Renters Insurance

The Buzz: Storm-damaged businesses in Appleton area return, but at a cost

 Two weeks ago, All Seasons Storage in Grand Chute began moving customers back into buildings that had been damaged in the Aug. 7 tornado and then repaired.

“We are starting to get back to normal,” said Jim Seefeldt, property manager.
The storm’s overall effect, however, ran far deeper than structural damage that could be fixed with hammers and nails.
It had also blown away many customers.
The storage facility at 1816 W. Northland Ave. sustained damage in 97 individual storage units. Many of the people who rented those 10 by 25-foot garages moved on.
“We lost about two-thirds,” said Seefeldt. “We had 65 that we lost or downsized to smaller units.”
All Seasons Storage was one of the most visible scenes of storm destruction. Drivers going over the viaduct could easily see what the wind had wrought. The storage facility’s doors were damaged and metal roofs were torn off and flung in shreds towards the trees behind the property.
“That tree line looked like someone TP’d it, but it was our roofs,” Seefeldt said. “The total damage was around $350,000. That was covered by insurance but doesn’t include labor. I’m still waiting to see if they pay that. We had over 500 man-hours out there. We brought in security guards. We rented space at the Trasino Centre and put stuff there. We hired movers and Pods. Everything had to be moved out for the contractors to work on the new doors and new roofs on the two buildings.”
Personal possessions suffered water damage, he said, and that would be covered under renters’ individual insurance policies.
The silver lining is that the place looks new. Pfefferle Companies, which manages the facility, will have a cookout to thank employees who helped with rebuilding. Fittingly, they’ve scheduled it in one of the renovated buildings.

More storm fixes:

• The Plant Station Greenhouse at 1746 W. Northland Ave., is still putting its west greenhouse back together after it had been picked up and thrown by the tornado. Damage was estimated at $600,000. “We’re just about done,” said co-owner Debbie Roznowski on Friday. “We’ll have the sides on today. The roof will go on sometime in November. We’ll be doing electrical and waterlines over the winter.” The business will shut for the season on Friday and reopen March 1.
• At the Northland Mall, parking lot lights and new trees were put in place over the last two weeks. Roof work continues. “Depending on the weather, the roof should be finished within two months,” said Angie Walker, property manager. “The roofers have quite a bit of work to do. Painting will get done next year.” Walker said the mall lost a day and a half of business, but then returned to normal. She did not have a dollar estimate for the damage.

Esurance Launches Renters Coverage In Kansas

With its launch of renters coverage in Kansas, Esurance continues to expand its portfolio of products and services to reach the increasing number of consumers who want 24/7 customer service, an easy-to-use website, and simple online policy management.

In addition to coverage for policyholders' personal belongings and liability, typical renters coverage from Esurance includes financial protection for:

• Medical payments to others if injured on a policyholder's property
• Property damage to others if the policyholder accidentally damages a neighbor's property
• Additional living expenses for things like hotels and food if a policyholder is forced to live elsewhere temporarily due to a covered loss.
• Damage caused by incidents such as: theft, fire, lightning, vandalism, or weight of ice and snow.

Kansas tenants who choose to add the coverage to their Esurance car insurance quote or existing auto policy are also eligible for the Renters Plus® discount** on their auto insurance, which can offer additional savings.

For more information about all things renters insurance, including tenant rights and common renters insurance claims, visit the Esurance website and the Esurance blog.

*Average monthly cost and annual premium figures based on Esurance renters coverage purchased between 8/25/2012 and 7/31/2013. Your premium will depend on the details of your selected coverage and your specific property. Coverages subject to availability and qualifications. Terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions will apply. Esurance renters coverage is not available in all states. In those states, Esurance Insurance Services, Inc. (California License #0G87829), offers, among other insurance products and services, the renters policies underwritten by member companies of the Homesite Insurance Group and Security First Insurance Company.

**The Renters Plus discount will be applied as long as the renters coverage remains on the policy; if renters coverage is removed from policy, the discount will no longer be applied.

About Esurance®

Esurance provides auto, motorcycle, and renters insurance direct to consumers online, over the phone, and through select agents, including sister company Answer Financial. With an easy-to-use mobile app, quick comparison quotes, and online repair monitoring, Esurance is insurance for the modern world™ and the smart choice for today's web-savvy consumer. As a member of the Allstate family with an A+ rating from A.M. Best, Esurance is a reliable choice for car insurance, offering anytime, anywhere service just a click, call, or tap away. For more information, visit www.esurance.com or call 1-800-ESURANCE (1-800-378-7262).

SOURCE Esurance

 

Nationwide scores high on renters-insurance survey

Nationwide was tops in customer satisfaction among those with renters insurance, according to a J.D. Power & Associates survey.
The Columbus-based insurer received 823 points out of a possible 1,000 points on the survey.
American Family was second with 817 points and the national average was 809 points.
In its homeowner-insurance satisfaction survey, however, Nationwide had a score of 780, just below the average of 787 among insurance companies.
The scores were based on factors that included policy offerings, price, billing and claims.

Apartment fire victim says he's happy he had renter's insurance

 

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WRCB) - Ten families are without homes Sunday evening after their apartment complex went up in flames.

Eight families went to stay with friends and relatives two others were sent to a local hotel.
 
Channel 3 caught up with Harold Walters, who says he's unsure of what's next for him as he waits for word as to when he can return home.

"I was afraid I was going to lose everything I had," said Walters.

Walters has lived in the Ravencroft Apartments for nearly 22 years. He says it's usually pretty quiet. However, last night he was awoken by management telling him there was a fire and he needed to get out.

"Fortunately they got us out in time. The management did a great job motivating us to get out," said Walters.
Walters says the fire happened at the opposite end from his apartment, which he believes only suffered from smoke damage.

"This was just a situation that just because they were in an apartment and a fire happened in or around their unit, they were affected," said Greg Waite, American Red Cross Executive Director.

However, others in the complex might not have been as lucky.

Waite tells Channel 3 they encourage anyone who rents, especially apartments, to invest in renters insurance so in cases like this one, when a fire happens, you won't be footing the bill.

"Insurance really comes in and is vital when for those people to ensure they can get new furniture, they can get new clothes," said Waite.

Walters says he's had renters insurance for a little over a year and plans to keep it.

"I'm glad I did it. It's an individual decision for each person, it may never happen, but it happened to me twice," said Walters.

Walters says if he's unlucky enough for it to happen the third time, he will still be prepared and he hopes everyone else is too.

The American Red Cross has lots of tips on how you can better prepare yourself in case of a fire in the home.

For those tips, click here.