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!

Give the Best Gift of All: Protecting Your Valuables

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.

by PTI Marketing | Dec 03, 2015

Gift-giving season is upon us! Exchanging gifts is a cherished holiday tradition for countless Florida homeowners. Unfortunately, naughty guests and greedy burglars may be just around the corner – scheming up ways to steal your holiday cheer.

What precautions are you taking to protect your new gifts from damage or theft?

Out of Sight… Out of Mind

Don’t lure gift-stealing Grinches into your home. When you’re done playing with your new goodies and gadgets, put them away. But don’t just haphazardly toss them in a sock drawer – that’s one of the first places thieves will look.

Think like a criminal when deciding where to hide your belongings so you can always be one step ahead. Here are some nifty hiding spots you may want to try out:

  • Hollowed-Out Books: Are you a bookworm? Use it to your advantage and conceal small valuables inside hollowed-out books on your bookshelf. Burglars don’t have the time or the patience to sift through a case full of books to find the one that may hide your precious items.
  • False Containers: Store valuables in false containers like food cans, medicine bottles, and even a tub of “cat litter,” and place the containers in a cabinet or under the sink.
  • Faux Air Vent Safe: It’s highly unlikely that a burglar will even think to search an air vent for valuables. Install a faux air vent safe in a hallway or bathroom to confound burglars.
  • Secret Storage Mirror: Conceal larger valuables in a secret storage mirror that includes a hidden storage unit behind it.

Invest in a Home Safe

Small but precious valuables like jewelry, social security cards and family heirlooms should be stored in a locked safe. It is of utmost importance that you make sure the safe is anchored to a secure object – either an external wall or a solid floor. Otherwise, you’re basically handing your stuff over to the first burglar who doesn’t mind toting away your safe.

Just in Case… Cover Your Valuables

There’s no surefire way to prevent property theft, so it’s important to be prepared in case your valuables are stolen. Standard home insurance policies usually have special limits for coverage on valuable personal items in order to keep premiums at a reasonable price.

In the case of People’s Trust Insurance, a standard HO3 policy maintains a $1,000 limit for loss by theft of jewelry, watches, furs, and precious and semi-precious stones.

It is important to review your policy at least once a year to confirm your level of coverage. If you need more coverage, you may be able to add an endorsement to your current policy.

Blanket Coverage

With a blanket coverage endorsement, you set a total insured amount for all of your valuables, rather than each individual item. Though not required, you may want to appraise your valuables to prove ownership and value in case you need to file a claim.

Scheduled Coverage

With a scheduled coverage endorsement, you itemize all valuable items you want to insure. Scheduled coverage protects against all types of loss and damage, with the exception of normal wear and tear.

Replacement Cost Coverage vs. Actual Cash Value Coverage

In case you experience personal property loss, it’s important to understand the difference between Personal Property Replacement Cost and Actual Cash Value coverage.

A standard homeowner’s policy includes coverage for your personal property at Actual Cash Value, factoring in depreciation at the time of loss. If you select the Personal Property Replacement Cost coverage endorsement for an additional premium, People’s Trust Insurance will settle losses to your specific personal property at the current replacement cost without considering depreciation.

The Personal Property Replacement Cost endorsement also provides replacement cost for several building items that would otherwise be limited to Actual Cash Value. This includes awnings, carpeting, household appliances and outdoor antennas/outdoor equipment.

Compile a Home Inventory

No matter what type of home insurance you have, it’s important to have a recorded inventory of your personal property along with proof of value (receipts, bank statements, etc.) in case something were to happen.

Not sure how to properly photograph your valuables? Click here for some easy and helpful tips.