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Homeowners Insurance
Need a Homeowners Insurance comparison in the Concord, China Grove area?
If you’re like most homeowners in the Concord, and China Grove area, your home is your most valuable asset, and should be protected as such. When your home is damaged or destroyed, you need your claim settled by an insurance company that understands the importance of the place you call home.
The Jason Bentley Agency can help you find the best homeowners insurance that will best meet your needs and provide the most valuable combination of tailored coverage, quality service and competitive pricing.
Note: if you are looking for homeowners insurance for a rental property, or home that is un-occupied, you cannot use traditional homeowners insurance. You need a “specialty dwelling” policy which we can also help you with.
Regardless of whether you live in China Grove or any other part of North Carolina, homeowners insurance is one of the most important insurance policies you could ever own.
It’s important to understand that no two homeowners insurance policies are created equal though. Different insurance companies offer different levels of coverage, different endorsements and riders, and have different conditions and limitations.
China Grove and Concord Homeowners Insurance
If you’re not using an agent in your hometown like us, it can be hard, if not impossible to tell the difference between two homeowners insurance policies.
Whether you own or rent, insuring the place you call home can help protect you financially if you suffer a loss due to fire, theft, vandalism, or other covered events. It will also cover you in the event someone is injured while on your property and wins a legal judgment against you.
Homeowners insurance policies differ by which losses are covered, which coverages you choose, and what type of residence you own. You choose which policy is best for you, whether it’s a comprehensive policy that covers losses such as fire, hail, smoke, falling objects, vandalism and theft of personal property, or whether it’s a policy that covers only specified losses.
Common Homeowners Insurance Coverages
These are some common coverages you typically see on a policy:
Dwelling — this is the portion of your policy that covers the actual structure (main house). The cost to replace your home can fluctuate from time to time based on the cost of raw material and labor, and of course, supply and demand.
We’ll run a replacement cost analysis on your home to see how much it would actually cost if the worst happened and you had to rebuild.
Other Structures — this covers any structure on your property that is not permanently attached to your house, like fencing, driveways, sidewalks, and detached buildings like sheds and garages. Usually this coverage is 10% of whatever your Dwelling limit is, but can be increased if you need more coverage.
Personal Property — this covers all of your personal belongings like clothing, furniture, electronics, and appliances. Basically anything that would fall out of your house if you turned it upside down and shook out the contents.
Loss of Use — this covers your living expenses if you need to live somewhere else temporarily because your primary home is uninhabitable due to a loss.
Medical Expense —this covers medical expenses for guests if they are injured on your property, and in certain cases covers people who are injured off of your property. It does not cover health care costs for you or other members of your household.
Family/Personal Liability — Personal Liability Coverage applies if someone is injured or their property is damaged and you are to blame. The coverage generally applies anywhere in the world. When choosing your liability coverage limits, consider things like how much money you make and the assets you own. Your personal liability coverage should be high enough to protect your assets if you are sued. In some situations, an Umbrella policy may be necessary to provide extra coverage.
Scheduled Personal Property — there are some situations where you might want special coverage for valuables, or collectibles like jewelry, guns, collectibles, rugs, etc..
How to get started with your homeowners quote:
Every home is unique, and therefore requires a carefully crafted policy.
If you’d like us to review your current policy and provide you with no obligation quotes, call our office, enter some basic information in the fields below to get started online. Either way, we make the process super simple!
Condo Insurance
Condo Insurance
Looking for Condo Insurance in China Grove?
Jason Bentley Agency has you covered!
Condo insurance (also referred to as an H0-6 policy) covers your condo unit where your condo association insurance stops. Your association typically insures the physical structure/building and other common areas.
Association by-laws vary, but condo owners are generally responsible for the interior of their unit, or from the drywall in. Things like your floors, walls, cabinets and fixtures that your association’s insurance likely doesn’t cover.
Getting a copy of those by-laws is a good idea so you can understand what your responsibilities are in the event of a claim. We can help you understand the fine print.
Condo insurance for Town-homes
It’s also important to understand that some town-homes are insured like condos, and therefore require an H0-6 policy.
If you live in a town-home, be sure that you have the correct type of insurance.
Jason Bentley Agency is here to help you understand the differences between a homeowner’s policy and a condo policy.
Renters Insurance
Renters Insurance
Looking for a better Renters Insurance Policy in China Grove?
You have a lot of things that are important to you – from your clothes and furniture to your sound system, sports gear, and computer. And you want to feel confident that everything you’ve worked for is not at risk.
Let Jason Bentley Agency help you find coverage options that protect you, your family, and your personal property. Let us help make sure you’re properly covered.
What You Need to Know
Your renters policy covers your personal property against theft or damage subject to the limits and deductibles you select. The coverage applies even when you are away from home.
For a small additional premium, you can choose to carry full value coverage on your personal property, which ensures that you will be paid the full replacement cost of items that are damaged or stolen without deduction for depreciation.
Protect Yourself and Your Guests
Your renters insurance policy also protects you and your family against certain bodily injury and property damage claims for which you are liable. Legal defense is also provided in the event you are sued after a covered loss, subject to the limits you have selected.
In addition, you can select medical payments coverage which will pay for medical expenses incurred by a visitor who is injured at your residence regardless of fault. Various limits are available. Let us help you find the right amount of coverage to suit your insurance needs.
The Right Coverage, The Right Price
Whether you’re starting out, between homes, or downsizing, we’ll help you pick the best renters insurance coverage that best fits your needs.
Be sure to ask about available discounts including burglar alarm credits and account credits for customers who package their auto and/or umbrella policies with their renters insurance policy.
Flood Insurance
Flood Insurance
Looking for Flood Insurance in North Carolina?
When most people think of a flood, they might think of events like Hurricane Katrina, or Hurricane Sandy. These were huge devastating storms that caused billions of dollars in damage.
In reality, most floods are caused by far less catastrophic situations. In fact, it only takes a few inches of standing water to cause tens of thousands of dollars.
If you’re looking for flood insurance in China Grove we’ve got you covered. Did you know that every single house in the entire country is in a FEMA flood zone? It’s just that some flood zones are worse than others.
In most situations, you will have a 30 day waiting period when you buy flood insurance, so don’t wait until it’s too late!
Homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage
Regardless of whether you live in China Grove or any other part of North Carolina, flood insurance has to be purchased as a separate, stand-alone policy.
It is not covered by homeowners insurance.
Flood insurance policies also reimburse you for the work that you and other family members did to sandbag your homes, move furniture and remove debris.
If you live in certain flood zones, your mortgage company may require that you purchase a flood insurance policy.
If you live outside a high-risk zone, or if you no longer have a mortgage, flood insurance is optional.
Professional Liability Insurance
General Liability Insurance
Looking for General Liability Insurance in the Concord, China Grove NC area?
Are you a business owner in China Grove or Concord, Kannapolis looking for General Liability Insurance? Our agency has you covered. It only takes one claim to financially cripple your business, so it’s important that you have adequate coverage from a highly rated carrier.
At it’s core, General Liability Insurance (a.k.a. CGL for Commercial General Liability) is the most basic form of commercial liability coverage. If you own a business, having General Liability coverage is not optional — it’s mandatory.
At Jason Bentley Agency, we represent a wide range of General Liability Insurance companies in North Carolina and can help pair your business type with the best possible provider and pricing.
What does General Liability Insurance Cover?
Business is inherently risky, but General Liability insurance protects against many known and unknown risks.
Simply put, CGL guards you, your business and your employees from claims involving bodily injury or property damage born out of your business operations. These policies cover the expense of out-of-court settlements, litigation and judgments awarded by courts. Often times CGL is paired with BPP (Business Personal Property) coverage in a BOP (Business Owners Policy).
Here are a few things you can expect General Liability Insurance to cover:
- Lawsuits, investigations, and settlements
- Injury damages
- Advertising/Copyright claims
What’s involved with getting CGL Insurance?
With any type of insurance there are certain underwriting and eligibility questions that must be answered in order for the insurance company to determine what the final rating will be.
Our agency will guide you through the process and make it easy. Many times companies will require you to show them a certificate of insurance before you can do work for them.
This proves to them that you have active insurance coverage, which is typically a requirement if you’re running a business in most states.
If you’re confused by any of this don’t worry, we’ll make the process easy. Give us a call and we can help you get the process started when you’re ready.
Landlord Insurance Coverage
Cyber Liability
What is cyber insurance?
Cyber insurance covers your business’ liability for a data breach that includes sensitive customer information. This could include things like Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers, driver’s license numbers and even medical records.
Why doesn’t my general liability insurance cover cyber liability?
GLI covers bodily injuries and damage to property which is a result of your products, services or operations. Be sure to check your policy because cyyber insurance is usually not included in your general liability policy.
What does cyber insurance cover?
- Legal fees and expenses as well as:
- Restoring personal identities of affected customers
- Notifying customers about a data breach
- Repairing damaged computer systems
- Recovering compromised data
- What to look for as a cyber insurance buyer
Many well-known insurance companies offer cyber insurance policies. We work with the top carriers in the country to be sure your needs are met.
Like any business insurance, cyber insurance coverage varies by insurer and policy.
When shopping around and comparing policies among insurers, here are some things to look for and ask about:
- What are the deductibles? Be sure to compare deductibles closely among insurers, just like you do with health, vehicle and facility policies.
- Does the insurance company offer one or more types of cyber insurance policies or is the coverage simply an extension to an existing policy? In most cases, a stand-alone policy is best and more comprehensive. Also find out if the policy is customizable to an organization.
- How does coverage and limits apply to both first and third parties? For example, does the policy cover third-party service providers? On that note, find out if your service providers have cyber insurance and how it affects your agreement.
- Does the policy cover any attack to which an organization falls victim or only targeted attacks against that organization in particular?
- Does the policy cover non-malicious actions taken by an employee? This is part of the E&O coverage that applies to cyber insurance as well.
- Does the policy cover social engineering as well as network attacks? Social engineering plays a role in all kinds of attacks, including phishing, spear phishing and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
- Because APTs take place over time, which can be months to years, does the policy include time frames within which coverage applies?
Auto Insurance
Commercial Auto Insurance
We’re the Commercial Auto Insurance specialists in the Concord, China Grove NC area
As a business owner, you may have one or more vehicles, such as delivery vehicles, taxis, limos or buses. The right commercial auto insurance covers you for accidents, injuries and other incidents that can put those investments at risk.
What commercial auto coverage do you need, and how much?
What are the risks to you, your drivers, and your business that commercial auto insurance can cover?
Driver Distraction and Commercial Automobile Operation
The Department of Transportation investigated the impact of distraction in commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes and safety-critical events in 2009. They found the following:
- Drivers were involved in non-driving tasks in 71% of CMV crashes
- Distracted driving caused 46% of near-crashes and 50% of safety-critical events
Types of Vehicles Commercial Auto Insurance Covers
Commercial automobile insurance is a broad term that refers to most commercial business automobiles, including but not limited to:
- Company cars
- Cargo Vans
- Limos
- Taxis
- Buses
- SUVs
- Pickup trucks
Commercial auto policies cover personal cars that are used for business, as well as SUVs, light duty trucks, buses, limousines, taxicabs, vans and other delivery vehicles used solely for business purposes.
Use of these automobiles is associated with a range of risk factors, including how you use them, how often, and how many miles they travel each year, among other factors. Insurance companies review these risk factors along with any efforts your company may make to improve driver safety, when they assess the amount of coverage your business needs.
If you are looking for coverage information on large trucks and heavy equipment used for business purposes, refer to the commercial truck insurance section.
What Does Commercial Auto Insurance Cover?
Commercial auto insurance is similar to personal auto insurance in basic coverage, such as liability, comprehensive, collision and other types of coverage that are specific to business vehicle use. A commercial auto policy is designed to protect your business from significant losses that could affect your company’s financial well being.
Commercial auto insurance policies combine several different types of coverage – some are required and some are optional. A typical policy includes some combination of the following:
Bodily injury liability: This portion of the commercial auto policy covers harm to others in an accident caused by you or your employee. Bodily injury coverage will provide compensation for medical costs, funeral costs if necessary, and the costs associated with a lawsuit. The amount of compensation your company receives depends upon the limit set on your bodily injury liability coverage, as well as your deductible.
Property damage liability: This coverage will pay the costs to repair property damage caused by you or your employee. The amount of coverage you receive is based on the limits you set and your deductibles. It is a good idea to work closely with an agent to assess your risks as well as the potential costs of injury, property damage and legal fees. For the best protection, consider buying a commercial umbrella liability policy.
Collision: As with your personal auto policy, a good commercial auto policy should include adequate collision coverage to pay for the damage to your vehicles in the event you or your employees cause an accident.
Comprehensive: Known also as “other than collision,” your comprehensive coverage is an important protection for damage to your vehicle or loss due to causes other than collision. These causes can include weather, theft and vandalism.
Uninsured and underinsured motorists: If one of your drivers is in an accident caused by another motorist who does not have adequate insurance, this coverage will help to pay for damages and injuries to your vehicle and your driver, up to the limits set on your policy.
Medical payments: This coverage pays for medical and/or funeral expenses for you, your drivers and passengers after an accident.
Additional optional coverage: A wide range of additional coverage types may be available, depending on the insurance company you work with and the state your business is in. For example, you may be able to buy coverage for your employees when they drive a car or truck your company does not own.
You might also buy coverage for a rental replacement auto if your company car is in the shop. You could opt to get towing and roadside assistance. Some insurance companies even provide very specific coverage for companies who load and unload cargo, due to the increased liability risk involved.
The right commercial insurance can protect you, your business, and all of the drivers in your commercial cars, vans, pickup trucks or limos in an accident. One of the most critical ways to protect your company is by having adequate liability coverage in case you or one of your employees causes an accident that injures another person or damages their property.
Does Commercial Auto Insurance Cover Personal Use?
Small business owners and entrepreneurs often use their own cars while on the job without a second thought. However, it is important to know that your personal insurance may not cover commercial use of your auto.
It’s very common for a small business owner to send an employee out on an errand, whether to get supplies from the local store or to give a business consultant a ride from the airport.
If the staff member gets behind the wheel of his own car, and the business owner does not have a commercial auto insurance policy in place that covers that worker and his car, any injuries or damage that result from an accident may not be covered.
Regardless of how much or how little you and your employees use personal vehicles in the course of doing business, getting adequate coverage in place can prevent a financially damaging event from putting your business at risk.
An agent like Jason Bentley Agency, can provide all of your commercial coverage through one office. We can sit down with you, get to know your business, and learn how you and your employees use your business automobiles.
We’ll ask a variety of questions designed to not only get you an accurate quote, but also find discounts that may be available to you.
You may be asked questions such as:
- How many commercial automobiles do you have?
- How are those vehicles used? For example, do they transport people, goods, hazardous materials, or food?
- How many miles does each vehicle typically travel in a year?
- How many drivers do you have?
- What are their ages and level of experience?
- Have your drivers taken a safe driving course?
If you’re in the market for commercial auto insurance in China Grove, or if you have coverage already but aren’t sure it’s comprehensive or competitively priced, we’ll give you an open and honest assessment of your coverage to determine whether or not you can do better.
Earthquake Insurance
Earthquake Insurance
Looking for Earthquake Insurance in China Grove?
When many people think of insurance, they think of their house, their car, and maybe life insurance. What many people don’t think about though is earthquake insurance.
While earthquakes don’t strike regularly, it only takes one minor tremor to cause significant damage to your home’s foundation, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in damage if not more.
At Jason Bentley Agency, we take protecting your house very seriously, and that means not leaving any stones un-turned.
When we talk about insurance, the entire purpose of insurance is to transfer risk to an insurance company, therefore protecting your assets should the worst happen. Being that your home is most likely your most valuable asset, it only makes sense to explore the benefits of earthquake insurance.
Homeowners insurance does not cover earthquakes
In many states, earthquake insurance is sold as a stand-alone policy, meaning that is does not come as a part of your homeowners policy. Homeowners policies don’t cover earthquakes in any way, so it’s important to understand this catastrophic exclusion that exists in your coverage.
Earthquake Insurance Coverages
Like homeowners insurance, earthquake insurance’s main duty is to protect your home. This means the most important coverage limit on your policy is the “Dwelling Coverage” limit, which is designed to cover the main structure of the home.
There may also be coverage for personal property as well.
You will also have a deductible, which can range anywhere from $1,000 up to $10,000 or possibly more. Like homeowners insurance, the higher deductible you take, the lower your premium will be.