11.09.2011
LOCK in your AUTO RATES with Erie
Are you feeling frustrated with increasing prices on everything from gas to peanut butter? What if every year your Auto insurance bill remained the same? Erie is now offering customers the opportunity to Lock in the premium on their auto policy. Call us today to see how Erie's Rate Lock will work for you!
For more information see the article from insure.com "Erie Insurance make astounding promise: No rate increase".
01.19.2011
New PA Law Targets Construction Industry
We are here to: Keep You Informed and
Help You Avoid Problems
Please don’t kill the messenger!
A new State Law targets the Construction Industry. The Law takes effect on
February 11, 2011. It is known as the PA Construction Workplace Misclassification Act.
The basic premise of this Law is to turn things around on you. It treats ALL Independent Contractors as Employees until proven otherwise. (Guilty until proven innocent!)
A major new requirement is that you must have a written contract with your Independent Contractors. We have always advised our Contractors to use an “Independent Contractor Statement”. We are hoping that agreement will satisfy the new legal requirement. We have contacted the York County Builders Association and asked them to follow up with the legal counsel of the PA Builders Association to develop a sample contract.
The other major requirements of the Law pretty much follow the “IRS Test” of “Employee vs. Independent Contractor”.
1. You must not control the sub. Have the Subcontractor bid the work. Do not tell them how
to do the work!
2. They must have their own business and location set up.
3. They cannot use your vehicles, tools, or physical set up.
4. They must buy their own Contractors Insurance and comply with the PA State Licensing
requirements
The specifics on the administration of this law from the Department of Labor and Industry, Unemployment Compensation Bureau and the Insurance Industry are still unknown. We do know that we do not want our customers to be fined or receive huge additional premiums on Insurance Audits for non-compliance.
We will keep you updated as more details come to light.
Kent
Don't be Hammered by Hail
You may not immediately think of hail as a danger to your car or home, but larger hailstones can shred roof coverings, scar automotive finishes and lead to water damage.
Research from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) indicates that more than 75 percent of U.S. cities will experience at least one hailstorm each year.
Fortunately, impact-resistant roof covers can help reduce losses and associated property ownership costs.
When the storm hits
If a hailstorm is expected in your area, move inside immediately and stay there.
- Park vehicles in a garage or under a carport.
- Keep away from skylights, doors, and windows in case hail shatters the glass.
- Close your drapes, blinds, or windows shades to prevent wind from blowing broken glass inside
If you’re in a car, pull off the road preferably under a bridge or highway overpass and wait for the storm to pass.
Check your coverage
You should also review your homeowners insurance policy periodically with our agency to make sure you have sufficient coverage. If you do suffer property damage, report it immediately to our agency or Erie Insurance and make temporary repairs to prevent further damage. CallKnow your roof materials
When building or re-roofing, especially in hail-prone regions, IBHS recommends roofing products that have a Class 3 or 4 rating under the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 2218 standard. The UL 2218 standard rates a roof covering’s resistance to impact.
The UL test involves dropping steel balls of varying sizes from heights designed to simulate the force of free-falling hailstones. The four impact-level designations help you compare products: roof coverings that show the most resistance earn a Class 4 rating; and ones that have the least earn a Class 1 rating.
Keep in mind that while the UL 2218 standard is the best method to test impact resistance, it isn’t perfect and works better for some coverings than for others.
You can be proactive by consulting with your builder, roofing installer or insurance agent about which materials to use and what additional steps you can take to help your roof covering stand up better against hail and high wind. To cover all bases, you may also want to check your roofing materials for wind-resistant features and a fire-resistance rating.
This information is provided as a public service by Erie Insurance Group and your local ERIE Agent. The information is intended to help minimize risks, but cannot be relied upon to eliminate all hazardous exposures. 6/06 © 2006 Erie Indemnity Company
