Smart Insurance

Smart Technology + Homeowner Insurance

Smart Technology + Homeowner Insurance = Smart Insurance. While a well designed homeowner Insurance Policy will always remain the smartest product. Great strides have been made to reduce or  minimize your risks using smart products. You buy homeowner insurance for what you cannot control and smart products to regain some control. Together, both products complement each other for what we refer to as, Smart Insurance.

 

Homeowner Insurance

Homeowner insurance, when written properly, should cover for most unforeseen and unpreventable claims. Yet, although you may have proper insurance coverage, you never really want to experience a claim. The smart insurance is to avoid or reduce the risk of having a home insurance loss in the first place. So we have locks on our doors and windows, smoke detectors, and sump pumps. Taking these precautions is natural to most homeowners.  You are managing your risk of suffering a loss by being proactive and preventative. Now you have some new tools to aid in that process. All it takes is a smart phone and smart technology.

 

Claim Scenarios, Smart Products

Scenario #1 involves smoke and fire.

If a smoke detector goes off and no one is there to hear it. Does it make a sound?  Of course it does but you cannot hear it while you are at work. That was the old answer. The new answer is, you received a notice on your smart phone. The fire department was called and your home was saved.  Smart Smoke Detectors are designed to work just that way.

Scenario #2, vacationing during the winter.

You go to a nice warm, sunny place in January. Both you and your wife forgot to buy oil before leaving on your trip. The temperature drops, and your pipes freeze. You return from your trip to find your home is a disaster. Now you need another vacation. That was then, this is now. Your smart thermostat sends an alert to your phone that the temperature has dropped in your home. You now can contact someone to check out and remedy the situation.

Scenario #3, taking a day trip.

Before leaving for the day you put on a load of laundry and leave for the day. While you are out the hose to the washing machine hose breaks. You come home water damaged mess. The floors, walls, ceilings are all damaged. What could have been done to prevent this? The smart water detector could have prevented this. It works by sending an alert to your phone. that water has been detected. Some models also automatically shut off the main water supply. It turns a major problem into a manageable situation.

Scenario #4, you and your spouse work all day.

There has been a rash of burglaries leading up to Christmas. Your home is broken into while at work and the Christmas gifts, along with other valuables are stolen. If you had a local house alarm, your neighbors may have ignored the siren and your things were still stolen. While this might not have been prevented you would have a better shot with the host of smart security cameras now on the market. They offer HD clarity, live streaming, motion detection activation, phone alert and recording of events. Taken altogether this could deter or  enable quicker response.

 

Smart Insurance = Smart Products

Generally speaking, homeowner policies will respond to the scenarios listed. It follows that your insurance company will pay you minus your deductible to repair and replace your belongings. However,  it is a stressful troubling situation to have loss to your person or property. These smart products could help prevent or reduce the severity of many common homeowner losses. As a result they are at least worth looking into, to see what may fit your lifestyle.

  1. Smart Smoke Detector… Receive notifications to your phone if smoke or CO2 is detected.
    Smart Batteries… Do you hate that beeping when the batteries run low in the smoke detector? It tells you they need to be changed.
  2. Smart Water detection… This device will notify you of a water leak  and some models even shut the water off for you.
  3. Smart Video Security …With these devices, you can both record and live stream from your phone. Some also provide face recognition and notify you if an unrecognized person enters your home.
  4. Smart Thermostats… This is big for anyone that ever travels or forgets to fill the oil tank oil tank? This can alert you to an unsafe drop of  temperature.
  5. Smart Doorbell… A clever gadget that notifies you and starts recording when the doorbell is engaged.
  6. Smart Lighting… control your lights from anywhere and can give the appearance your home is occupied.