GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

Nowadays, renewing your car insurance is also as simple as just buying new car insurance. You don’t have to make several phone calls or wait in a queue at the insurance company’s office to get your insurance renewed. While renewing your insurance, you also have the option to switch to a different insurer which provides better benefits to you at the same or lesser premium. Although the process of renewal is very simple and hassle-free, you should take care of certain things before you are going to renew your insurance or are thinking about buying new car insurance: -

• Check the Insured Declared Value or IDV - Depending on the age of your car, the insurance premium amount may change, so get the IDV re-evaluated. This will not only help you in getting a better price, but you will also get compensated accordingly in case of theft or loss.
• Do claims check - In case you are thinking of changing your insurer, always make sure to check the claims ratio of the previous insurer and verify it against any claims you have made.
• Appropriate Coverage with your plan - If currently you only have third-party insurance plan, consider getting a better and comprehensive plan which will also provide you coverage against the heavy expenses incurred on your car if it meets with an accident.
• Make sure to check Cashless Garages - Always check for cashless garages in your area when renewing your insurance plan with a different insurer so that you get the benefits of free repair for your car.
• Check the discounts and other deductibles- When renewing the insurance plan, make sure to check if you have got all the discounts you are eligible for with the plan, just like you do when you buy new car insurance. A deductible is an amount that you are required to pay before every claim and if it exists, make sure that it fits your budget.
• Get Add-ons with your insurance plan - There are many add-ons available with the insurance plans, and you should consider getting them. Add-on covers like Zero Depreciation, Engine Protector or Return to Invoice can help you if your car is less than 5 years old.

Here is how you can renew your car insurance online:

• Once you have finalized your plan, you need to enter your details on the website of the insurance provider. Some details you need to be ready with while renewing your insurance are: -

  1. Your Full name

  2. Your Address

  3. Car Registration Number

  4. Car-maker and model

  5. Previous Policy Number

• Select the Add-ons that you want along with your insurance plan. Some of the common add-ons are: -

  1.Zero Depreciation

  2.Roadside Assistance

  3.Return to Invoice

  4.Engine Protection

  5. NCB Protect

  6. Loss of Personal Belongings

• Once you are done with all the above steps, the final thing is only the payment. Complete the payment procedure and you will be done with renewing your insurance plan.

Renewing car insurance is as simple as buying new car insurance. Make sure you completely understand all the policy terms before you finalize the payment procedure for your insurance.

A good marine insurance guards you and your consignment from a variety of hazardous and unforeseen disasters and events. Below are all the clauses that are pivotal to marine insurance in India-

1. Institute Cargo Clause A- This clause covers all kinds of risks involved from loading and unloading to risks during the voyage.

2.Institute Cargo Clause B- This clause covers lesser risks compared to clause A and must be meticulously checked before buying as it may exclude key risks your type of work may be exposed to.

3.Institute Cargo Clause C- This clause covers the least number of risks and might even be the cheapest. However, the risks are higher at sea and if this clause is being adhered to, then one must research thoroughly before buying.

4.Valuation Clause- In this case, both parties namely, the insurance provider and the customer mutually agreed upon a said value. In case of damages, the compensation will be equal to the value and not any more than that. This ensures that both parties are convinced and arrive on common ground.

Art and Form' Clause- This clause usually states the time when the risk will start and be covered. This is important as most people don't read through the specific marine insurance clauses provided by their insurance provider. For example, if the marine insurance states, 'at and from Chennai' then only risks considered will be post-arrival to Chennai port and when it leaves the port.

Sue and Labour Clause - According to this clause, if an insurance holder has spent money to save goods from impending loss, then he or she is to be compensated for those charges by the insurance company. Additionally, unlike the 'change in voyage clause' here, any deviation does not have anything to do with saving the 'subject matter', the insurance company policy will not become void even in cases of a deviation or change in the voyage.

Warehouse to Warehouse Clause- The marine insurance policy mentions the warehouses that the goods are taken and delivered to. This means the company will take charge if any uncertainties occur while goods are being bought from hinterland to port and also during the voyage.

8. Change of Voyage- Any marine insurance mentions the details and the ports of arrival and departure accordingly. Insurance policies also provide said routes that are to be adhered by and followed. In cases of a deviation, marine insurance companies are not liable to settle the claim. If the route is later revered to, then this change is considered as a deviation. However, the insurer is not liable to secure against losses occurred in any change in the original route.

9. Touch and Stay Clause - This clause ensures that ships stay at the ports mentioned in the marine insurance policy. If a certain port is not mentioned, a ship must follow the routes given in policy and stay at the mentioned ports only. Only emergencies and justifiable reasons will be considered for calling at ports.

10. Inchmaree Clause - Under this clause, the negligence of the master or crew members are also covered under the insurance policy. Apart from this, other losses occurred during loading and unloading operations will also be duly recovered.

11. Jettison - In certain circumstances, shops may have to throw excessive luggage when it's the only way to save them. This is called Jettison and must be done intentionally and immediately.

12. Memorandum Clause - Under this clause, the insurance company does not have to pay for the losses of perishable goods. These losses will not have to be paid by the policyholder either.

With the awareness of the above clauses, you can be prepared to obtain a good Marine Insurance in India and be certain that the cover includes the above clauses. This will also help you in obtaining a good deal.

Does your company rely on some huge equipment to generate revenue? Even one failure or breakdown will lead to costly repairs to the extent that a company can even be forced to shut down indefinitely. So, how would you possibly have operated, without these key pieces of machinery like heavy machinery or specialized manufacturing equipment?

Usually, considering other things, companies overlook the importance of manufacturing power. The machinery is the backbone that keeps the force running. They're also a major investment and if not insured, any damage can cause not only hindrance but could also stop workflow altogether and huge loss. Therefore, it's important to opt for a machinery breakdown insurance policy. It is a form of property insurance designed to transfer unexpected breakdown risks associated with a company's mechanical and electrical equipment.

This insurance will cover physical damage from the unanticipated breakdown of machinery. By repairing or replacing the additional costs, this insurance will keep your work going and ensure it doesn't halt in the light of such unforeseen events.

Unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances caused due to carelessness, short circuit, electric overpressure, failure of safety device operation, defects in assembly, structural or mechanical, loosening of parts or excessive speed, falling, impact, collision and entry of foreign goods in the machinery are covered. Under this policy, the sum insured includes the following:

• Replacement value of the equipment
• Erection costs
• Freight charges
• Duties paid
• Value of brickwork

These policies are usually flexible and help organizations recoup financial losses related to property damage, interruption and spoilage. The premium, however, is calculated once the type of equipment and factors like their capacity and price are taken into consideration. There is a different premium for different machinery used. The machines that can be insured are-

• All stationery machinery equipment
• Electrical equipment
• Mechanical plant equipment
• Process machinery in industries

The eligibility criteria are that the owner or lessor of the machinery can get the insurance.

Mechanical loss of engineering insurance policy includes compensation for the cost of repair and replacement arising from unforeseeable circumstances. The cover is effective even if the equipment is not in use. The machinery is also covered if the equipment has been dismissed for maintenance and overhauling or is moved to a different location.

Usually, with an additional premium, the machinery breakdown insurance policy also covers third party liability, additional customs duty, air freight, escalation, property surrounding machinery, overtime, holiday wages etc. This makes it an essential complete package.

Since machinery breakdown insurance policy is for electrical and mechanical equipment, electronic material such as computers are not protected or covered. Specific risks that are not included in this policy are wear and tear, war, fire, gross negligence, damage due to overload and known pre-existing defects.

Machinery breakdown insurance is now crucial for businesses of all kinds and provides protection. However, secure the right policy to ensure your business is covered before, during and after an equipment breakdown.

So much deliberation goes into buying a car, but car insurances? Not so much. This is one of the most concerning problems as these trivial mistakes are overlooked and more importantly can even be done away with if one is cautious enough.

Car insurance is almost mandatory in times like now but keeping relevant information from your insurance provides is often misleading than not. Here are mistakes to avoid when you're buying a car insurance policy -

• Not comparing prices- Many people who instantly go for insurances provided by someone they know or the insurances their acquaintances have applied for. Although the reliability factor is higher here, you can't be sure that they'd have made the right decision or looked up the new car insurance rates and updated offers in the market. For this one reason at least, compare the prices of different insurance policies till you're totally convinced about a single policy over the other. This will also give you the additional satisfaction of having researched well enough and made a wise choice.
• Cheap insurance policies- Cheaper insurances come with the obvious hazard that there's something flawed or even shady the company is trying to keep from you. Sometimes, companies manage to go about selling these without some key features which you may happen to overlook. Most people usually opt for the cheapest or the insurance policy with the lowest premium, and that doesn't assure the same type of safety as good reliable insurance will offer. Do not make hasty and flippant choices, as it's obvious that a lower premium also means a lower cover is provided when necessary.
• Buying it offline- Even if you know someone who may provide insurance services from a reliable company, there are a lot of unnecessary hidden costs that you'd not know. Rather than going for a cheaper unreliable premium, you can just opt for a good and reliable premium from a reputable company that also gives cheaper options. This is usually overlooked because people still choose or prefer the offline modes of application and payment. However, it is always more beneficial to find the online versions as not only does it come with a greater variety of options and plans, but it will also remove all the hidden costs for the job.
• Low deductibles- This is like choosing for cheap premium except here, deductibles are the charges paid by a customer before receiving the claim. If you're going to focus on this factor, then you'd be missing out on a balanced plan with a good premium as well. Usually, lower deductible plans come with higher premiums. Either way, you'd have to pay that said amount so why not choose a more profitable variation. If you opt for a policy that requires a higher deductible, then you can also attain the no claims bonus. This 'No Claim Bonus' or NCB is when an insurance company pays you if you do not file a claim for a stipulated amount of time. This could be an additional profit you will not be able to enjoy if you pay a lower deductible and a higher insurance premium.
• Driver details and history- Usually, the factors considered for the insurance premium include the details of the driver, including the age and other details like safety equipment installed, driving style. These may increase or decrease your premium accordingly. But because of that, if you choose to hide certain details for a lower premium thinking you've made a smart choice, it's misleading and doesn't assure you the certainty of your insurance. If an insurance provider finds out about the hidden details, they hold the authority to dissolve your policy as an invalid one. So, don't make a mistake like this just to save a few hundred rupees.

Acquainting yourself with the new car insurance rates, terms and conditions, and other essential aspects of the insurance policy is essential to help you maximize the benefits on offer.

Today, the number of cases with construction workers being a victim of such accidental risks is increasing. There isn't much awareness around it to make every person understand its importance. Physical loss of engineering insurance includes protection from machinery breakdown, machinery loss, contractor's risk, etc. The major focus is on covering losses that are unforeseen and unexpected. This is also called machinery breakdown insurance.

In the workplace, regardless of the precautions taken, it's always possible that there are unexpected and unfortunate accidents that might put you at risk. This is why you need the physical loss of engineering insurance.

Types of engineering risks include -

• Stock deterioration - Stock deterioration includes the depletion of goods kept in cold storage. This is covered if there's a breakdown of refrigerating machinery. It's similar to machinery breakdown insurance and can be seen as a subset of the same.

This type of insurance may benefit you if you're owners or users of cold storage houses, food preservation industry, and meat and fish processing industries, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

• Movement of Machinery - This insurance covers the damage of machinery during specified operations. This type is important as a lot of machinery is heavy and not always easy to move accordingly. There can be damage during such movement even after the said precaution is taken. This type also often includes incidental storage in transit and moving and unloading to the work position.
• Computer equipment - Computer equipment insurance covers loss of or damage to all computer equipment. Additionally, provides cost required to reinstate lost records. These apply to almost every firm today that can make use of this insurance. Especially with data at threat, companies must safeguard themselves and have an insurance plan to turn to in such a situation.
• Unexpected damage - This policy covers damage that is unexpected and could be due to internal defects or external unfortunate situations. This insurance covers accidental damage most of the time, but it's advisable to check the documents and peculiarities before you go ahead.
• All Risk Cover - The all-risk cover, usually known as the Contractor's all risk, covers all of the above insurances. Usually, the threat of a single kind seems more than the rest, and hence particular insurance opts-in isolation. To easily define it, it covers all risks related to construction.

Here are the reasons why engineering insurance is important

• Machinery breakdown - This is one of the overlooked factors. Be it machines on the ground or even computers; your insurance must cover not only the cost of damage done to the computer installation but also for all the data that was lost. You can opt for machinery breakdown insurance as well.
• Risks of explosions - Such an unsafe work environment comes with its risks and troubles. Insurance will make it one step closer to safety, and you know you're covered in times of crisis.
• If you're in a risky job like that and have the uncertainty of consequences if something unfortunate happens, engineering insurance is your go-to remedy. Insurance covers can be generally applied to, but every insurance does not cover it all in detail. You can always choose multiple insurances, and that's completely alright. But you may need to understand something very important, at a workplace like a construction site; you ought to know that engineering insurance cannot be compromised.

Health insurance is a type of policy that offers coverage for medical as well as surgical expenses incurred by the policyholder when they are hospitalized during the policy period. Most of the health insurances today provide coverage of daycare hospitalization, pre-hospitalization as well as post-hospitalization and the expenses incurred during these periods are either reimbursed to the insured individual or are paid to the healthcare provider directly.

There are many health insurance providers in India which provide numerous affordable health insurance plans for individuals and also for the whole family. Such health insurance plans have many different benefits, and each plan provides different types of coverage depending on the premium amount of the insurance.

Some of the common benefits that are given in most of the healthcare plans are: -

• One of the biggest benefits of a healthcare plan is the cashless settlement of claims. Most of the times the insurance provider will directly transfer the claim amount to the healthcare provider instead of reimbursing the amount to the insured individual.
• Most of the insurance providers cover almost all the major hospitals of the country, and you can use your health card to claim the benefits of your insurance at the hospitals covered by your insurance. There is almost 50% to 75% coverage of the major hospitals in the country with all the big names included in the list.
• You get the premium amount of the insurance tailored according to your needs. You can get the plan for an individual or for all the members of your family, and the premium will be decided based on the age group of all the members of the family. You can also get different insurances for all of your family members if you require.
• Once you buy an affordable health insurance plan, you also get the benefit of free medical checkup for every claim-free year. You can use this benefit to get a complete body checkup.
• In case of a medical emergency that arises suddenly, it can take away all your financial savings for the treatment of the individual very quickly. If you have health insurance, you will have a peace of mind because you will be able to provide financially for the treatment of the particular disease or problem.
• There are many different insurance plans available depending on the maximum entry age of the individual they allow for the insurance. Many insurance providers set a maximum entry age limit of 80 years while there are some insurance providers that have plans with no upper limit on the maximum entry age.
• Nowadays, you can buy an affordable health insurance plan online and pay the premiums online as well. You don’t need to visit the office of the insurance provider to buy the insurance, just compare all the available health insurance plans and buy the one that suits your needs the best. The healthcare plans are active for 1 year, and after that period, you need to renew it. This renewal can be easily done online as well.
• The health care plans are available with a range of coverage that starts from 5 lakhs and can reach to crores of rupees. Choose the one that is most affordable for you and you will have to pay the premium for the plan accordingly.

You need to consider some things before you decide on buying a particular healthcare plan of which financial comes at first. You have to pay the premium yearly, and that premium should be such that it does not cause a problem to you financially so proper care should be taken while buying a healthcare plan.

Fire insurance is a contractual agreement between the policyholder and the insurer wherein the insurer in return for consideration or premium agrees to indemnify the policyholder or the insured person for the financial loss that he/she may suffer due to destruction of or damage to property or goods by fire during a specific period. You can buy as well as renew a fire insurance policy in India by online as well as offline ways.

The purchase of fire insurance helps to cover the cost of replacement, repair or reconstruction of the property, but fire insurance is generally not valid in case of war, nuclear risk or any such similar peril. Buying fire insurance is always a good idea because your property is your investment and buying a fire insurance policy will help you recover the damage and loss caused due to fire on your property.

Most of the policies offered by the different insurance providers cover the physical damage caused to your property by the following perils: -

• Fire
• Lightning
• Riot and Strike
• Earthquake, wind and storm
• Explosion
• Smoke damage
• Sprinkler Damage
• Damage due to aircraft
• Bush fire
• Subsidence, rockslides or landslides
• Impact damage which may occur due to the impact of road vehicles or animals or rails.

There are various types of fire insurance policies that are available in India, depending on the coverage requirement of the individual. The type of fire insurance policy in India you may choose also depends on whether the asset which is being insured is a fixed asset or a non-fixed asset. Depending on the type of asset being insured, insurance providers have different types of fire insurance policies available. The types of policies for fixed assets such as homes are: -

• Replacement Value Policy - The asset which has been insured is replaced if it is damaged by fire wherein the insurance company pays the replacement value of the damaged property.
• Reinstatement Value Policy - This is almost similar to the Replacement Value Policy but with an added clause that the insurance company will replace the damaged property to its original condition before the occurrence of the peril. This policy applies to fixed assets like buildings.

There are many different types of policies for non-fixed assets, such as: -

• Specific Policy - This policy covers the loss up to a specific amount which is less than the real value of the property.
• Comprehensive Policy - Also called ‘All in One’ policy, this policy covers loss due to fire, theft, burglary as well as other third-party damages.
• Valued Policy - Under this policy, the insured person can recover a fixed amount which was agreed to at the time the policy was bought.
• Floating Policy - This policy covers loss due to fire to property belonging to the same person but at different places.
• Valuable Policy - The sum insured is not decided at the time of buying the policy but instead, the claim amount is calculated at the time of loss.
• Consequential Loss Policy - This policy covers the loss in profit caused due to disruption of the business by damage due to fire.

Buying a fire insurance policy for your house or your goods is always a good decision, but you must buy a policy which covers the risk that you face and understand the nature of the asset that you want to insure and then buy an insurance policy accordingly.

Fire and related events can cause very big losses, and they have become one of the biggest causes of losses in recent times. The damage due to fire can include non-movable assets like homes and buildings as well as movable assets like goods. To ensure you are protected against any unforeseen damage of your property by fire or any fire-related event, you can buy fire insurance for your property from any of the fire insurance companies in India. Fire insurance involves many things and some things must be taken care of while buying fire insurance or renewing your insurance so that you need to pay a lesser premium as well as while filing claims so that you get the best deals.

Things covered under fire insurance: -

Fire, explosion and implosion Lightning Damage due to aircraft Strikes and riots Rockslides and landslides Impact damage Malicious damage Bush fire Smoke damage Storm, typhoon Sprinkler damage Earthquake

Things which fire insurance companies in India do not cover: -

Perils like war, civil war, invasion and similar events Rebellion or Martial law and similar events Underground fires and losses due to that Spontaneous Combustion Losses due to pollution or contamination Theft related losses occurring during or after the fire Consequential losses

What should be the policy amount of your fire insurance?

In most cases, the total sum for which you are buying the fire insurance should be equal to the total cost needed to rebuild or reinstate the property and the professional fees involved along with the charges for the removal of debris.

What is the difference between Replacement Value Policy and Reinstatement Value Policy for Fixed Assets?

In Replacement Value Policy, the insurance company pays the cost of replacing the complete asset that has been damaged or lost due to fire and related events whereas in case of a Reinstatement Value Policy; the insurance company pays the cost to replace the damaged property to its original condition it was in before the loss due to fire. While Replacement Value Policy can apply to other assets, the Reinstatement Value Policy is only applicable to buildings and no other assets.

When buying a fire insurance policy from fire insurance companies in India, you must consider the following things:

The type of risk that the policy covers and if the risk covered by the policy matches the risk you face for your property. The nature of the asset you want to insure because there are different types of policies available for fixed assets and many other different types of policies available for non-fixed assets. Understand the coverage duration of your policy and when to renew the policy.

What information you should get from the fire insurance company while buying the policy?

Premium Payable The insurance cancellation and refund policy Period of coverage Scope of policy coverage Non-standard exclusions Claims reporting procedures

What things are considered to calculate the premium?

The insurer uses many different kinds of data to come up with a final number which you need to pay as premium annually:

The type of policy The type of risk or risks covered The total sum insured The total value of the asset being insured How the asset being insured is used by the owner of the asset The expected risks that can damage the property being insured Whether the person has taken a policy extension or not

How to claim if your asset is damaged?

You need to immediately contact your insurer as soon as your insured property is damaged. The insurer may appoint an independent loss adjuster to take care of your claim, and you will be required to fill a form to start the claim process. The insurer will undertake proper investigation and will then accept the claim if everything is fine.