All right, we're back with one more
segment with the insurance Commissioner.
Mike Causey is taking your questions.
A quick follow-up question
to what you just answered.
This is about replacement value.
They're asking if replacement value on cars
also covers collectors or antique cars.
You have to own collector cars.
You have to talk to your agent and
have a special rider for antique
automobiles just like you do for
art collections or jewelry or
anything special because your home.
Your policy only covers up to a
certain amount and you have to have a
special rider and pay that additional
premium to have that covered.
OK got you all right so homeowners insurance.
Really got started because there
was insurance for fires in
homes and so Commissioner Casey,
something near and dear to your heart,
is all of the smoke alarms and smoke
detectors and making sure folks
are keeping themselves protected.
Right, the reason this is so important
is we just had two more fire deaths.
We've had 65 people die this
year in 2022 and house fires.
We had a fire death in Burlington
last week, one in Cary.
I know tomorrow the Burlington
Fire Department's going door to
door with the smoke alarm canvas.
We just finished smoke alarm Saturday
where where the Greensboro Fire
Department and fire departments
all over North Carolina.
Went door to door in specific
neighborhoods to check smoke
alarms and the Winston-Salem
Fire Department checked 60 some
homes and over 90% of them did.
Didn't have a smoke alarm that
worked and that is a real problem
when you have the high number
of people dying in house times.
We had 134 people died last year so that's
why we're paying so much attention to.
Hearing this word out to the
public is check your smoke alarms.
You can get smoke alarms today that
have a 10 year battery so you don't have
to worry about checking the battery.
If you have the old smoke alarms,
you need to check that battery every month.
Replace it every year or twice a year if you.
If you don't have a.
New smoke alarm can't afford it.
Call your local fire department.
They're glad to help.
Call us at the Department of
Insurance and our Office of State Fire
Marshall will be glad to help you.
That last point, if you don't have it,
there is a way for you to get a free smoke
alarm and smoke alarms for your home.
Alright, let's go to a few more
text questions this person
says when is an umbrella policy
needed for automobile insurance?
Well the main thing I would say on
automobile insurance is make sure
you do not have minimum limits.
By as high limit as you can afford.
If it's. I know my insurance
agent talked to me and said,
you know, there's $1,000,000 limit.
You may not be able to afford
afford the $1,000,000 limit,
but you need to get as close
to it as you can.
And I've known people to go above
that $1,000,000 limit and get
two or three million coverage
without umbrella policy.
So talk to your insurance agent.
Let the agent advise on what would
be necessary as to that umbrella
coverage or the maximum level because
you get out an accident today.
You've got cars that are well over $100,000.
You get two or three.
$100,000 vehicles and you've got
a half $1,000,000 claim or better.
All right, this person's asking what
can a home insurance policy cover when
you're buying a double wide mobile home?
Well, mobile home policies are a
different classification than the state.
Built homes and mobile home policies
actually include the flood insurance
in the policy of North Carolina.
So talk to your insurance agent about the
level of coverage and make sure that you
have the proper amount for that double
wide or whatever type of manufactured
housing that you are purchasing.
OK, thank you last question.
How many smoke alarms should a house have?
Very quickly you need to have a smoke
alarm inside every bedroom outside every
bedroom and on every level of the house.
And of course when you call
your local fire department,
they'll be able to tell you exactly
how many you need for your house.
Thank you so much, Commissioner Cosey.
We appreciate it.
If you missed any of this information,
just head over to the two
wants to know section.