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July and August are monsoon season in nearby Arizona, where the warm, moist air from the Gulf of California make their way up into the Desert Southwest and bring torrential rains. At times, those monsoonal formations make their way into the Las Vegas Valley, and that can lead to heavy rainfall, high winds and flash flooding. Las Vegas residents and visitors well-remember the July 2013 flash flood that swept through the Las Vegas Strip and caused a great deal of damage. But worse floods have occurred, which spurred recent flood drainage projects to divert flash flood waters. Still, having flood insurance for homes is an important concern for homeowners despite being located in the Mojave Desert.

Spring Mountains, Rocky Terrain Promote Flash Flooding

The high elevation of the Spring Mountains and Mt. Charleston, which rises to more than 11,900 feet, makes it difficult for rain clouds to pass over without spilling their contents. The steep, rocky terrain along the eastern slope of the Spring Mountains is incapable of absorbing much if any rain water, so what little falls there eventually works its way into nearby Las Vegas. If there is an inch or more of rain that falls in one or two hours, significant flash flooding can occur. And on the rare occasions when there is a heavy downpour anywhere in the vicinity, the water makes its way though Las Vegas until eventually winding up in Lake Mead and the Colorado River on its way to the Gulf of California.

Many Get Coverage from National Flood Insurance Program

Most homeowners insurance policies do not provide coverage for external flooding unless added as an endorsement for an additional monthly premium. But most homes are insured through the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides up to $250,000 in external flood insurance coverage for varying rates. Speaking with your insurance agent can help to affirm what kind of flood insurance you might have on your home and whether or not it would be a good idea to buy external flood insurance protection.

Have you or any of your neighbors every suffered damages from external flooding?

Nevada is one of the most active states for earthquakes, but most of them occur out in wilderness areas and well away from population centers. Yet, an earthquake is something that Las Vegas residents experience on a regular basis on a very subtle level. Most people don’t realize it when tremors travel through the greater Las Vegas area, but they do occur. Scientists say a large earthquake could strike the area someday, and people need to have the right insurance protection in place.

Most Don’t Carry Earthquake Coverage

There are no known instances of destructive earthquakes striking Las Vegas, partly because the area until only recently was a sparsely populated desert area. But the massive population growth during the past 70 years has transformed the area and exposed far more people and properties to possible earthquake damage. Even if a big one does not strike anytime soon, one of many tremors might result in property damage that might not be covered by standard homeowners insurance policies. Cracked foundations and damaged walls are the most common types of damages from even moderate earthquake tremors, and most homes would not be protected if an earthquake or at least a tremor were determined to be the cause of the damage.

Earthquake Policies Are Affordable

Because they rarely strike and most damages are repairable, the cost of additional earthquake insurance protection is worth the nominal cost. Most insurers realize cracked foundations are the worst they mostly will need to deal with, and that is something they can indemnify while spreading out the cost of the risk among many other policyholders in the area. That makes earthquake insurance one of the more useful and most neglected types of homeowners insurance coverage people could use but do not have in most cases.

Have you ever felt a tremor while in Las Vegas?

Insurance deductibles are intended to keep the cost of insurance low by eliminating very small claims and the cost of dealing with them. Deductibles apply to many different types of insurance but are most common on property and casualty insurance policies. Health insurance also has deductibles, and life insurance policies never have them. Most people encounter their first deductible when they buy auto insurance and have to choose the deductible amount for full coverage insurance when they finance a new or used car purchase.

Deductibles Only Apply to Policyholder’s Loss Claims

When involved in an accident at which you are at fault and needing to file an insurance claim to care for the other person’s vehicle, as might happen if driving a 4×4 and knocking over a costly sport bike parked on a lot, any deductible only would apply to the vehicle for which the auto insurance policy is drawn up. Any claims for repairing the motorcycle in this instance would not require a deductible. The deductible only applies to the insured vehicle and is intended to prevent the owner from filing minor claims for small things like having a flat tire. Deductibles also reduce the number of potential lawsuits over very small matters, and that helps to keep the price of insurance policies lower.

Deductibles Amounts Are Adjustable

People who want to reduce the cost of their auto, home or other insurance can do so by increasing the deductible amount. In most cases, deductibles can range from zero to $1,000. Some larger deductibles are available from some insurers, but most financed vehicles and common sense require deductibles of no more than $1,000 on autos. Most people have a deductible of $500, which is a relatively affordable amount for most working people to come up with in the event of an accident and needing to replace a vehicle. If the vehicle is totaled, the insurer will write a check up to policy limits minus the deductible. If repairs are needed, the insurer will pay up to policy limits minus the deductible. That means the policy holder will need to pay the deductible amount when insured repairs are done.

How much is the deductible you carry on your vehicles?

Dogs are great family pets and in most cases truly are man’s best friend. But many property and casualty insurance companies take exception to certain breeds they deem to be prone to violent or aggressive behavior. In some instances, if an insurance company learns a homeowner has a breed of dog it considers to be prone to vicious behavior living on the premises, the insurer might cancel coverage with the proper notices given and certainly will not renew coverage when the current policy expires. Many breeds of dogs have such a reputation for vicious behavior, whether deserved or not, that insurers consider them to be too great of a risk reasonably underwrite coverage for damages caused by them.

Pit Bulls Top List of Dog Breeds Insurers Dislike

As most might expect, pit bulls far more than any other breed have such a reputation for vicious behavior that no home insurer will provide coverage for dog bite liability or other potential damages that might occur. While most pit bulls arguably are perfectly docile family pets that make wonderful companions, too many people use the dogs for more sinister purposes and essentially train the dogs to be vicious. Add in negligent supervision in many cases, as occurs when any dog is allowed to run loose in public, and pit bulls commonly show up in news reports of vicious dog attacks on unsuspecting adults, children and other people’s pets.

Many Other Dog Breeds Also Commonly Uninsured

Rottweilers, German shepherds, doberman pinschers and great Danes are among other breeds generally excluded from homeowners insurance coverage. Others includes the chow chow, akita, Alaskan malamute and Siberian husky also commonly make lists of banned dog breeds. The less commonly known presa canario and virtually any wolf-hybrid dog also will nix coverage for dog bite claims and other damages and losses caused by breeds of dogs that insurers consider to be unacceptable risks for homeowners. Any family dog that is known to bite others, which could occur if a neighboring child is bitten by family dog and his or her parents file a lawsuit, and insurer might provide coverage for the initial bite but likely will not for subsequent bites that might occur.

Do you have a family dog whose breed insurance companies don’t like to insure?

Some renters have leases that require them to pay for insurance to live in those apartments and make the mistake of thinking they have renters insurance coverage for their belongings. That is not the case. Most times, that renters insurance only covers their liability if they do something that causes damage to the unit or building, such as causing a fire the burns down a multi-family apartment unit. In such instances, the renters insurance policy would pay up to policy limits for the cost of repairs. Any other liability, such as civil liability for any damages to other tenants’ property, might not be insured.

Many Las Vegas Renters Are Crime Victims

Las Vegas police say there are more than 5,100 property crimes reported in the area every day. And high on the list of property-crime victims are renters, whose residences are less than secure and have belongings that are vulnerable to theft. Buying a renters insurance policy is one of the most affordable types of insurance protection renters can obtain for their belongings. And the coverage is portable, which means it extends to personal belongings when away from the home. If an expensive bicycle is stolen while out running errands, the renter’s insurance policy would cover the loss minus any deductibles that might apply. And when indoor belongings are damaged or stolen, there would be coverage available to help replace them.

Renters Insurance Policies Are Affordable

For the amount of coverage provided, renters insurance policies are very affordable. Many plans cost less than $20 per month and insure personal belongings and provide liability insurance protection. The policies likely would provide market-value coverage, which means it would pay the replacement value minus any depreciation for the item in question. Scheduled amounts that predetermine the insured value of costly items, such as artwork, jewelry, silverware and other expensive items, also is available with most policies.

If you are a renter, do you have any valuables that would be costly to replace?