How to deal with a fallen tree in Klamath Falls, OR

Who is responsible if your tree falls onto your neighbor’s house?

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How To Deal With a Fallen Tree

How to deal with a fallen tree in Klamath Falls, ORNeighbors are great! You can count on them to keep an eye on your place while you’re away, let out a furry friend or even borrow some last minute ingredients! Shoot, some of your neighbors are probably some of your closest friends. But having neighbors can sometimes cause some uncomfortable exchanges.

With spring on the way, often high winds occur when the cold air and warmer air mix together. This, mixed with sometimes wet soil can bring a vulnerable tree toppling down. So, what happens when YOUR tree drops down onto your neighbor’s house, car, fence or other property? Who is liable for that and which insurance company should you call?

Well, the answer is most of the time quite simple. Whoever owns the damaged property is responsible to get the damage repaired – not the owner of the tree.

Let’s look at some specific examples:

Your tree falls onto your neighbor’s house:  Neighbor responsible to mitigate damages and call their own insurance company.

Your neighbor’s tree falls on your car: You should call your insurance company.

Now, proving any sort of negligence on the part of the tree owner is exceedingly rare. Trees die but can remain strong and standing for many years. If you or your neighbor has a tree that has died and you’re worried about it, you should call out an arborist. If the tree is the neighbors, have a conversation about the risks it poses and potential harm it could cause if it fell. Perhaps this will remedy the problem.

If you have questions about your home, auto or commercial insurance, call the insurance agents at Pacific Ridge Insurance. They write business across the state of Oregon from their home office in Klamath Falls, OR. Policies can easily be written over the phone by calling (888) 337-5882.  With years of insurance experience they can easily help you insure everything from your home to your auto or commercial auto insurance. They live where you do and are an independent insurance agent, so they can help you find the right company to fit your needs. You can also check out their website, 24/7.

How to Protect Your Home or Condo from Mold in Klamath Falls, OR

Protecting your Home or Condo from Mold

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Key Tips to Prevent Mold

How to Protect Your Home or Condo from Mold in Klamath Falls, OR

Every home in the US is vulnerable to mold damage and now that we’re coming into the cooler winter months, mold can thrive. Mold really needs one thing to grow: moisture.

Protect your home from mold by identifying and eliminating sources of moisture. Moisture can enter your home through many different areas including:

  • Damaged roof flashing
  • Damaged or worn out shingles
  • A downspout that is not properly setup to push water away from your home or foundation
  • A leaky pipe
  • Condensation from your laundry, shower or kitchen
  • A crawl space with no vapor barrier or an improperly installed vapor barrier
  • Single pane windows that are sweating
  • Seeping up through the floor

Eliminating these common problems is fairly simple. Identifying where the issues are coming from are sometimes more tricky as water can travel great distances before it makes it mark known. Look for mold on walls, around windows and in the corners of a room. Sometimes mold can grow under your carpet on cement slabs so if your basement smells moldy, that would be a good place to check.

There are many ways to remove moisture from your home. In bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens, install exhaust fans to remove excess moisture from laundry, showers and cooking. Without these fans, moisture can seep upwards and into your attic producing another hidden problem. A fan will quickly pull the excess moisture out of the room. Be sure to closely look at the size of the fan you install because a fan that is too small for the room may not even make a difference.

If moisture is entering your home through your crawlspace, a simple visual inspection can be completed. First, look to see if a vapor barrier exists (a black plastic). Make sure it is covering the entire surface, goes up over any pier blocks and extends to the edges of your foundation. If it doesn’t, consider a quick weekend project to remedy the issue.

If you have questions about your home, auto or commercial insurance, call the insurance agents at Pacific Ridge Insurance. They write business across the state of Oregon from their home office in Klamath Falls, OR. Policies can easily be written over the phone by calling (888) 337-5882.  With years of insurance experience they can easily help you insure everything from your home to your auto or commercial auto insurance. They live where you do and are an independent insurance agent, so they can help you find the right company to fit your needs. You can also check out their website, 24/7.

Prevent Rodents and Rodent Damage for your car in Klamath Falls, OR

Keep Your Home Free of Rodents and Rodent Damage

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Protecting your Home from Rodents and Rodent Damage

Prevent Rodents and Rodent Damage in Klamath Falls, ORYou’ve spent a lot of time making your house perfect and keeping it clean. Don’t let a rodent destroy the inner workings of your home!

A single rat can destroy insulation, chew through wires, weaken floor joists and even chew through brick! Not to mention they carry disease and leave droppings wherever they go. The droppings will soak into insulation and the odors can emanate into your home.

Pest control and crawl space cleaning is big business. Just check a search online and see all the companies that do it. With hundreds of thousands of homes damaged each year in the U.S., these companies keep busy removing and repairing homes damaged by pests. Don’t fall victim!

Rodent damage is not typically covered by your home insurance policy. For most losses to be considered, it needs to be “sudden and accidental.” A rodent making a home in the crawl space of your home may come overnight, but the damage they cause is caused over a period of months, or even years.

So, how do rodents get into your home? A rat, for instance, has a very soft skeleton and can squeeze through the smallest of gaps. It is important to look at all areas that enter your crawlspace.

Crawlspace areas to check:

  • Screens that cover vents (ensure there are no gaps or holes)
  • Gaps around brickwork (if gaps exist, use expanding foam, mortar or weather stripping to fill the space)
  • Access panels (ensure the access door fits tightly and gaps do not exist)

Other things to keep in mind:

  • Never store food in your garage or crawl space
  • Keep trash in tight containers
  • Keep weeds and other plants away from your home so they can’t hide near your home
  • Don’t keep pet food in a garage or other outdoor area
  • Don’t stack items near your home where they could hide (lumber piles, wood piles etc.)

If you suspect a rodent may be in your crawl space, look for hanging insulation and feces left near the walls. Consider calling a professional to come and take a look. Keeping your crawl space clean is important to the inner air in your home, so if your crawl space has been damaged get a quote to repair and replace the insulation.

If you have questions about your home, auto or commercial insurance, call the insurance agents at Pacific Ridge Insurance. They write business across the state of Oregon from their home office in Klamath Falls, OR. Policies can easily be written over the phone by calling (888) 337-5882.  With years of insurance experience they can easily help you insure everything from your home to your auto or commercial auto insurance. They live where you do and are an independent insurance agent, so they can help you find the right company to fit your needs. You can also check out their website, 24/7.