Home Insurance Guide

No matter how cheap or expensive your homeowners insurance premium is, the most important thing to remember is that safety should your number one priority. If you make your home a safer place to live, your insurance premiums will also fall because increased safety means fewer injuries (or less severe injuries) which will lead to lower insurance premiums. So, below is a checklist of the things that you should have a few of in your home:

• Alarmed security system: Security systems will usually lead to a large drop in your premium, especially if its connected to active monitoring (like ADT or Sloman’s Shield) and capable of broadcasting an alert to local authorities. If not, a very loud alarm will work as well and is better than nothing. Ensure that there are motion sensors and window/door alarms as well.
• Fire and smoke alarms: Whether their integrated into an alarm system (best) or just loud, it’s crucial for you to have fire and smoke alarms in your home and at least one per floor (that’s a minimum, the more the merrier).
• Fire extinguishers: Cheap and effective, having a fire extinguisher in your home and preferably on every floor is the best way to ensure that you can stop a small blaze from becoming a large one. You may not receive a discount for having this in your home but you do get peace of mind.
• Safe: A flame resistant safe is crucial for you to store your important documents so that you don’t think to run to it when a fire breaks out. The last thing you should do is try to save anything besides loved ones when a fire breaks out, keep your peace of mind by putting your valuables (and documents) in a fireproof safe. This also acts as protection against thieves as most will want to get in and out of your house in minutes, they won’t mess with a safe.
• Rope/Nylon Ladder: Something that can attach to your window and let you escape without using the stairs, in the event that a fire makes them unnavigable.
• A Plan: While you don’t buy this, everyone should understand what they should do in the event of a fire - big or small.