Hiring Pool Guy Vs A Professional Swimming Pool Cleaner
Pool guys charge about 1.7 times more than it costs to clean your pool yourself. However, be careful who you hirewhile a professional maintenance service might send out someone who barely knows how to clean a pool, you can pay more for someone with many years of experience and who can recognize small issues before they become expensive ones. When comparing pool cleaning services near you, be sure to look for positive customer reviews.
Does Home Insurance Cover Damage To A Swimming Pool
The short answer is probably. This is assuming your carrier knows the pool is there, AND assuming the damage was caused by a covered peril like fire or wind. Insurance would NOT cover damage caused by shoddy pool maintenance or neglect.
In order to confirm you do indeed have coverage and have it in the proper amount, you need to understand how your company classifies the pool. Some insurance companies consider the pool to be a part of your house itself. Other companies consider a pool to be an external structure, much like a shed or a gazebo. In the case of above-ground pools, your insurer might consider the pool to be a type of personal propertylike a boat or a jet ski.
If your pool is considered a part of your homes structure, make sure your agent addresses its worth in calculating your homes replacement cost value . If your pool is considered a detached structure, youll need to list it expressly on your policy in order to have coverage. Ditto for hot tubs and the decks around them. You should also look at how much coverage you have for detached structures or personal property; these limits are often set as a percentage of your homes RCV. They may be insufficient.
Does Insurance Cover An In
Youre looking at similar questions for a claim about in-ground pool collapses. The difference will be that the water could seep into the foundations of your home much faster, without you noticing soon enough .
Its not just the cost to rebuild or repair the pool. Its the cost of repairing water damage to your home as a result of the pool collapse, too! Water damage can cost quite a bit to repair. Dont forget about your home insurance deductible, either. If you set it to $500 or $1,000, then you may need to weigh it against the money you get back from a successful claims payout.
Not sure what your insurance rate would look like with a pool? Get a 3-minute quote with us for the exact home you want to insure, pool included.
Seriously, what else can you do in 3 minutes?
Boil half an egg?
You May Like: Doheny Sand Filter System
Additional Costs You May Need To Cover
The following are important considerations that need to be researched and discussed with your potential contractor, as they can also affect pricing of a new pool:
Municipal construction permit: Some areas may have special zoning or geographical permit requirements, so check with your applicable municipality then discuss with your pool company, who will obtain the permits, advises Marc Luff of Betz Pools.;;
Fencing: Most municipalities require pools to be surrounded by locked fencing for safety. If you have existing fencing, it may need to be partially removed and rebuilt upon pool completion, along with grass replaced or walkways redone, which can both get damaged by excavation access to your site.;
Location: If your property has sloping land or other issues, special design considerations may be required. Difficult access can add to the cost as well.
Excavation concerns: Some sites may require tree trimming or even removal to allow for the installation. Others may have rocky land under the surfaceor lie below the water table, which homeowner Mara Rubinoff discovered only when her pool was being installed. She recalls: They had to dig extra deep and fill it with material to prevent future problems. In addition, she says, we have a tight backyard so the dig took a week. There are costs you dont think of, like electrical, gas and the diggers.
Utilities: Do you need to move sewer or electrical lines? This requires planning and possibly permits in advance.;
Swimming Pool Maintenance And Service Insurance Policy Information
Swimming Pool Maintenance And Service Insurance. Pool service companies provide service, maintenance and repair services.
As the owner and operator of an pool service company, you have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders. Ensuring day-to-day operations are running smoothly, stocking the storing a wide range of products and tools, overseeing your staff, and making sure that the needs of your clients are met; there’s a lot that you have to attend to.
Despite your best efforts to ensure that the various components of your business are running smoothly, all it takes is one slip-up or an unplanned for event and you could be in serious trouble. Pool cleaning service insurance can help cover costs if an employee gets into an accident while driving to a client’s home, or if a client trips over the pool cleaning net and gets hurt.
To protect yourself from oversights and the unexpected, having the right type of swimming pool maintenance and service insurance is essential.
Swimming pool maintenance and service insurance protects your business from lawsuits with rates as low as $29/mo. Get a fast quote and your certificate of insurance now.
Below are some answers to commonly asked swimming pool maintenance and service insurance questions:
If you fail to have mandated policies, you could face stiff penalties and potentially lose your pool cleaning service business.
Small Business Insurance Information
Don’t Miss: Can You Heat An Above Ground Pool
What You Need To Know About Pools And Insurance
Whether you are looking to install or purchase a home with one, it will impact your costs. This applies to all types – above ground, on the ground, and in-ground pools. It is your responsibility to protect those who use your pool.
There are two main ways a pool affects it :
- They increase risk
- They raise your property value
These factors will have an impact on your costs and limits. Installing a pool immediately increases the value of your property. This means youll need to increase your limits to ensure its in alignment with your home replacement value.
The Impact Of Swimming Pools On Your Homeowner’s Insurance
;A swimming pools impact on your homeowners insurance premiums will be determined by your policys specific terms. Specifically, whether your premiums remain the same or increase when installing a swimming pool will depend on whether your policy already includes coverage for pools, which is somewhat common in the Southern United States, and whether you would like to increase your coverage limits. Even if you decide to enhance your policys coverage or limits, there are preventative measures you can take to minimize the impact on your homeowner’s insurance premiums.
Swimming pools are an attractive nuisance
In the insurance industry, swimming pools are the most often cited example of an attractive nuisance. USLegal explains that an attractive nuisance is anything that might attract a child and pose a danger to the unsupervised child. Examples of attractive nuisances include trampolines, farm equipment, man-made ponds, and, of course, swimming pools.
Homeowners are responsible for taking reasonable measures to protect naïve;children from the potential danger posed by an attractive nuisance. For homeowners with pools, reasonable measures may include installing a:
- fence around the perimeter of the pool
- providing accessible safety equipment
Increase your homeowners coverage and limits
Keep your premiums under control
Also Check: Best Sealer For Stamped Concrete Pool Deck
Tips On How To Ensure There Are No Pool Accidents
- Have a gate around your pool
- Be able to lock that gate
- Dont allow diving into shallow areas
- Get CPR training
- Supervise children in and around the pool at all times
- Never get into a pool alone
- Dont use the pool during a thunderstorm
- Dont let anyone indulge in reckless behavior
- Never drink and swim
- Keep the area around the pool clear of toys and furniture to prevent tripping
- When the pool is not in use, remove all toys and flotation devices to prevent children from trying to reach or play with toys
- Always have a phone nearby for 911
- Ensure all children who have not yet learned to swim are wearing appropriate safety vests
- Understand that floating toys do not count as safety devices
- Wait one hour after eating before swimming
- If you have an above ground pool with a ladder, remove the ladder when the pool is not in use
- When there is a cover over the pool during the winter months, dont let children or pets near it
- Remember: your pool is just as dangerous in the winter months as it is in the summer months
Do You Need A Personal Umbrella Policy
Getting a personal umbrella policy is not required but is worth considering if you have a swimming pool on your property as it provides you with much more financial protection than a standard homeowners policy.
An umbrella policy adds additional liability protection beyond your existing homeowners insurance policy and generally applies once your homeowners liability limits have been exhausted.
With an umbrella policy, homeowners typically have $1 million or more in additional liability protection. Should someone die or become seriously injured while using your pool, an umbrella policy would help pay for their funeral or medical costs, as well as any of your legal fees from the incident. These costs could easily exceed even the highest liability limit coverage option on your standard homeowners policy. If you do not have an umbrella policy and your standard homeowners policy is maxed out, any additional costs would have to be paid by you.
Recommended Reading: Vitamin C Tablets For Pool Stains
How Does Having A Pool Impact Your Liability Coverage
Since pools are considered an attractive nuisance and a liability hazard, it may necessitate more than the standard amount of liability coverage. Homeowners insurance policies are typically equipped with anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 in personal liability coverage, which will cover you for costs like medical bills and legal fees if a guest is injured in your home.
The Insurance Information Institute recommends that pool owners set their liability insurance around $300,000 to $500,000. If you think you need additional coverage, you may want to consider an umbrella insurance policy, an additional liability policy you can tack on to your homeowners policy.
What Can Affect Your Pool Insurance Coverage Eligibility
When you have a pool, there may be special requirements from your insurer for you to qualify for coverage under their homeowners policies. For instance, if you do not have a privacy fence securing free access to the pool from the public and from unsupervised use, your insurer may choose not to grant you coverage. Without a fence, when a pool accident occurs while you are not homesuch as a kid getting into your pool and getting hurt, then you can still be found liable. This is especially if you fail to secure your pool away from the public and unsupervised access.
Aside from that, there are many other factors that may affect your pool insurance coverage eligibility. For example, some insurance companies do not give coverage for pools that have a slide or diving board. Even if they do, they usually have the homeowner sign an exclusion, which will not cover any injuries that occur related to the pool accessories.
Take note also that some insurance companies can say they will only cover you under certain conditions. These conditions may include the fence, or a secure pool cover that will prevent people from getting into your pool. These are examples of safety measures that can help you get coverage and decrease your premium.
Recommended Reading: Does Chlorine Kill Lice
Best Insurance Companies For Homes With Pools
Among national insurance companies, Allstate provides the most affordable homeowners insurance quotes for homes equipped with a pool. To determine which company has the cheapest insurance rate for a home with a pool, we gathered quotes for a sample $200,000 home in multiple large U.S. cities from some of the nation’s largest insurance companies. The quotes were then averaged to arrive at a mean insurance cost for a home with a pool across multiple insurers. Allstate offered our sample home an annual homeowners insurance quote of $2,289.
Home Insurance And Pools: What You Should Know
Pools present two insurance considerations damage coverage and liability coverage. Damage protection helps repair or replace your pool if it is damaged by a common peril such as fire, lightning, or falling debris. Liability coverage will help pay legal and medical costs if someone is injured using your pool. Without insurance, you could get stuck with these costs.
Home insurance should provide comfort and assurance. By understanding rate factors such as pools and their insurance requirements, you can ensure you’ll have the complete protection you need.
Also Check: Can Lice Live In Chlorine Pools
Why Do You Need Liability Insurance For A Swimming Pool
When you own a backyard pool, most accidents will involve family members who already live at your house or friends who are visiting. The injured party may choose to seek compensation for their injury, but chances are, theyll write it off as an accident and move on.
But when you own a public pool, things are different. Its easy for someone to blame lifeguards, the conditions of the pool or a lack of clear rules and regulations for an accident.
For example, lets say your public pool has a diving board, and someone jumping off it accidentally hits their head and needs to go to the ER. If the swimmer, or the swimmers parents, believe the pool is responsible, or liable, for the accident, they may seek compensation.
This is why its so important to have proper swimming pool liability insurance. If the party who is injured decides to seek compensation, you need to be prepared, or else you could face a very large and unanticipated out-of-pocket expense in order to settle the dispute.
Additional Steps To Protect Your Business
Although its easy to invest in business insurance, it should not be your frontline defense. Yes, insurance will compensate for your business financial losses after an incident occurs, but its much better to avoid losses altogether.
With this in mind, here are three things you can do to better protect your business:
- Use legally robust contracts and other business documents.
- Set up a limited liability company or corporation to protect your personal assets.
- Stay up to date with business licensing.
- Streamline your business internal processes. This will remove unnecessary variables from common tasks and create a safe, consistent environment for conducting business.
You May Like: How To Remove Hard Water Stains From Pool Tiles
Why Are Pools So Expensive 2020
This has started happening because there are very low levels of these in stock now and there is a very high demand for them. So, why are there so few available now and why is the demand higher? The answer is COVID-19. The other factor causing price gouging in the United States for above ground pools is the high demand.
Homeowners Insurance With A Pool: What You Need To Know
Homeowners insurance covers damage to your pool against the same risks that your house or garage are covered by, like fire or weather-related damage. It also protects your liability in the event that someone gets hurt while using your pool and decides to sue.
Having a pool increases your liability exposure since it opens up the possibility of someone getting injured or drowning while using it.
Ready to shop home insurance?
Don’t Miss: Can Lice Drown In A Pool
What Safety Features Can You Add To Your Pool To Lower Your Insurance Payments
While they may be a hassle, installing simple safety precautions can actually reduce almost all of the extra premium costs that are associated with a new pool.;;
These cost-saving safety features include:
- A perimeter fence with a gate;
- A pool cover
- Safety railing
- Proper signage
For some homeowners, a gate and fence or screen enclosure are not visually appealing but there are ways to get creative. The fence doesnt have to be tall, and using wood or iron railings can class up the look of an average metal fence line. Go through the extra work of installing a fence can deter young kids or other individuals who should not be near the pool, and could even save a life.; Its important to note, however, that the fence or pool cage will not necessarily be covered by your insurance policy. ;
How Can The Size And Style Of Your Pool Affect Homeowners Insurance
All pools are not created equal. The size and style of your pool can directly affect the magnitude of insurance premium increase you should be expecting.; Backyard pools can vary from Olympic-length rectangular pools to peanut-shaped pools that weave in and out of the landscaping.; There are even modern infinity pools that stretch right up to a bar, something we can all agree is a tripping hazard!;;
Also Check: Does Target Have Pool Supplies
What Else Do I Need To Know Before Building A Swimming Pool In Massachusetts
Depending on your towns requirements, you may need to get construction approval from the local Board of Health or similar governing body. You may also need to follow specific rules related to your filtration system, pool water source, pool location in your yard, wastewater disposal and fencing requirements. In general, pool fencing must be 48 above finished ground. ;Gates must be self-closing and self-latching. Your towns regulations may be even more specific.
Here are the links for backyard pool requirements in some of the communities we serve:
