Homeowner’s Academy
This is your guide to interesting facts, tips and general homeowner information. We hope you find the information useful – and feel free to share with friends!

Debunking Popular Florida Flood Insurance Myths

Spring cleaning often comes with a fresh coat of paint. Painting can be a great way to change the feel of a room or give your home some great curb appeal. Painting also plays a role in home repair by protecting the wood of your home against the elements, essential here in Florida.

If you decide to try your hand at painting this spring, People’s Trust has some tips that can keep the experience enjoyable and safe for everyone in your family.

Try Some Eco-friendly Paint

Spring conjures up the sniffles for many people in the great outdoors, but paint may do the same thing inside of your home. Household paints have previously contained up to 300 toxic chemicals, including the hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release particles into the air for years after you paint.

Try a low-VOC paint, which tends to be water-based, for any home interior painting. These have taken off in recent years and come in every shade and finish imaginable. Some brands also create no-VOC paints by replacing chemicals with more natural ingredients. These no-VOC paints are often pet-safe, but always check the label and never leave your pet unattended in a room where paint cans are open.

Home Repair Supervision

If you have children, never let them be in a room with open paint cans by themselves. If children are under the age of 10, they should never be in a room with any open painting materials. Even eco-friendly paints are extremely dangerous if ingested. If you believe your child has ingested any paint, immediately call poison control at 1-800-222-1222.

Try Cloth Catchers for Indoor and Outdoor Painting

You can pick up plastic sheets to protect your floors and lawn, but these often move and tear as you walk around painting. Turn to cloth or canvas drop cloths that will stay in place easier and can be weighed down with objects without the risk of tearing.

For painting the outside of your home, try a tarp with tie-holes. These can be staked into the ground to provide a steadier surface for a ladder.

Ventilate: Make Room to Breathe

If you’re painting inside, open the doors and windows. If your room has a fan, turn it on. You want proper ventilation for any space you’re painting to help air out the room and not breathe in paint fumes. If you can’t ventilate where you’re working, get a respirator and only paint in short stints.

Ventilation is essential to most common home repair improvements.

Stick to the Shade

If painting outside, you know that you need to take a break in the shade, but what about your materials? Paint, paint thinner and lacquer all need to stay in the shade as much as possible when painting outdoors.

Not only can heat and sun alter some of these items when they’re sitting in the can, but heat can also be a big problem for these flammable items. The city of Las Vegas actually warns its citizens to be careful when painting their homes or canvases outside because paint thinner has been ignited by the sun and started home fires.

Clean Up after Home Repairs

When you finish painting for the day, clean up the entire space. This will prevent spills and any accidental exposure.

Latex paints can typically be cleaned from surfaces and your skin with soap and water. Oil-based paints will have specific cleaning instructions located on the paint can itself. Take a look at your can before you start painting and write down what it says, because paint often spills on the outside of the can during the painting process.

Gasoline was once used to clean paint off of brushes, but this should never be used. Gasoline is extremely dangerous and should never be used as a cleaner for any object.

It’s always a smart practice to clean up and watch your space clearly when doing any home repair project.

When it rains, it pours in Florida!

Every year, Florida receives at least 50 inches of rain, with most rainfall occurring in the summer months. And you know what comes with rain… floods!

Floods are the number one natural disaster in the United States, and Florida is the leading state for flood damage, with more than $117 million in flood-related claims in 2014 alone.

As we enter Florida’s rainy season, we’re debunking seven common myths about flood insurance, so you can make sure your home is properly covered in the event of a flood.

Myth: Flood coverage is included in your homeowner’s insurance policy.

Fact: Losses due to flooding are not usually covered under most homeowner’s insurance policies. We recommend adding a Florida Flood Insurance policy to ensure complete protection of your home in case of a flood.

A National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Flood Insurance policy provides coverage for up to $250,000 on the structure of your home and up to $100,000 on personal property, all at very affordable rates regulated by the federal government.

Myth: Flood insurance can only be purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program directly.

Fact: NFIP flood insurance is sold through private insurance companies and agents, and the federal government provides a 100% guarantee. In some flood zones, flood insurance can be obtained for less than $1.40 per day (average is $503 per year).

Myth: The NFIP does not cover flooding caused by hurricanes or overflow of rivers or tidal waters.

Fact: The NFIP defines a flood as a general and temporary condition during which normally dry land is partially or completely inundated.

Flood insurance covers damage caused by hurricanes, rivers, and tidal waters as long as the floodwater either covers at least two acres of your property or two adjacent properties, one of which is yours.

Myth: You only need flood insurance if you live in a high-risk flood zone.

Fact: All areas of Florida are prone to flooding. Poor drainage systems, rapid accumulation of rainfall, and broken water mains can all result in flooding, and about 25 percent of all flood insurance claims come from areas with low-to-moderate flood risk. If you live in a low-to-moderate risk zone, it’s recommended that you purchase flood insurance. Just two inches of water in your home can cause $7,800 or more in damage.

Myth: If you live in a low-to-moderate flood-risk area, you can’t get flood insurance at a lower cost.

Fact: According to the NFIP, if you live outside a floodplain or in a low-to-moderate flood-risk area, you can purchase flood insurance at a lower cost. You may even qualify for the Preferred Risk Policy that provides contents coverage beginning at $39 per year and building-plus-contents coverage beginning at $119 a year.

Myth: You can’t purchase flood insurance if your property has been flooded.

Fact: If your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, you are eligible to purchase flood insurance even after your home has been flooded.

Myth: Federal disaster assistance will cover flood damage.

Fact: Before a community is eligible for disaster assistance, it must be declared a federal disaster area – and this only happens in less than half of all flooding events. Additionally, if you are not insured and receive federal disaster assistance following a flood, you must purchase flood insurance to remain eligible for future disaster relief.