Homeowners Facts and Information

Did you know .

• A study conducted by Marshall & Swift found that approximately 67% of homeowners are underinsured by an average of 35%.
  
  
• If you hire household help, make sure you get the appropriate insurance coverage. 
  
  
• Check to see if your homeowners insurance covers your trees and shrubs for losses due to risks like vandalism, theft, and fire.
  
  
• One in every 20 households is burglarized each year.
  
  
• About 2 million fires are reported each year. There are many more fires that go unreported.
  
  
• The U.S. Fire Administration reports that a fire occurs in a home every ten seconds, and every 60 seconds a fire occurs that is serious enough to call the fire department.
  
  
• The NFPA estimates that from 1993 through 1997 candles in the home caused an average of:
  • 8,690 fires
  • 104 civilian deaths
  • 947 injuries and
  • Estimated direct property loss of $126 million in direct property damage
  
  
• The USFA reports that 70% of residential fires occur in one and two family dwellings. 
  • Cooking is the leading cause of residential fires.
  • Heating is the second leading cause of residential fires. 
  • Smoking is the leading cause of residential fire deaths. 
  
  
• According to the U.S. Fire Administration, faulty wiring accounts for 33% of residential electrical fires that occur in urban areas.
  
  
• According to the NFPA, an estimated 59,700 home heating fires occurred in 1999.
  
  
• About 24,700 garage fires occurred in 1997.
  
  
• The leading causes of fatal fires in rural areas are heating (25%), careless smoking (21%), and electrical distribution & arson.