You absolutely have insurance issues to consider when renting out your Long Island home. As you might have guessed, rental property owners have some unique insurance needs. A standard Long Island homeowners policy isn’t appropriate for rental property, because:

•  You do not need to insure the contents of the house, unless you provide furnished accommodations;
• You need to be more concerned about liability issues; and
• You need to protect yourself against the loss of rental income. Your tenants may purchase renters insurance, but even if they do, it will not provide any coverage for you as the owner of the property.

Fortunately, there’s a policy designed especially to meet the needs of rental property owners. Most insurers who deal in commercial insurance can sell you a policy specifically for rental property. However, there are many variations among rental property policies. Some provide replacement cost coverage, while others only insure property on an actual cash value basis. Some policies only provide coverage for one or two named perils (such as fire), while others provide much broader coverage. Because of these variations, you may have to shop around to find a policy that provides complete coverage. A good rental property policy should provide the following: 

• Broad coverage for the physical structure of the house, on a named-peril or open-peril basis
•  Coverage for other structures located on the property (garages, sheds, etc.)–This coverage is often limited to 10 percent of the coverage for the house
• Coverage for your property left on the premises (appliances, maintenance equipment, etc.)
• Coverage for loss of use, if you lose rental income because of a covered peril
• Liability coverage for injuries or property damage that occur on the insured property
• Medical payments coverage, for medical expenses that arise from injuries to others on the insured property

Here are a few no-nonsense tips to help you reduce your Long Island home insurance premium without squeezing a single ounce of coverage from your policy:

• Raise your deductible. If you can afford it, raising your deductible from $500 to $1,000 or even $2,500 could reduce your premium by 20 percent based on the information provided by the Insurance Information Institute.
• Call us about discounts. If you live in a new home, have a home security system or purchase multiple policies (auto/motorcycle and home) with one insurer, you are probably eligible for a discount.
• Have a representative at C.H. Edward, Inc. shop for the best home insurance premium. If you are paying too much with your current insurer, compare Long Island home insurance quotes and find similar coverage for less.
• Lastly, a non-insurance tip: Go ‘green’ on your utilities! A few ideas include turning down the thermostat a degree or two in winter; using ceiling fans instead of air conditioning in the summer; installing low-flow showerheads to reduce water usage; buying energy-efficient appliances; and turning off lights and electronics when they aren’t in use. These small tips can save you big on your household bills, leaving you with more money for expenses like Long Island home insurance.

Whether you have a job or are looking for one, summer can be the perfect time to take a step back, assess where you are and brush up on your skills.

Assess your strengths. If starting a new job or setting out on a new career path, try not thinking about a former job or skill set. Instead, consider the things you excel at that will “expand your career options.”

Know how to network. Think on and offline: i.e.,  going back to old-fashioned handshaking here. The use of social media such as LinkedIn and having in-person conversations and meetings with business contacts. Also, blogging about areas within your expertise is another great way to connect with people.

Be a life-long learner. That includes on and off the job. Find hobbies you love. Perhaps take a class you enjoy.

Feel the fear. In addition, move forward, anyway. No one goes through something like losing a job or starting their own business without fear.  People wait for it to just go away, and it won’t.  Instead, use fear as fuel. For example, take advantage of your apprehension and use it to pick up the phone and make calls. Even small steps will help build confidence.

Insurance scams account for upwards of $30 billion in total losses to the insurance industry each year, according to NICB.org.   In addition, one particular type of fraud–unsolicited repair provider scams–are on the rise.

 Some common subjects for these type of fraudsters include auto glass repair, cosmetic body work, house siding and roof repair, sinkhole damage, pest damage and many others.

The NICB recommends consumers take the following steps to avoid becoming victim to fraudsters:

·         Contact your insurance company first.

·         Get more than one estimate.

·         Get everything in writing. Cost, work to be done, time schedules, guarantees, payment schedules and other expectations should be detailed.

·         Demand references and check them out.

·         Ask to see the salesperson’s driver’s license and write down the license number and their vehicle’s license plate number.

·         Never sign a contract with blanks; unacceptable terms can be added later.

·         Never pay a contractor in full or sign a completion certificate until the work is finished and ensure reconstruction is up to current code.

·         Make sure you review and understand all documents sent to your insurance carrier.

·         Never let a contractor pressure you into hiring them.

·         Never let a contractor interpret the insurance policy language.

·         Never let a contractor discourage you from contacting your insurance company.

Remember that natural disasters are not the only threats. Danger can come from anywhere:

burglars, arsonists and vandals; a drunk driver who smashes his SUV into your living room;

dog bites, slip-and-fall accidents and other liability claims; or a grease fire that spreads into the

dining room.

So do not be tempted to reduce or cancel home insurance to save money in this recession. 

HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a law that protects a patient’s privacy.

 After understanding HIPAA’s definition and how it protects a patient’s privacy, one may be interested in learning about HIPAA’s privacy exceptions. HIPAA’s privacy exceptions give healthcare providers, and others who are required to follow HIPAA, an exception in some areas where they do not have to follow some privacy rules outlined by the HIPAA law. 

It is important for a patient to know about these HIPAA privacy exceptions so they can be aware of what information about them may be legally disclosed without the HIPAA protection. 

Top Three Most Common HIPAA Privacy Exceptions: 

Patient Treatment: A patient’s health information can be shared and viewed by different healthcare providers if it is for the purpose of treatment for a patient. An example would be when their primary doctor refers a patient to a specialist and the primary doctor gives the specialist a patient’s health information to facilitate treatment of the patient. 

Payment for Services: The healthcare information of a patient can also be shared with another healthcare organization without complying with the privacy rules of HIPAA if it is for the purpose of payment of services. An example would be when a doctor needs to file information with a patient’s health insurance provider for payment of services. 

Healthcare Operations: A patient’s healthcare information can also be used without consent of the patient for healthcare operations. Various healthcare operations include internal improvement, review of healthcare professionals, healthcare provider and doctor evaluations, training programs and business development. An example of the healthcare operations exemption would be if the doctor’s office were doing an internal review of how they handle patients in order to treat patients better and more quickly. The doctor’s office would not need to get the consent of a patient to do this type of internal review even if some of the internal review uses the patient’s healthcare information for the process.

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