GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

Even if you live in one of the safest cities of the world, you should not leave your home open and unattended else you might lose all your valuables to thieves. Everyone knows that the first reaction to theft is calling the police but very few people know what to do to prevent such thefts from happening in the first place. There are plenty of expensive as well as inexpensive ways to burglar-proof your home. Some of the best home insurance companies in India provide insurance against theft as well and it is the first thing that must come in your mind if you live in an area which is prone to thievery. Certain steps can be taken to protect your house from thieves and prevent your valuables from being stolen.

• Never leave your house open if no one is there in your house. Always lock the main door and check if it is locked properly if you are leaving your house unattended for a longer duration. Burglars do not need more than 10 minutes of time on an average to identify the most valuable things inside your house and take it away with them. A slight mistake and you risk losing it all.
• Check your locks on a regular basis and see if they are functioning properly and replace them as soon as possible if they are not functioning as they should. If any of the exterior locks are easy to pick, jimmy or bump open, they must be replaced immediately.
• Don’t cover your house from the street. There must be a clear line of sight from the street to your house so that anyone trying to break open into the house is clearly seen by your neighbors. Cut back any trees or bushes that hide your house and obscure the front door.
• Install home alarm systems and sensors so that as soon as there is a break-in inside your house, the fire alarm sounds immediately and informs the neighbours that there is something wrong.
• Upgrade all your doors and windows and reinforce the doors, windows, locks and all hardware required to keep your house safe from burglars and thieves.
• Use motion light sensors inside as well as outside your house, so that they light up in case there is unpredictable movement outside your house. Such sensors can sense movement outside the house and may even warn the owner if there is some unusual movement outside the house.
• Don’t broadcast details about your upcoming trips on social media. This is one thing that thieves may be on the lookout for and if there is no one at your house, they will have the perfect moment to attack your house and take away your valuables.
• Always keep your valuables inside lockers and safes. The keys to such lockers and safes must also be kept secured and out of normal sight.
• Garages and garden sheds are the softest targets for entry into your house. An automatic lighting system attached to your garage or your garden shed can be a useful deterrent to protect your house from burglars.
• Keeping a good relationship with your neighbours can help you in making your house look occupied even though it is unoccupied. You can tell your neighbours to collect the mail, clean the porch or to mow your lawn and some neighbour can even park in your driveway.

An empty house looking empty is the safest target for burglars. A house not looking unoccupied even though it is unoccupied deters the burglars because they can never be sure if it is a safe target to attack. You can keep in mind the above tips to protect your house and also get a suitable policy from the best home insurance companies in India, in case you are going out for that long holiday you have been longing for.

“I don’t want to go on a holiday!” SAID NO ONE EVER.

Did you know that the research suggests that the work efficiency improves tremendously once we’re back from holidays!

Anyway enough with the preaching,  we all love the idea of sipping margheritas on the beach and say you’ve decided to take off to your dream destination this World Tourism Day.

The excitement is always so overwhelming that we forget to pack some essentials that are required on your much needed vacation.

Worry not we have compiled a checklist of all the travel essentials depending on the kind of trip you are taking. Solo? Family? Or a road trip with friends? 

Before you leave on a Vacation

• Passport, Visa, Boarding pass (any other documents)
• Travel plan – Make sure you set it up on your phone
• Luggage regulations – This one come’s as a surprise most of the time, make sure you check the luggage limitations before booking a flight or mode of travel
• Personal gadgets – Chargers, Power banks etc

While travelling with kids!

• Entertainment – Games, tablets etc (these are a must unless you want a cranky kid on board)
• Snacks and eatables
• Medicines 
• Infant seat at the back of your car
• Diapers and wet wipes

With your better half or bae

• Travel Guide
• First aid
• Sunscreen
• Travel pillow

On a road trip:

• Roadside emergency kit
• Phone stand for Maps/GPS/Navigation
• Fluids (if you have an older car)
• Flashlight

Bonus!

• An AUX cable for the music curated.
• Make sure you keep your car protected from the damage while travelling get a car insurance now, Click Here. Go on now and explore!

When you buy a car insurance policy online, you enter into a contractual agreement wherein you have to pay a specified amount as premium to your insurance provider in return for the protection the company provides you against damages to your car. In case your car meets an accident, the insurer is liable to pay you the compensation as per the contract but to get that compensation you need to file a claim with the insurance provider. The insurance claims are generally classified into two types:

1. Cashless Claim - If the customer has a cashless claim, the customer will not have to pay any amount upfront for repairs at any of the network car garages of the insurance provider. It will be the job of the car insurance provider to settle the claim with the workshop on behalf of the policyholder. In such a claim, the insured has to get their car repaired at the partner workshops of the insurance company

1. Reimbursement Claim - For a reimbursement claim, the insured has to pay for the repair of the damages to the car and later depending on the terms of the car insurance policy, the reimbursement claim is made. In such a claim, the insured does not need to get their car repaired at any of the partner workshops of the insurance company, but all the bills have to be produced at the claim.

To raise a cashless claim, you need to follow certain steps in case your car meets an accident: -

• Note down the license number of all the vehicles involved in the accident and also get the names and contact details of the witnesses, if possible.
• In case there are third-party damages such as injuries/deaths, property damage, or any other such critical issue, you should file an FIR at the nearest police station.
• Contact your insurer and report the accident, and you will receive a claim number.
• Ready all the documents as told you by the car insurance company, which you will have to present before the company representative.
• Take the vehicle to a network garage whose details will be provided to you by the insurance company to get your vehicle repaired.
• A Customer Service Manager will get in touch with you within 24 hours, and you will have to show him all the documents related to your car and its insurance.
• If the Customer Service Manager is satisfied with your papers, he will give the go-ahead for the repair work and you can get your vehicle repaired.
• Once the repair work is completed, the insurance company will make the claim payment to the garage for the repair costs.
• You will have to pay the deductibles which will be intimated to you by your CSM once the repairs are done.

You can also make a Reimbursement claim if you need to get your car repaired after meeting a severe accident:

• Take a note of the details of all the cars involved in the accident and if possible, try to get the contact details of some witnesses.
• Report the accident to your insurance provider immediately through a toll-free number provided by the company.
• A Customer Service Manager or CSM will get in touch with you within 24 hours and will tell you to submit all the bills and invoices to the company to get the claim.
• Once the claim is approved, the company will start the claim settlement process.
• The claim amount is sent directly to the customer according to the terms and conditions of the contract.
• If you have proper documents, you will get your claim, but your claim can also get rejected if you were driving without a valid driving license or if you were drinking and driving. Once you buy a car insurance policy online, make sure to read the policy documents completely, so that you do not face any issues while filing a claim for the damages to your car.

Nowadays, renewing your car insurance is also as simple as just buying new car insurance. You don’t have to make several phone calls or wait in a queue at the insurance company’s office to get your insurance renewed. While renewing your insurance, you also have the option to switch to a different insurer which provides better benefits to you at the same or lesser premium. Although the process of renewal is very simple and hassle-free, you should take care of certain things before you are going to renew your insurance or are thinking about buying new car insurance: -

• Check the Insured Declared Value or IDV - Depending on the age of your car, the insurance premium amount may change, so get the IDV re-evaluated. This will not only help you in getting a better price, but you will also get compensated accordingly in case of theft or loss.
• Do claims check - In case you are thinking of changing your insurer, always make sure to check the claims ratio of the previous insurer and verify it against any claims you have made.
• Appropriate Coverage with your plan - If currently you only have third-party insurance plan, consider getting a better and comprehensive plan which will also provide you coverage against the heavy expenses incurred on your car if it meets with an accident.
• Make sure to check Cashless Garages - Always check for cashless garages in your area when renewing your insurance plan with a different insurer so that you get the benefits of free repair for your car.
• Check the discounts and other deductibles- When renewing the insurance plan, make sure to check if you have got all the discounts you are eligible for with the plan, just like you do when you buy new car insurance. A deductible is an amount that you are required to pay before every claim and if it exists, make sure that it fits your budget.
• Get Add-ons with your insurance plan - There are many add-ons available with the insurance plans, and you should consider getting them. Add-on covers like Zero Depreciation, Engine Protector or Return to Invoice can help you if your car is less than 5 years old.

Here is how you can renew your car insurance online:

• Once you have finalized your plan, you need to enter your details on the website of the insurance provider. Some details you need to be ready with while renewing your insurance are: -

  1. Your Full name

  2. Your Address

  3. Car Registration Number

  4. Car-maker and model

  5. Previous Policy Number

• Select the Add-ons that you want along with your insurance plan. Some of the common add-ons are: -

  1.Zero Depreciation

  2.Roadside Assistance

  3.Return to Invoice

  4.Engine Protection

  5. NCB Protect

  6. Loss of Personal Belongings

• Once you are done with all the above steps, the final thing is only the payment. Complete the payment procedure and you will be done with renewing your insurance plan.

Renewing car insurance is as simple as buying new car insurance. Make sure you completely understand all the policy terms before you finalize the payment procedure for your insurance.

There is nothing more saddening in life than the loss of a close family member or close friend. It is an exceptionally uncertain time for everyone when your family member or friend is battling an ailment. Medical expenses are an all-time high, and it is tough for people to provide quality healthcare for people close to them. During these tough times having health insurance helps a lot. Now you can purchase health insurance online through Online Health Insurance Companies . Health insurance provides coverage for most of the medical expenses incurred for diseases and medical conditions covered in the policy. It is very important to be informed about the pros and cons of health insurance. Information is power. More you know, the better decisions you will be able to take. Health insurance speakers play an important role in society by informing the community of various benefits of health insurance. Here are ten great individual health insurance speakers in India: -

• Manoj K Shrivastava - Manoj Shrivastava works as the chief information security officer at Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited. He has worked in the information technology and service industry. He has a bachelor's degree focused on Mathematics and is an exceptionally skilled consultant.
• Jehaan Shroff - Jehaan Shroff is a senior associate at Khaitan Legal Associates. He has a bachelor's and master's degree in law as well as an MBA degree under his belt.
• Anuradha Sriram - Anuradha Sriram is the chief actuarial officer at Aditya Birla Health Insurance. She is an exceptionally skilled mathematician and works closely with Aditya Birla Health Insurance in developing insurance policies.
• Ishita Mukherjee - Ishita Mukherjee is Chief Operating Officer at Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company. She is a business leader, and her professional career has spanned an impressive 24 years.
• Pratibha Sarathy - Pratibha Sarathy is the head of IT at General Insurance Council. She is a philanthropist who has worked as a teacher to blind children.
• Sumeet Aggarwal - Sumeet Aggarwal works as the corporate vice president of IT and heads digital solutions in Max Life Insurance Company Limited. He is an award-winning track record for building, defining, and optimizing IT solutions.
• Kirti Patil - Kirti Patil is the senior executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Kotak Life Insurance. She has over two decades of experience in the industry. She is highly celebrated and has numerous accolades and awards on her name.
• Atul Deshpande - Atul Deshpande is the Chief Operating Officer at SBI General Insurance. He has over 29 years of experience in the general insurance industry. He is extremely educated and has been in a leadership position for more than the past 16 years.
• Srinivasan Iyengar - Srinivasan Iyengar is chief Operating Officer at Reliance Nippon Life Insurance. An expert consultant in the life insurance industry. He has substantial experience in the life insurance domain. He has been a distinguished speaker at various events and has been the winner of national and international awards.
• Varij Pujara - Varij Pujara works as Chief Distribution Officer in Aditya Birla Life Insurance. She has over two decades of experience in the industry and has worked in several financial domains.

These speakers have spread light among crowds on many positive aspects of health insurance . Their contribution is immeasurable and has saved countless lives. Health insurance is essential. If you do not have one yet, you can easily purchase it online through online health insurance companies.

Your home is the place where you have the most beautiful memories. It is the place where you grew up to become the person you are today and where your heart resides. Hardly anyone can wait for their job to be completed so they can rush back to the comfort of their homes. It is the place you will never forget in your life. Even when you grow up and get your own place, your childhood home will always have a special place in your heart. It is the place you saw all your dreams at. It is crucial to protect your home from unforeseen circumstances. In case of fire, you can lose all your belongings and your home and will be left with nothing.

Rebuilding your home will be costly, and not everyone saves up that much money. Getting home fire insurance from fire insurance companies in India is the best way to secure your home. In case a fire breaks loose in your home, home fire insurance will provide coverage for damage, and you will be able to rebuild your home without any problem. Here are ten things you learned in preschool that will help you with home fire insurance:-

• You can ask for an advance from the insurance company in case a fire occurred at your home. You will probably lose a lot of your belongings in the fire, and the advance will help you carry on with life with a bit of normalcy. The advance amount will be cut from your total coverage amount, though.
• Make a list of all the items that suffered damage due to fire. You should not throw anything away as the items though unusable, will be proof that they indeed suffered damage. If you throw away anything, the insurer may deny compensation for it.
• Call the insurance company as soon as possible after the fire. The insurance company will ask you for a list of all the items that you lost and their value. You must include all the items as well as repairs that will be required and injuries suffered by family members.
• Try to reduce any future damage at your home. The insurance company will expect you to protect the property from further damage. You must do some impromptu repairs in your capacity and move the belongings that are unharmed to a safe location.
• Keep all the bills that you incurred while you were living away from your home. The insurance company will only reimburse that you the amount you had to spend overhead from your general living costs.
• Hire a contractor to get estimates for the repair and replacement. Hire a contractor that has experience dealing with insurance companies.
• You must keep paying your insurance premiums even after filing the claim. This will make sure that your house is covered in case any damages occur after the fire.
• You have the right to not close our claim for as long as you want. You might have overlooked something in the trauma after the fire. Take some time to ensure you have covered everything.
• If you are not able to reach a settlement with the insurance company after hiring a contractor, you can hire a public adjuster. He will take around 10 percent of settlement money but can help you get a significantly higher settlement.
• 10. Do not be afraid to lose your coverage because of raising a claim. If disaster did occur, you are doing nothing wrong and will not be treated as a "habitual claimant."

All these things will help you when dealing with Home Fire Insurance . If you do not have a home fire insurance yet purchase one now from fire insurance companies in India.

A good marine insurance guards you and your consignment from a variety of hazardous and unforeseen disasters and events. Below are all the clauses that are pivotal to marine insurance in India-

1. Institute Cargo Clause A- This clause covers all kinds of risks involved from loading and unloading to risks during the voyage.

2.Institute Cargo Clause B- This clause covers lesser risks compared to clause A and must be meticulously checked before buying as it may exclude key risks your type of work may be exposed to.

3.Institute Cargo Clause C- This clause covers the least number of risks and might even be the cheapest. However, the risks are higher at sea and if this clause is being adhered to, then one must research thoroughly before buying.

4.Valuation Clause- In this case, both parties namely, the insurance provider and the customer mutually agreed upon a said value. In case of damages, the compensation will be equal to the value and not any more than that. This ensures that both parties are convinced and arrive on common ground.

Art and Form' Clause- This clause usually states the time when the risk will start and be covered. This is important as most people don't read through the specific marine insurance clauses provided by their insurance provider. For example, if the marine insurance states, 'at and from Chennai' then only risks considered will be post-arrival to Chennai port and when it leaves the port.

Sue and Labour Clause - According to this clause, if an insurance holder has spent money to save goods from impending loss, then he or she is to be compensated for those charges by the insurance company. Additionally, unlike the 'change in voyage clause' here, any deviation does not have anything to do with saving the 'subject matter', the insurance company policy will not become void even in cases of a deviation or change in the voyage.

Warehouse to Warehouse Clause- The marine insurance policy mentions the warehouses that the goods are taken and delivered to. This means the company will take charge if any uncertainties occur while goods are being bought from hinterland to port and also during the voyage.

8. Change of Voyage- Any marine insurance mentions the details and the ports of arrival and departure accordingly. Insurance policies also provide said routes that are to be adhered by and followed. In cases of a deviation, marine insurance companies are not liable to settle the claim. If the route is later revered to, then this change is considered as a deviation. However, the insurer is not liable to secure against losses occurred in any change in the original route.

9. Touch and Stay Clause - This clause ensures that ships stay at the ports mentioned in the marine insurance policy. If a certain port is not mentioned, a ship must follow the routes given in policy and stay at the mentioned ports only. Only emergencies and justifiable reasons will be considered for calling at ports.

10. Inchmaree Clause - Under this clause, the negligence of the master or crew members are also covered under the insurance policy. Apart from this, other losses occurred during loading and unloading operations will also be duly recovered.

11. Jettison - In certain circumstances, shops may have to throw excessive luggage when it's the only way to save them. This is called Jettison and must be done intentionally and immediately.

12. Memorandum Clause - Under this clause, the insurance company does not have to pay for the losses of perishable goods. These losses will not have to be paid by the policyholder either.

With the awareness of the above clauses, you can be prepared to obtain a good Marine Insurance in India and be certain that the cover includes the above clauses. This will also help you in obtaining a good deal.

The outbreak of COVID 19 has affected millions of people across the world. This infectious disease is caused by a family of viruses that results in acute respiratory illnesses and might also include pneumonia, kidney, and lung failure. In critical and severe conditions, it might also lead to multiple organ failures. In such a situation, you must have coronavirus insurance, which can act as a protective cover. For this, you must look for the best insurance policy in India, which will help you to deal with any medical emergency.

What is the importance of Coronavirus health insurance?

Coronavirus Health Insurance is an insurance policy that covers the medical expenses that will be needed during the treatment of COVID 19. It is designed in a way so that it can cover your hospital expenses from the time the ailment is diagnosed until the time you have fully recovered. Since this is a viral infection, the health insurance policy will pay the hospitalization expenses that will include both in-patient and out-patient expenses for the treatment of COVID 19. With the rapid spread of this disease, the world has been witnessing events that it has not seen before. It has also restricted people from moving out of their houses, which has affected the business operations as well. In times like this, there will be financial problems, and having to deal with medical emergencies can be challenging. Therefore, staying prepared is a wise idea so that you do not have to worry about the treatment. So, to secure yourself and your families at the time of such pandemic, you need to subscribe to the Best Insurance Policy In India . Most of the people have a question if the Coronavirus health insurance is already covered in their existing health insurance policy. However, if a person opts for a policy after contracting the disease, they will not be entitled to get coverage of the treatment.

Useful information about Coronavirus Health Insurance

• Since COVID 19 is a highly infectious disease, people with weak immune systems and older people are at higher risk of contracting the disease. So, having a family health cover with a high sum insured is highly recommended, especially at times when the healthcare facilities have become expensive.
• The next thing to know is the waiting period as medical insurance policies come with an initial period of 30 days. This means that for getting the treatment, except for emergencies, the policyholder will have to wait for 30 days.
• Also, the Coronavirus health insurance plans provide you with a range of medical costs from 60 days before getting hospitalized, usually for a period of 30 days, which also covers ambulance, OPD and ICU charges, etc.

How to claim the Coronavirus health insurance?

The first way to claim this insurance is through cashless claims. Most of the health insurance policies offer cashless treatment, which means that you do not have to make the payment, and the insurance company will settle the treatment bills directly.

Another way is through the reimbursement claims, which are meant for policyholders who receive treatment at a non-network hospital of the insurance provider. In this process, you will have to pay hospital bills in full at the time of your discharge.

The benefits of having the best health insurance in India is evident from the above analysis. So, make sure that you continue to pay your premiums on time to continue enjoying the protection cover.