Five most frequently asked questions about a homeowner’s policy.
May 15 2013 // Home Insurance
Do I really need homeowner's insurance?
Your home is usually the single largest financial investment you will ever make. Protecting your investment from such perils as fire, theft or a natural disaster is critical. Being able to sleep at night knowing you are protected is worth the annual premium alone. Although home insurance is not mandatory by law, most banks or mortgage holders will insist that you purchase insurance before they lend you money to buy a home.
Who is covered under my homeowner's policy?
Home insurance covers the property, contents and personal liability of you, your spouse or partner and your children under the age of 18 or under the age of 21, if they are students either living in the household or temporarily living away from the household. If you share your home with a friend or relative, or rent out part of your home, you must let your insurance representative know.
What is covered?
Who is at fault in a parking lot accident?
May 15 2013 // Auto Insurance
As our population continues to grow, our roads are becoming more and more congested, as are our parking lots. In fact, in some areas of the "Golden Horseshoe", parking is a known issue. Often, there aren't enough parking spots for the number of cars searching for one, increasing the risk of having a parking lot accident.
Driving rules in a parking lot are not as well known as the rules of the roads but yet a parking lot accident can affect your car insurance premiums the same way.
Here are some rules to consider
- Drivers leaving a parking space must yield to any other oncoming traffic.
- You are automatically at fault if an accident occurs as a result of failing to follow traffic sign directions or the directions of a police officer.
- You are automatically at fault if you collide with a legally parked car, however if the other car is parked illegally, that driver could be at fault.
- If somebody opens their car door while you pull into a parking spot and you hit it, the driver who opened the door is at fault. It's the responsibility of the person opening a car door to ensure that there is no traffic approaching.
- If you are driving in a parking lot lane that is situated between 2 rows of parked cars (not a lane that directly exits onto a road) and want to turn into the lane that leads directly to the parking lot exit, you must wait for any traffic in that lane to pass before turning.
Even though most parking lot accidents are not usually serious, they still need to be reported the same way you would report a road accident.
Hotel safes… are they really safe?
May 15 2013 // Home Insurance, Insurance Tips
When vacationing and staying in a hotel, we're often encouraged to lock up all of our valuables in the hotel safe. We then leave our hotel room with the assumption that all of our important documents, passports, cash, jewelry etc. are safely stowed away. But this may not always be the case.
Don't fool yourself by thinking the safe can't be opened by the common criminal. In fact, if you Google, "How to break into a hotel safe", you will see how easy it is to open a safe even though you keyed in a personal code to lock and re-open it. Watch this video to see how fast and easy someone can get into your safe.
Whether it's hotel staff or an intruder to the hotel, your valuables are never 100% safe in a hotel.
Tips to help keep your valuables safe
When you're traveling, split up your valuables, storing them in different pockets that have been secured inside a jacket, pants or shirts.
Involved in a car accident? What do you do?
May 06 2013 // Auto Insurance
We all take pride in our driving ability and consider ourselves cautious drivers. No one ever plans on having a car accident whether it is your fault or not. However, accidents do happen and you need to be prepared in case one happens to you.
Some important steps you need to remember:
1) Move Car to safety: Stay calm and keep yourself and others safe by moving your car safely off to the shoulder if it is possible.
2) Call the police: If the car is not drivable stay inside. Call an ambulance if needed. Make sure you get a copy of the police report.
3) Do not admit fault: People are usually very emotional and not thinking straight after a car accident and sometimes they admit fault without thinking through the facts. Admitting fault could affect you in a future law suit. Give yourself some time after the accident to discuss these details with your broker and your Lawyer if needed.
4) Record details of the accident: You should record as many details as you can. Include date, time, location, a description of the accident, any injuries, and any charges laid. Record the details of the other party including their name and address, phone number, and vehicle year, make and model. Be sure you get the name of their Insurance Company and their policy number. Taking photos and asking a witness for their name and number can also help you in case a law suit should arise.
Neziol Insurance Group acquires Wong Insurance
April 10 2013 // News, Home Insurance, Auto Insurance, Business Insurance
Neziol Insurance Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of Wong Insurance and Financial Services, effective April 1, 2013
The merger of the two brokerages will expand and strengthen relationships with insurance markets and increase the quality of their management team, providing better service for their clients.
"Wong Insurance was a great fit for Neziol as both brokerages are family owned and operated and covet the same business values for our clients" said Paul Neziol, President of Neziol Insurance Group. "Our goal is to bestow independent advice and multiple options for all our clients' insurance needs, while providing optimal service".
The brokerages have been working together to integrate a smooth transition into the Neziol Insurance Group's Mississauga branch. Tina Luo and Cynthia Pacheco from Wong Insurance will be joining the team in Mississauga. Albert Wong will stay on as a consultant.
Latest Blog Posts
- Five most frequently asked questions about a homeowner’s policy.
- Who is at fault in a parking lot accident?
- Hotel safes… are they really safe?
- Involved in a car accident? What do you do?
- Neziol Insurance Group acquires Wong Insurance
- Should I file a claim or pay for it myself?
- Did You Know Your Home Has Three Different Values?
- Licence Sticker Renewal
- Tailgate theft is on the rise
- Auto theft protection tips