Mappus Insurance Agency Inc.

Home & Flood Insurance for Mount Pleasant and Charleston SC

Call (843) 763-4200 hello@mappusinsurance.com
Start Quotes Here

Uncategorized

DID YOU GET YOUR $1,000 FROM FEMA

Many people are unaware of a coverage that exist on flood policies that allows you to get $1,000 back from FEMA even if you don’t have a flood loss.  WHAT?!  Yes, that is correct.  You can receive $1,000 for reasonable expenses associated with mitigation a flood loss from occurring.  Keep reading further to understand the details and how South Carolinian’s can receive this money.

WHAT’S COVERED UNDER A STANDARD FLOOD INSURANCE POLICY?

National Flood Insurance Program flood policies will cover up to $1,000 in reasonable expenses incurred to protect a policyholder’s insured property, and up to $1,000 to move the policyholder’s insured property away from a flood or imminent danger of a flood. To be eligible for this benefit, the insured property must be located in a community where:

  • a general condition of flooding in the area exists; or
  • an official has issued an evacuation order or other civil order for the community requiring measures to preserve life and property from flooding.

WHAT IS ELIGIBLE?

EXPENSES TO PROTECT PROPERTY

  • Sandbags (including the sand to fill them)
  • Fill to create temporary levees.
  • Water pumps.
  • Plastic sheeting and lumber used in connection with any of these items listed above.
  • Labor – a policyholder may claim labor, including their own or a family member’s labor, at the federal minimum wage. Labor charged by a professional may also be reimbursed.

EXPENSES TO MOVE PROPERTY TO SAFETY

  • Up to $1,000 for the reasonable expense to move insured property in order to protect it from flood, or the imminent danger of flood.

WHAT DO POLICYHOLDERS NEED TO KNOW?

  • Personal property that is moved must be placed in a fully enclosed building or otherwise protected from the elements.
  • Any property removed, including a moveable home (that meets the definition of a building in the flood policy), must be placed above ground level or outside of the special flood hazard area.
  • Property removed is covered by a policyholder’s flood policy for 45 consecutive days from the date the move begins.
  • A deductible does not apply to these limits.
  • The coverage does not increase the policy limits of the liability.

Not a Mappus client yet?  Want to see how we can help you?  Complete the form below.

Worried About Your Teen Driver Impacting Your Car Insurance Premium In South Carolina?

Car insurance in South Carolina is going crazy right now, let’s face it.  Many insurance companies are taking  double digit increases on an annual basis.  When you add your teen drivers into the mix, this increase can be a major cost to many families.

Below are some solutions to help you reduce your costs while not reducing your coverage, when dealing with car insurance in South Carolina.  ***Please note that if Mappus Insurance Agency works on your auto insurance, we also must review and write your homeowners insurance…but the good thing there is that we represent many high quality home insurance companies in which we can probably put you in a better position there as well!

This is a re-post from one of our top insurance company partners, SAFECO, a Liberty Mutual Company.

Adding a teen driver to an auto policy can be a disruptive event for a customer and agent. Safeco offers these discounts that incentivize safety with driver education and provide opportunities to save.

We help you manage the cost of a teen driver

Good student – Customers with youthful drivers that can provide certification of certain scholastic achievements qualify for a good student discount on their auto policy for up to 24 months.

Distant student – Customers with a youthful driver in their household qualify for a distant driver discount on their auto policy if the driver is a resident student at an educational institution over 100 miles away from home and without a car.

Driver training – Customers with drivers under age 21 who complete a driver education course may qualify for a driver training discount. (Not available in NY). This discount does not apply if:

  • Your customer is taking a course in response to a court order for a penalty or resulting from a traffic violation;
  • During the past 36 months, your customer has been involved in an at-fault vehicle accident or convicted of, or has plead guilty to, a moving traffic violation for which points may be assessed against their driver’s license.

New Teen or Tenure Reward (state dependent)

For states with the New Teen Discount, customers that have been with Safeco for more than one year earn a substantial price break when adding a teen to their policy—up to 27% based on policy characteristics. States have the Tenure Reward discount in lieu of the New Teen discount, which offers similar potential savings with a required policy tenure of two or more years. Refer to your state product guide for details.

Newly independent discount

In select states, a policy level discount applies to drivers who are listed on an existing Safeco policy and are purchasing their own Safeco policy. This offers individuals such as recent college graduates who are moving off their parents’ policy a way to save.

Safeco RightTrack®

Safeco’s telematics program, is an excellent teen driver coaching tool that offers an opportunity for significant premium savings. Parents and their teens are provided feedback on driving practices via an online portal, allowing for improved driving behavior, and the ability to earn a discount on their Safeco Auto policy after a 90-day participation period. RightTrack evaluates a driver’s mileage, acceleration, braking and nighttime driving, resulting in a final vehicle-level discount between 5% and 30% that will remain for as long as the vehicle (or replacement vehicle) is on the policy.

Road ahead

Help parents and teens prepare for the road ahead with tips about learning to drive, obtaining a license, driving in variable weather conditions, what to do in an accident and more. Included in the guide is a parent-teen contract that helps your customers set clear expectations, rules and responsibilities with their teens before they get behind the wheel.

Safeco® RightTrack® is a great way to promote safe driving and improve driving behavior for the whole family.

Ready to get started on saving money and protecting your family?

Flood Insurance Rate Changes Effective April 1, 2018

Are you interested in how your Coastal South Carolina flood insurance rates might change in 2018.

Below provides all (ok, most) of the answers you are looking for related to flood insurance rate increases in 2018.  Do you live in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island or Isle of Palms and you are worried about your flood insurance premiums?  If so, give Mappus a call (or inquire below) and one of our advisors can walk you through all your options.

Yes, options.  Not only do we represent the FEMA flood program, unwritten through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), but we also represent roughly ten+ private flood insurance companies.  By having options, we can evaluate your situation and deliver the most impactful results ever.

If you follow this article to the end, you can complete a form to start the process.  Mappus is not only here to save you on your flood insurance premium but provide you with powerful advice to help you with your primary, secondary, rental, or investment properties.

flood-insurance-Mount Pleasant-South Carolina

Rate Changes:  The rates charged for many NFIP flood policies will be increasing per the chart below.  There will be no change to the Federal fees and surcharges included within NFIP flood insurance premiums.  As a result, most individual policies will see overall premium increases below the percentages indicated on the chart.
Rating Method Occupancy or Flood Zone

 

 Rate Change
Pre-FIRM

(Zones beginning with A or V rated without an Elevation Certificate)

 Primary Residences 5% Increase
Non-Primary Residences 24% Increase
Non-Residential Business, Substantially Improved and Severe Repetitive Loss properties 25% Increase
Other Residential

 

 5% Increase
Other Non-Residential 5% Increase
Post-FIRM

(Zones beginning with A or V rated with an Elevation Certificate)

 

 AE, A1-A30

 

 1% Increase
AO, AH, AOB and AHB Unchanged
Unnumbered A 3% Increase
All V zones 11% Increase
A and V Rated With Tentative and Provisional Rates Unchanged
Standard

 

 B, C or X 2% Increase
Preferred Risk

 

 B, C, X, A99, AR Unchanged
Newly Mapped B, C, D or X 15% Increase at Renewal
Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) All Policies Varying Increases
Special Note: Premiums for certain pre-FIRM rated policies (see the chart above) have been increasing by about 25% since 2013 and they will continue to experience similar increases each year for the foreseeable future.  With each policy renewal, it is becoming more likely affected policyholders will benefit from obtaining an Elevation Certificate.  As a reminder, Elevation Certificates can benefit clients through lowered premiums, or by qualifying the surveyed building for a Letter of Map Amendment exemption from the Special Flood Hazard Area.  If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to make clients with pre-FIRM A or V zone rated policies aware of the potential benefits of obtaining an Elevation Certificate.
Primary Residency Determination:  The NFIP will now allow insureds to have two primary residences to recognize situations where an insured occupies a residence more than 50% of the year and their spouse resides at another residence more than 50% of the year.  Previously, an insured and spouse were only allowed to declare one primary residence regardless of the actual time spent at each residence.
It remains extremely important for your clients to provide the primary residency documentation required by the NFIP in order to be rated as such.  The premiums charged for flood coverage on non-primary residences rated with pre-FIRM A or V zone rates are considerably higher than for primary residences, and all non-primary residences are charged a $250 HFIAA surcharge compared to the $25 surcharge applied to primary residences.
Policy Reformations for Use of an Incorrect Policy Form:  The NFIP has published guidance for the reformation of policies determined to have been issued under for the incorrect policy form.  For example, a policy issued under the General Property form that should have been issued under the Residential Condominium Building Association Policy form.  In such occurrences, following the cancellation of the incorrectly issued policy, the issuance of the corrected policy and the application of its policy provisions, the policyholder will be given 30 days to pay any additional premium required to restore the policy limits to the levels in effect prior to reformation.  If the use of the incorrect policy form is discovered during the investigation of a claim, the additional premium required to maintain the current policy limits can be deducted from the claim settlement.
Non-Sufficient Fund (NSF) Payments:  The NFIP has revised the policy effective date rule applicable to situations where a premium payment is made with an instrument later determined to have non-sufficient funds to cover the amount of the payment.  Upon being notified of an NSF payment, the policy or transaction for which the payment was made must be immediately canceled and notice sent to the interested parties.  If a valid repayment is received, the transaction will be completed in accordance with the effective date rules of the NFIP applicable to the specific transaction type.  For example, if the initial transaction involved a new policy or coverage increase subject to the standard 30 day waiting period, the new effective date will be set at 30 days from the date of the valid repayment.
Other NFIP Manual rules have been revised to be easier to read and to provide additional guidance.
Please note we’ve only highlighted the NFIP changes we see as the most impactful on policyholders in this bulletin.  All changes are highlighted in the NFIP manual, which you can access through the Auto-Owners flood system.  First click on “Help” in the upper right corner of any screen, and then on “Links”.  Note that this bulletin may precede the release of the updated NFIP manual.
EFFECTIVE DATE
The above revisions are effective April 1, 2018 for new business and renewals.

Unlock your options and saving here!

Information provided by Auto-Owners Insurance, the no problem people!

 

Assurant Policyholder Questions & Answers

As your flood insurance partner, we want to share some of the most common questions we are receiving from policyholders filing a flood claim and provide you with answers so that you can assist them during this difficult time.

Is the cost of additional living expenses covered by an NFIP Flood policy?

No, there is no coverage for additional living expenses (ALE). All of the following are excluded:

  • Loss of revenue or profits
  • Loss of access to the insured property or described location
  • Loss of use of the insured property or described location
  • Loss from interruption of business or production
  • Any additional living expenses incurred while the insured building is being repaired or is unable to be occupied for any reason

What is the difference Between RCV and ACV?

Replacement Cost Value (RCV) represents the cost to replace that part of a building that is damaged (without depreciation). To be eligible, three conditions must be met:

  1. The building must be a single-family dwelling, and
  2. Be your principal residence, meaning you live there at least 80 percent of the year, and
    Your building coverage is at least 80 percent of the full replacement cost of the building or is the maximum available for the property under the NFIP.

Actual Cash Value (ACV) represents the Replacement Cost Value at the time of loss less the value of its physical depreciation. Some building items, such as carpeting ,are always adjusted on an ACV basis. For example, wall-to-wall carpeting could lose between 10 and 14 percent of its value each year, depending on the quality of the carpeting. This depreciation would be factored into the adjustment. Personal property is always valued at ACV.

What is Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage?

Most NFIP policies include ICC coverage, which applies when flood damages are severe. ICC coverage provides up to $30,000 of the cost to elevate, demolish or relocate your home. If your community declares your home “substantially damaged” or “repetitively damaged” by a flood, it will require you to bring your home up to current community standards. The total amount of your building claim and ICC claim cannot exceed the maximum limit for Building Property coverage ($250,000 for a single-family home). Having an ICC claim does not affect a Personal Property claim (up to $100,000), which is paid separately.

I have a lot of initial expenses, can I get an advance payment on my claim?

The NFIP is making it easier for policyholders to receive an advance payment for their flood claim to help them begin the process of recovery as quickly as possible. After filing a flood insurance claim, the policyholder can discuss an advance payment with the insurer.

  • When a policyholder contacts the insurance company and has his/her identity verified, the policyholder can receive an advance payment for up to $5,000 on a flood claim without an adjuster visit or additional documentation. When the advance payment is issued, the policyholder receives a letter that explains that by accepting this payment, the policyholder is certifying the damage.
  • Policyholders who provide the following: photos or videos which depict flood-damaged property; receipts for related out-of-pocket expenses; or a contractor’s itemized estimate may receive up to $20,000 in an advance payment.

Advance payments are deducted from a policyholder’s final claim settlement amount and may only be used according to the terms of the policy. For example, when a policy is for building coverage, the advance payment must be used to repair or rebuild the structure. In another example, when the policy is for personal property, the advance payment must be used to repair or replace the contents that were within the structure at the time of the flood. Advance payments may not be used for temporary housing and living expenses.

If a policyholder’s property is mortgaged and they have building/structure coverage, both the lender and the policyholder will be named on the check and both signatures will be required.

What is disaster fraud and how can I prevent it from happening?

After a natural disaster occurs, there tends to be an increase in fraudulent contractors who attempt to pray on vulnerable survivors by offering false information about inspection issues, clean-up requirements, housing assistance, immigration issues, pet shelters and more.

FEMA has excellent resources to help protect yourself and those you care about.
Click here for more information.

 

For your reference, the Dwelling Form policy jacket can be accessed here.

 

The Importance of Jewelry Insurance

diamond ring, jewelry, christmas present, hanaukah, jewelry insurance, valuables insurance, personal articles floaterIf television commercials and store decorations are any indication, the holidays are upon us! This is a time when most of us spend our free time shopping for gifts for special people in our lives. Some of those gifts are sure to include jewelry, watches and engagement rings. In fact, according to Statista.com, at least 18% of annual jewelry sales occur during the month of December. That means there’s no time like the present to educate yourself on the importance of jewelry insurance coverage.

What should you know about jewelry insurance? Here’s a quick primer.

1. Jewelry insurance is not expensive.
The annual premium for a jewelry insurance policy usually falls between 1 and 3 percent of the value of the item(s) insured, which is a small amount for you to pay to fully protect your valuable jewelry.

2. Homeowner’s and renter’s policies are not enough.
If you have a homeowners or renters policy, you may assume your jewelry is already covered. These policies, however, usually impose caps on how much they will pay in the event of a loss. If the jewelry is worth more than a few thousand dollars, this type of policy would probably not be sufficient.

3. There’s a difference between riders and dedicated policies.
You may assume that the best or only way to insure their jewelry is to add a rider to their homeowner’s or renter’s policy. Riders may offer higher limits and broader coverage; however, they may not be designed specifically for jewelry. If an item is worth insuring, it makes more sense to go with a policy designed for that purpose.

4. Jewelry insurance is worth the investment.
Jewelry insurance can cover a wide range of partial and complete losses – from “mysterious disappearance” to chipped stones. It also provides a great deal of choice, allowing  to have the piece recreated by a custom designer, or repaired by the jeweler of  choice. Depending on your needs, there is an affordable policy that will fit the bill – and with a gift as precious and meaningful as jewelry often is, it’s well worth the effort.

Adapted from an article from Big I Markets.

How can I save money on car insurance?

As insurance agents, we get this question extremely often. After all, who doesn’t want to save money on their auto insurance?  Rather than reducing coverage and putting you at risk for personal exposure in the event of an accident, we recommend that you increase your comprehensive and collision deductibles. By taking on those small dings and dents without filing a claim, your auto insurance premiums will decrease.

The other way to drastically decrease your auto insurance premiums is to enroll in Safeco’s RightTrack program. RightTrack can save you up to 30% on your insurance premium. How does it work? By enrolling in the program, you receive an automatic 5% discount on your auto insurance. Safeco then issues you a device that monitors your driving for the next 90 days. During those 90 days you can log in and see your driving stats. After those 90 days, Safeco will tell you how much of a discount you will receive. For more information on RightTrack, click here.

If you’re interested in this program, contact us today at 843.763.4200 or fill out an online inquiry on our website!

safeco righttrack, car insurance, independent auto insurance, charleston car insurance, mount pleasant car insurance, mount pleasant auto insurance, charleston auto insurance, insurance tips, car insurance savings, righttrack program, auto insurance savings

Am I At Risk For an Earthquake?? YES!

When most people think of earthquakes, the first location they think of is not Charleston. They think of California, New Zealand, Asia and other places that have suffered recent major earthquakes. Because we haven’t had a major earthquake in 130 years, oftentimes people forget that Charleston sits on a major fault line.

earthquake coverage, earthquakes, charleston homeowners insurance, mount pleasant homeowners insurance, charleston insurance, mount pleasant insurance

Image courtesy of Travelers Insurance

 

The last major earthquake that Charleston experienced completely devastated the city. There was $23 million of damage. That is $612 million when adjusted for inflation! With the growth that the Charleston area has seen since 1886 the fallout from an earthquake today would be even greater than the figure above.

 

charleston earthquake, earthquake coverage, earthquake insurance, fault line, charleston insurance, charleston homeowners insurance, mount pleasant homeowners insurance, summerville homeonwers insurance, west ashley homeowners insurance, james island homeowners insurance, sullivans island homeowners insurance, awendaw homeowners insurance, isle of palms homeowners insurance, johns island homeowners insurance, kiawah island homeowners insurance, seabrook island homeowners insurance, charleston, west ashley, james island, mount pleasant, johns island, awendaw, sullivans island, isle of palms, mclellanville, independent insurance agency, charleston insurance agencyEarthquake coverage is automatically excluded from standard homeowner’s policies, but coverage can be added back in by an earthquake endorsement or by buying a stand-alone earthquake policy. While Earthquake insurance isn’t required by most lenders, we do recommend this coverage. The nominal amount that the coverage adds to your annual premium is worth the savings you could see if we were to experience a major earthquake. 

For a home with a $300,000 Replacement Cost, adding earthquake coverage to you insurance policy typically adds $300 or less to your premium (depending on the carrier). Starting a new stand-alone earthquake policy is usually around $325-350 for the same home. Earthquake coverage does come with its own earthquake deductible. In many cases, this is a 5% deductible, which means that for that $300,000 house, the deductible will be $15,000 (5% of the Replacement Cost). We have also seen deductibles as 2% and 3% with certain carriers.

Unlike hurricanes and tropical storms, there is no way to predict when the next earthquake will hit. So, we recommend adding earthquake coverage to your homeowners policy, and also taking steps to mitigate potential earthquake hazards. Things like strapping your water heaters to the wall or anchoring top heavy furniture to walls can prevent additional damage and bodily harm. As always, you should also have an earthquake plan for your family. This would include identifying the safest places in the house during an earthquake, as well as what to do if an earthquake strikes while you are elsewhere.

Check your policy to see if you have earthquake coverage. If you don’t, call us at 843.763.4200 to get an earthquake quote. Keep in mind, we do not write monoline earthquake coverage, so we will need to write the homeowner’s policy as well.

Am I In A Flood Zone???

Am I in a flood zone?  This is one of the most often asked questions we get at Mappus Insurance.  The answer is quite simple, yes.  In fact, all properties are in flood zones.  It is a matter of how high of a hazard zone one is. For easy understanding, there are three types of flood zones – X, A, and V.  Many people get confused by saying “I am not in a flood zone”, but what they really mean is “I am in an X flood zone”.

What drives this confusion?  Many people get confused by flood zones based on if they are “required” to carry flood insurance from their mortgage lender.  When a lender says they do not require flood insurance, it is interpreted as the property is not in a flood zone, when in fact they are in an X flood zone.  Just because a lender does not require you to carry flood insurance, does not mean you will not have a flood loss.  Remember, flood insurance is never covered under a homeowners policy.

I am in an X flood zone, do I need flood insurance? This is a great question.  If you ask us at Mappus Insurance, the answer is quite simple, YES, you need flood insurance…even in an X flood zone!  Living on the coast in South Carolina presents many risk exposures – wind, hail, and flood being the many “acts of God” type of claims that we cannot predict or stop from occurring.  Thus, we always recommend flood insurance.

But why do I need flood insurance?  The statistics are clear, over 20% of all flood losses occur in X flood zones.  The average flood loss is over $30,000.   Flood coverage is always excluded under a homeowners policy so you cannot turn to coverage there.  Over the past few years, many Mappus clients, in X flood zones, have experienced flood losses.  Thankfully many (most) of them decided to purchase flood insurance and are very grateful they did.  This can be a devastating loss to your family’s finances if you do not carry the proper coverage.

south-carolina-coastal-beach-house-insurance

What does flood insurance cost?  Short answer: it depends.  For x flood zones, it can be as little as $200 annually but is typically around $450 if full coverage limits are selected.  If you are in an A or V flood zone, it is based on an elevation certificate.  An elevation certificate provides data on a property’s elevation relative to what is called the “base flood elevation” also known as the BFE.  Every property is different, meaning, your neighbor’s house can rate up differently than yours based on many factors, so do not assume anything.

Are there options?  Yes.  Unlike many insurance agencies, Mappus Insurance has many flood insurance options.  While we represent the FEMA flood program, we also represent a number of private flood insurance carriers.  Some of these carriers can provide better and more coverage than what is covered under the FEMA program, but again, every property is different and we recommend you consult with one of our insurance advisors to see what is best for you and your family.

Next steps?  Contact Mappus Insurance and speak with a flood insurance advisor to discuss your specific needs.  Remember that we do not write mono-line flood insurance, so we must write your homeowners insurance in order to write your flood insurance.  Mappus has been in business since 1960 serving Lowcountry families.  We are a full service agency, so in addition to flood and homeowners insurance, we can write your automobiles, valuable items, boats, personal umbrellas, golf carts, and more….give us a call or complete the form below.

FEMA Disaster Assistance

fema, federal emergency management agency, disaster assistance

Please note that the federal government can provide disaster assistance and disaster loans to people that did not have proper or enough coverage. One can apply for disaster assistance by following this link: https://www.disasterassistance.gov/. You can also learn more about the assistance here:

  • https://www.disasterassistance.gov/get-assistance/forms-of-assistance/4471/0/D05
  • https://www.disasterassistance.gov/get-assistance/forms-of-assistance/4477/0/D10

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) will also be in the area this week and for the foreseeable future to help people apply for assistance. The location of their office is TBD, but please look for this information in local papers and news channels.

Mappus Insurance Agency

mappus-logo-with-row-of-beach-homes-2

Mappus has the most options to get you the absolute best coverages, deductibles and pricing on your flood and homeowners insurance.  Where most insurance agencies only have one flood option, at Mappus, we have five (four being private markets).  Where most insurance agencies only have one homeowners option, we have over 20 direct markets that are designed to insure coastal properties.  Best of all, we are local and a part of the community.  Give Mappus an opportunity to review your current insurance program and provide you with real solutions and options, not just a “take it or leave it” mentality.  We are not here to simply write your insurance, we are here to ride this journey with you and your family for many years to come and be there when you need us the most.  Fill out the form to the right of this page for one of our advisor to contact you at your convenience, or call the office at 843.763.4200.  We pray that you and your family stay safe during Hurricane Matthew and evacuate to seek safe shelter.

Contact Information

Mappus Insurance Agency Inc.
1007 Johnnie Dodds Blvd
# 111
Mount Pleasant, SC 29465
Get directions
(843) 763-4200
hello@mappusinsurance.com
Lexington Location
600 Columbia Ave, Suite 3
Lexington, SC 29072
(803) 359-0026

Connect With Mappus Insurance!

Check out our ad in the Isle of Palms Magazine
Mappus Insurance Agency, Inc.
Call Email Claims Payments