Posts By: Eric Wong

Do I Really Need Renters Insurance?

Posted August 31, 2021 by Eric Wong & filed under Featured.

Renters insurance is one of those things you likely never think about until you need it. If you’re currently renting an apartment, a home, or even a bedroom inside of a family member’s guest house, you may want to consider renters insurance. While most residential properties require residents to obtain renters insurance before handing over the keys, there are many instances where it gets swept under the rug and forgotten until an issue arises. If you’ve never considered renters insurance or have been questioning if you really need it, here are a few reasons why you absolutely should have renters insurance protecting you at all times.

Get help with property or personal item damages

Let’s face it, things happen like sewer backups or pipe damage that can cause damage to a residence you don’t own or your personal belongings. With renters insurance, the damages are covered so you don’t have to worry about fixing the property or replacing damaged items out of pocket. Having the right insurance coverage can not only save you time and money, but also save you the liability of having to restore unexpected damages to your living space.

Rebound from theft

Theft is scary and having your residence burglarized can cause enough stress alone. If your residence is broken into and your personal items are stolen, renters insurance helps to replace the valuables you’ve lost more easily. Burglaries and theft can also leave your residence turned up-side-down, with broken furniture or damaged windows and door handles. With renters insurance, a professional agent can help walk you through the process of filing all your damages so your claim covers all your losses and you’re able to restore as much as possible.

Have protection in the event of an accident

It’s easy to make small damages as you go about your daily routine. Things like handle replacements or doors accidentally rotating off the hinges are usually covered by maintenance or your landlord. In the case of accidents where property damage is done and you don’t have anyone to assist with repairs, renters insurance may cover getting your fixtures or features back in order.

Protect yourself from personal injury liabilities

A slip and fall in your driveway, a fall down an uneven step, or a guest stepping over a rusty nail can become a huge issue if it happens at your residence. Though things happen, it’s comforting to know that if someone experiences a personal injury at your home, renters insurance can cover it. In lieu of medical insurance or when you need additional coverage to help take care of personal injury claims that have transpired at your residence; it’s good to have renters insurance to process the incident and provide all parties with proper solutions.

If you’re considering renters insurance, look no further than the team here at Hello Covered. We help you find the perfect plan with the perfect provider through an easy-to-follow process. Get started with us today and explore the wide variety of insurance plans and providers we work with to provide you top-tier solutions. Schedule a call from our team!

Explore Renters Insurance

What is Umbrella Insurance?

Posted August 27, 2021 by Eric Wong & filed under Featured.

If you’re a homeowner or if you currently rent, you may already know what umbrella insurance is and you might even have it. If you haven’t heard about umbrella insurance, you’re likely asking yourself ‘what is umbrella insurance?’ and ‘why would I need it?’ While it’s not the kind of protection you get when your umbrella gives out in the middle of a rainstorm, it is the kind of insurance that you have waiting for a rainy day. Keep reading if you want to learn more about umbrella insurance and why you may want to have the extra layer of protection it provides.

Everyone is familiar with the protection that insurance such as car insurance provides and if you’re a homeowner or renter, you probably already have protection plans like home insurance and/or renter’s insurance in place. While insurance can protect you from many disasters, each individual plan has limitations. So what happens when your car is unfortunately totaled and your auto insurance policy has maxed out? Or what will happen if your pet insurance only covers short-term pet illnesses and not ongoing expenses like unique procedures or medicines? That’s where umbrella insurance steps in to save the day.

Umbrella insurance is a type of liability insurance that individuals and families hold in excess of other policies. In many circumstances, umbrella insurance can serve as the primary insurance for liabilities or losses not covered by your other policies. When a person’s primary policy is exhausted, umbrella insurance is the additional cushion needed to protect whatever is being covered or cared for. In some cases, umbrella insurance may even cover risks or damages that may have not been covered in a person’s primary policy and often brings an added sense of relief.

Umbrella insurance coverage can vary from policy to policy, so it’s wise to speak with your agent about how your coverage will work in conjunction with the current plans you have in place. If your agent is super detailed and cares about the bigger picture, like our agents at Hello Covered, they can recommend adjustments in your other policies that will better suit your umbrella insurance policy and potentially save you money. The main source of umbrella insurance claims are made to cover further protection in auto accidents, though umbrella insurance can work in addition to a wide range of policies.

So what should you take away from all this information? Insurance plans often have policies and limitations in place that may lead to claims not being covered, you can do yourself a favor and add another layer of protection by securing umbrella insurance.

If you’re thinking about adding umbrella insurance to your existing insurance plan, let us be the first to say you’re on the right path. It’s one of the wisest decisions you can make to ensure deeper levels of protection for the things that matter most to you.

If you’d like to get started with exploring umbrella insurance plans that suit your unique needs, budget, and lifestyle, fill out a quote form today and our team at Hello Covered will get you started.

Explore Umbrella Insurance

How to Talk to a Service Professional

Posted April 1, 2021 by Eric Wong & filed under Uncategorized.

If you knew what was wrong with your stove, you wouldn’t have to call a repairman to fix it. This gap in knowledge can intimidate some people. How do you know what your technician is referring to? What if you describe what’s broken incorrectly?

If you’ve come upon this article by trying to quickly learn repairman’s lingo or figure out what’s wrong, we can offer you some assurance.

Professionals You Can Trust

When you work with Hello Covered, our network of fully-vetted professionals is at your disposal. We recruit and select the very best technicians because it’s important to us to deliver reliable, fast service to our customers. In fact, we ensure we are knowledgeable about speaking to and acquiring the best in technicians and repairmen so that you can begin getting your home needs met.

Use Your Own Repairmen

One of the benefits of choosing Hello Covered for your home warranty company is that we allow our clients to choose their own technician. They must be licensed and approved by our team, but the best way, we’ve found, to work with customers is to trust them to know what’s best for themselves.

But if you’re still feeling a little uneasy, when booking and solidifying your serviceperson we have provided some terms below to help you feel confident!

Some industry lingo for you…

BTU (British thermal unit)
Cold or hot, you can measure energy as temperature using this handy acronym. It applies to fridges, HVACs, and anything else that changes temperature.

Fully Integrated
Also known as the hidden door style. This finish on an appliance (typically a dishwasher or refrigerator) camouflages the appliance by covering the doors in the same finish as the rest of the kitchen cabinetry.

Holiday Mode
What you go into when you get on the plane for vacation… but for your refrigerator. Some models allow you to enter it into a lower-power mode to conserve energy while you’re away.

Mechanical Failure
The term for when something goes wrong with an item and it’s no longer able to perform its primary function — fridges that don’t cool, heaters that don’t heat.

Necessary/Required Upgrade
Things change. When things change that affect your appliances, this can trigger a necessary or required upgrade. Some examples include an inability to obtain parts, a product recall, or government-mandated upgrades.

Proper Operating Condition
The item in question is working as intended, placed in the place it was intended to be, connected to the systems it was intended to connect to. A microwave on the edge of a hot tub is not proper for either device, for example.

Simple Mechanical Test
These are the intuitive tests you probably already take when you suspect something might be broken. Turn the device on and off. Run through its primary functions. A determination, simply, of whether or not something works.

Sweating a Joint
No, this is not something you do in the gym. This is a term for soldering metal joints together.

Torpedo Level
Not the angle that torpedoes are shot at. Rather, it’s the explosive name for the diminutive, torpedo-shaped, bubble-equipped level.

Universal Design
These are the design rules that help make spaces accessible to everybody. It’s the reason your doors are all thirty-six inches wide.

Visual inspection
More superficial than a mechanical test, this is just an assessment of how something appears and does not include a physical test of its functions.

Hopefully now you feel like you can confidently call us, or your repairman, and get what needs doing done. This is just one of the many ways Hello Covered can keep your washing machine washing, your home office humming, and your kitchen simmering with our “no contract” coverage and rapid-response services team.

Home Warranties Explained for New Homeowners

Posted April 1, 2021 by Eric Wong & filed under Uncategorized.

You’ve finally realized the American dream. But nobody ever told you what a home warranty was for. We got you covered. A home warranty is actually a super simple way to protect your home. If you’re a new homeowner, you’re probably used to having a landlord from renting. A number you call when the dishwasher stops working or the pipes back up. That’s basically what a home warranty is. A number to call when things break down. There’s a few things to consider, though, before you buy yours.

For New Homes

If you’re building a home, or buying a brand new one, there’s a good chance that a home warranty is, or could be, included as part of the transaction. This home warranty is sometimes referred to as a builder’s warranty. It’s basically a guarantee from the builder that their work will last a reasonable length of time. However, it doesn’t always cover everything. For instance, new electronics would not be covered under a building warranty, you would need an additional home policy for those sorts of things.

For Lived-In Properties

Previously lived in properties are where home warranties make the most sense. The first step to choosing the right one for your lifestyle and property is to assess what it is you’re trying to protect! Is there an HVAC system? Pools or saunas? What in the kitchen do you need to protect from breakdowns? With a thorough inventory of your new home, you’ll be able to make an informed decision on the size and scope of your home warranty.

If you’ve done an inspection of your home and you’ve considered a few warranties, but you still have questions, you can always reach out to the Hello Covered staff. Our team of qualified professionals can walk you through your options in simple, easy-to-understand terms to help you find the policy that fits you and your home.