Each year, about 150 tropical depressions form in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. On average, six of these will develop into hurricanes. Out of these, Texas is hit by a hurricane approximately three times every four years. This pattern, recorded over almost 200 years, can be relied upon. At ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX, we assist our customers in preparing for hurricane season.

Ensure you have insurance coverage.

One of the first actions you should take is to verify that hurricane damage is not excluded from your home insurance policy. If it is, you must acquire alternative coverage through another policy or a rider. Contact your insurance agent at once.

Check your roof

Your roof must be in sound condition to shield your home from a hurricane. Have a professional inspect it and recommend any required repairs. Replacing any loose or damaged tiles can prevent internal damage.

Clean your gutters

Gutters collect debris from trees and leaves during the early fall. If your gutters are not functioning correctly, massive downpours can cause backup and damage to your home’s ceiling.

Trim tree branches

Given that hurricanes bring strong winds, ensuring no tree limbs are overhanging your home and all dead branches are removed will protect your home from being damaged by flying wood.

Have an evacuation plan

In case of flooding, you should be prepared with an escape plan and keep all your important documents in a waterproof container that you can easily take with you.

If you would like to discuss your home insurance needs, contact our office at ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX.

Many homeowners underestimate the need for flood insurance, erroneously considering it unnecessary. However, it’s essential to possess home and flood insurance when you own a home. Holding both types of policy offers protection from a vast spectrum of risks that homeowners confront. If you suddenly need flood insurance to bolster your financial defense, don’t hesitate to contact us at ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX.

Floods Can Happen Anywhere

A common misconception leads many people to skip flood insurance simply because they do not reside within a designated flood zone. The prevailing notion is that flooding solely occurs within these delineated zones. Despite the increased likelihood of floods in these areas, they certainly aren’t the exclusive sites of such natural disasters. Most flood damage claims originate from within these zones, but a significant one in five emerges from outside these areas. Thus, coverage remains necessary, regardless of your residential location.

Impact of Flood Damage

Floods can cause extensive damage to structures, landscapes, and hardscapes. Flooding can cause such severe damage to a home that it necessitates a complete reconstruction. Flood insurance can defray costs associated with such damages and aid in rebuilding, should the need arise. Flood insurance is regulated and backed by the National Flood Insurance Program, a federal assurance that provides a safety net in cases of flooding-induced damage. Uniform pricing of flood insurance ensures affordability and accessibility to all potential policyholders.

Secure Your Flood Insurance Policy

If you own a home and do not yet have a flood insurance policy, now is the time to take action. Contact us at ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX to learn more.

High winds are not something that homeowners think about until they encounter them. The destructive force of high winds is enough to throw things around, damage various areas of the property that are exposed to the elements, and, in extreme cases, destroy the whole property itself. You can’t prepare for every potential possibility or even prevent your home from becoming damaged when a serious natural disaster arrives. But you can find ways to improve the home’s durability so that it’s better equipped to deal with such threats. Here’s some helpful guidance on defending your home against high winds and how we here at ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX can help you with further preparations. 

How to Defend a Home Against High Winds

The first step in defending a home against high winds is identifying the most vulnerable areas. This often includes the roof, weakened walls, exposed areas like windows, and even some of your yard decorations. The next step is to secure these areas. If your roof hasn’t received maintenance in a while, getting it repaired or even switching to a stronger roofing material is an excellent choice. Reinforcing your windows and walls will help them stay in place and prevent things from crashing through them easily. When it comes to your outdoor decor, firmly attaching everything to the ground can prevent things from being blown around. It’s a lot of work but worth it in the long run!

Protect Your Home With ACU Insurance Services

When high winds strike, you want to ensure you’re covered. At ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX, we work diligently with homeowners like you to get windstorm insurance you can depend on. Compare quotes or contact us today!

ACU Insurance Services believes that insurance best protects you when you understand what it does for you. The homeowners’ insurance you buy to protect your League City, TX, home protects you from financial loss from many perils but not from termite damage.

Homeowners’ Policies Don’t Cover Creeping Threats

Home insurance policies do not cover termite damage. The insurance industry considers it a creeping threat that a homeowner could discover by doing an annual property inspection. The perils coverage of your homeowners’ policy protects against sudden loss, such as fire or theft. Those perils you can’t fully prevent, but you can prepare for them.

Proper Maintenance Prevents Termite Damage Homeowners can prevent termites from damaging their homes. Each year, they should examine their homes, especially the typically unseen areas, like the attic, basement, crawl space, and garage rafters. Termites start in those areas closest to the exterior of the home and work their way in. When they eat wood, termites leave small trails where they munch, making their meals easy to spot.

Stopping Termites in Their Tracks

Termites take many years to cause serious damage, so an annual inspection uncovers their early work. When you spot termites or evidence of them, call a pesticide firm to spray your home. A termite exterminator can kill off the vermin quickly and at a reasonable cost. When addressed quickly, a termite infestation costs no more than a visit from the exterminator.

Contact Our Insurance Agency Today

No homeowners’ policy covers termite damage, but at ACU Insurance Services, we help our customers in and around League City, TX, better understand what their homeowners’ policies and other insurance cover. Let us help you better protect your home. Call or email us today. 

League City, TX, homeowners are subject to various insurance-related perils, including weather-related perils like hurricanes, windstorms, floods, and hailstorms. With a home insurance policy, you get comprehensive protection from this and other perils like burglary, theft, fire, and vandalism. 

5 Steps to Protect Your Home

Step #1. – Benefit from Local Expertise

Local homeowners benefit from the expertise of knowledgeable insurance agents at ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX. Our licensed and friendly agents can walk you step-by-step through the process of choosing the best home insurance policy. 

Step #2. – Provide Details About Your Home and Property

Talk to a trusted insurance agent for details about your home and property. Learn about the benefits of dwelling coverage, personal property coverage, and liability protection that help shield homeowners from accidents that happen on their property, resulting in lawsuits and other legal claims. 

Step #3. – Get Financial Protection for Your Most Important Investments

Once your agent has essential details about your home and you’ve provided details about what assets and valuables you’d like to have covered, the next step is to learn what discounts and add-on options are available for Texas home insurance policyholders. 

Step #4. – Find Out About Home Insurance Discounts and Policy Add Ons

Your agent will let you know if you qualify for policy discounts by bundling your home insurance with auto, umbrella, or commercial insurance policies.

Step #5. – Get a Free Quote and Start Your Policy! 

The final step in the process is to get your free home insurance quote, select your coverages, and start your policy. Contact an agent at ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX, to begin your home insurance policy today! 

It is no secret that a variety of factors can impact the rates that are paid for a homeowner’s insurance policy. These can include the age and size of a home, its location, construction materials, and amenities. It also may consist of whether or not you have a dog, trampoline, pool, or other higher-risk factors.

This can make it tempting to ignore some aspects of your home insurance application or even fib just a bit. This is a terrible idea.

At ACU Insurance Services of League City, TX, it is our duty not only to ensure you get the home insurance protection you want and expect but also to ensure the information is as accurate as possible. There are good reasons.

Untruths on an Application Can Impact Claims

Your claim could be denied if you have a claim on your homeowner’s insurance and your application has inaccuracies. It could also lead to the cancellation of your policy. This could happen at the worst possible time when you need coverage the most.

Dogs, Pools, Trampolines, and More

If you have or acquire a dog throughout your coverage period, and the dog bites a visitor, the liability coverage may be denied. Adding a trampoline to the backyard without notifying your insurance company could lead to denying an injury claim.

The best policy when filling out your homeowner’s application is honesty. Filling out an application for homeowners insurance could be meaningless if coverage is ultimately invalid.

At ACU Insurance Services, we serve the League City, TX, area with homeowners insurance. We take care in making sure applications are as accurate as possible. You can have confidence when you have coverage through ACU Insurance Service. Contact us today.

For homeowners who are trying to plan how they’ll be able to finance a repair or renovation to their property, it’s a good idea to evaluate all available options. From dipping into savings to taking out a line of credit to consulting with your home insurance policies, you’ll want to look at every potential avenue to cover your home repair or renovation. At ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX, we know how important it is for homeowners to feel comfortable paying for emergency home repairs. As we’ll explain in the article below, some types of modifications to your home may not be covered by your home insurance policy. Before you give up on that option, though, you should consult with an agent at our insurance agency.

Does Home Insurance Cover Repairs and Renovations in Texas?

While every home insurance policy is different, home insurance generally only recovers repairs for damage directly resulting from qualifying events. Most home insurance policies, for example, will not cover repairs related to flood damage since that’s what flood insurance is supposed to cover. Your insurance policy is highly unlikely to provide coverage for cosmetic renovations or improvements entirely unrelated to qualifying events. Even if home insurance provides coverage for repairs, it will probably only be to restore the damaged area to the same finish and state of function that it had before the damage occurred. You can’t file a claim for damages-related costs and use those funds to renovate.

To learn how our home insurance policies can potentially help you cover repairs for qualifying events, call our team of professionals at ACU Insurance Services in League City, TX today!

Making your house more energy efficient is a great way to save money on bills and help the environment in the League City, TX area. Here are some simple tips from us at ACU Insurance Services to make your home more energy efficient:

1. Insulate Your Home: Adding insulation to your walls, attic, and basement can help reduce the amount of energy used for heating and cooling. Not only will this reduce your energy usage, but it will also make your home more comfortable year-round.  

2. Change Out Old Bulbs: Replacing old light bulbs with LED or CFL bulbs is an easy way to save energy. These bulbs use less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs and can last up to 25 times longer! 

3. Upgrade Your Appliances: Upgrading older appliances with newer models labeled "Energy Star" can substantially reduce your energy consumption. Look for Energy Star-rated washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and other large appliances. 

4. Install a Smart Thermostat: Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to set temperatures based on when you’re usually away from home or asleep at night, so you don’t have to remember to adjust it manually daily. Plus, these thermostats learn from usage patterns; after a few weeks, they will adjust automatically! 

5. Seal Air Leaks: Caulk and weather-striping around doors, windows, and other openings in the home help keep warm air in during cold months and cool air in during hot months—saving you money on utility bills all year long! 

Making your house more energy efficient doesn’t have to be complicated—even making small changes can add up over time! For more tips, give us at ACU Insurance Services a call today. We are proud to serve the League City, TX area.

Once you’ve taken the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family in a storm, it is time to turn your attention to preparing your home for a storm. Taking the proper precautions can help minimize the risk of serious damage to your property during severe weather.

Here are some tips from us at ACU Insurance Services on how to prepare your home for a storm in the League City, TX area:

1. Check Your Roof – Ensure that shingles and other materials are secure and free from rot or decay.
2. Clear Gutters & Downspouts – Be sure to clear debris from gutters and downspouts before storms.
3. Trim Trees & Shrubs – Trim overgrown trees and shrubs to reduce the risk of branches breaking during high winds.
4. Cover Windows & Doors – Secure shutters or plywood to windows and doors before the storm arrives.
5. Secure Outdoor Objects – Move outdoor furniture, grills, and other items inside before a storm hits.
6. Unplug Electronics – Unplug appliances and electronics that lightning strikes or power surges could damage.
7. Check Insurance Coverage – Ensure you are adequately covered for any damage caused by severe weather.

By taking the necessary steps to prepare your home for a storm, you can help protect it from serious damage. These simple precautions you can take now will save time and money. Don’t wait until severe weather arrives — start preparing today! If you need assistance with any of these tasks or want more information about protecting yourself from storms best, contact us at ACU Insurance Services today. We proudly serve the League City, TX area.

If you’re a League City, TX homeowner, then you should know that simply having home insurance in the first place isn’t enough to ensure the safety of your property and the security of your future. If your home is underinsured, you could still be at risk.

And before you assume that can’t possibly mean you, you should also know that this is a common state of affairs – one that most homeowners aren’t aware of until it’s too late. Here’s how to tell whether you should speak to your ACU Insurance Services agent about upgrading your policy.

Check to ensure your policy covers rebuilding costs

Naturally, most of the point of home insurance is having full protection from the worst possible scenario – total loss of your home due to fire, natural disaster, or a similar occurrence. But don’t just assume that any home insurance policy will cover the total costs of rebuilding a home should the worst happen. If you’re underinsured, yours probably won’t.

Make sure your policy covers your actual valuables.

Another common assumption underinsured homeowners tend to make is that their current policy will cover all of their possessions in the event they are lost or damaged in a disaster. However, this isn’t always the case. Some valuables – like musical instruments, cash, or antiques, to name just a few common possibilities – may require a special policy rider to be protected.

Determine whether you need additional disaster coverage

Many common disasters – like floods or earthquakes – aren’t typically covered by standard home insurance policies in League City, TX. If that’s the case for you, as well, then you’ll want to look into purchasing supplemental insurance to ensure you’re genuinely protected against all possibilities.

Ultimately, a home is one of the most significant investments a person ever makes, so it’s intelligent and essential to ensure it’s well-insured. Get in touch with an ACU Insurance Services rep today to review your policy and ensure it’s everything it should be!