Prepare Your Home for Winter and Prevent Claims

Fall in Tennessee is a wonderful time of the year. At the same time, the beautiful orange, red and yellow leaves on the trees remind us that winter is just around the corner. Freezing temperatures, ice, and snow can cause major damage to your home and other property. Fortunately, you can avoid much of the hassle and expense of damage by performing some basic maintenance before winter arrives and avoid a homeowners insurance claim.

5 Home Maintenance Tips to Prepare for Winter

1. Have the Furnace Checked

A furnace that operates inefficiently consumes excess fuel and produces dangerous gases like carbon monoxide. To reduce utility bills and keep your family warm and safe, change filters regularly and schedule a service check-up with a reliable HVAC company before the temperatures drop. Also, if you have a wood burning fireplace or stove, it is a good idea to have your chimney flue professionally cleaned and maintained to get rid of dangerous, combustible creosote build-up.

2. Remove Dead Trees and Overhanging Limbs

Dead or dying trees and overhanging limbs paired with heavy snow or ice and high winds are a home insurance nightmare. If a branch falls, it could cause serious injuries or property damage. Before a limb plummets onto the neighbor’s car or crashes through your garage roof, have a professional arborist examine the tree and remove the threat.

3. Bring Hoses in From Outside

Garden hoses are not durable enough to withstand freezing temperatures and harsh elements. Also, leaving them attached may cause damage to inside pipes from freezing. Detach the hoses from the exterior faucets, drain them of water, and store them in the basement or garage until spring.

4. Winterize Exterior Faucets & Pipes

After removing hoses, shut off the water lines inside the house that feed exterior faucets and pipes and open the valves to drain any remaining water. Apply winter covers—available at any hardware store—to the knobs and faucets, and insulate any pipes that run along exterior walls or through unheated areas of the house.

5. Clear Gutters

Rain gutters should be free of leaves and debris so melting ice and snow does not find its way into your home. Otherwise, water can accumulate in the congested troughs and form dangerous destructive ice dams. Clean the gutters and make sure downspouts are not clogged. While you’re checking and cleaning your gutters, look for and repair any missing shingles or nails sticking up that may also allow melting ice and snow to leak into your home.

By following these suggestions, you may be able to avoid damages that could result in a large homeowners insurance claim. For more information on protecting your property, speak with your local independent agent or contact Farmers Mutual of Tennessee online or call (800) 824-9555 to speak with one of our representatives.

Since 1913, Farmers Mutual of Tennessee has been providing quality insurance coverage at an affordable price. 

Trees: Maintenance and Damage

Every year, across our great state of Tennessee, falling trees and limbs cause millions of dollars’ worth of damage to homes. Why?  What can homeowners do to prevent or minimize damage to their property? This type of home insurance advice and action could reduce some of the costly claims across the state of Tennessee each year.

Age, drought, wind, and rain can cause trees to become compromised and more likely to damage structures – including houses, fences, and outbuildings. But FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) says that a lot of this can be prevented:

“Three-fourths of the damage that trees incur during storms is predictable and preventable. Trees with wounds, decay, structural defects, stem girdling roots, severed roots and soil compaction are prime targets for experiencing storm damage.”

If you have trees that threaten your structures, you should consider trimming or cutting them to prevent costly and inconvenient removal and repair. Also, not maintaining the trees on your premises may open you up to liability exposure. Some questions to ask if you think your tree might need maintenance are:

• Is there any damage to the trunk? Cracking, hollowing, and decay are signs that a tree may need to be removed.
• Are the branches bare or cracking? If this is the case, the tree might be unhealthy.
• Are there limbs hanging close to a roof or power lines? These should be trimmed to prevent loss.
• Do the roots look damaged?
• Is the tree leaning to one side?
• Is there fungus growing on the tree?

If some of these things are present, it might be time to contact a trusted tree removal expert or insurance agent with contacts in your area. For suggestions/recommendations on picking the right contractor, please see “Selecting a Contractor“.

If a tree falls on a covered structure, your policy provides coverage to get the tree off of the covered structure and onto the ground. It does not pay for cutting, loading, and hauling away the tree. Also, the amount for tree removal may be limited by your policy.

Common Insurance Property Damage Question Regarding Trees

A common question that we get is “If my neighbor’s tree falls and damages my property, aren’t they responsible to pay to fix it?” Super question as the answer might not be what you think. In the state of Tennessee, premise liability law states that, as long as the neighbor’s tree was alive and healthy at the time of loss, the neighbor is not liable for damage that the tree does to your property.

So, if your neighbor’s tree falls and damages your property, call Farmers Mutual of Tennessee (FMT Insurance) and we’ll set up a claim to look at the damage.
If you have any questions, please speak with your local insurance agent or contact FMT Insurance to find the nearest Agent to assist you. Another excellent resource to utilize is the “Incidental Property Coverage” section of your policy.