlord to be notified of the change. It should be noted that additional interest is a different status than "additional insured". Additional insured covers roommates or partners on your renters insurance policy. Do I need renters insurance if it's not required? Even if renters insurance is not a requirement of your tenancy, a policy is important for providing you with financial security. While landlord insurance covers the structure of your rental unit, it does nothing for any of your belongings that are damaged or destroyed. Renters insurance provides a means through which you can replace your stuff in the event of a fire, water damage or other covered calamity. Another value of renters insurance is additional living expenses. If damage to your rental unit is severe, you may have to relocate while the unit is repaired. ALE provides funds for you above the cost of your average living expenses that may occur when you relocate, such as restaurant meals, additional rent costs and fuel costs if your commute distance increases. On average, a renters insurance policy costs $150 to $200 a year. This means your belongings, liability and relocation may be covered for less than $20 a month. When you consider that one renters insurance claim can be hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the annual premium cost, a policy is an excellent investment. Do you need renters insurance? Here's the bottom line. State law does not require you to purchase renters insurance as it does other types of insurance, like auto insurance. However, landlords may require renters insurance to protect their own finances and well-being, but you should get it for your own good as well. It's a small investment to make for a broad amount of coverage. Welcome to our new insurance agency blog! This is our very first post. We're not quite sure what we're going to write about here, but the plan is to create helpful content for customers and prospective clients about information that is relevant to you. We hope you'll come to view this as a top resource for keeping your family and your finances safe. Here are a few of the topics we may be writing about:
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