Summer brings grilling, pool days, and porch nights — but a few of the season's most common insurance claims come from things most homeowners never see coming. Here's what to watch for this month.
Radiant heat and flare-ups can ignite siding, eaves, or overhanging branches faster than you'd expect — and vinyl siding is especially vulnerable. Grilling on a wood or composite deck adds another risk: grease drips through the boards and pools underneath, out of sight, until it's not.
Rule of thumb: Keep grills at least 10 feet from the house, clear of anything overhead, and off the deck if you can.
Bagged mulch piled against the house — or sitting in a hot truck bed or driveway before it's spread — can heat up internally as it decomposes. In July's heat and humidity, it can smolder or ignite with no spark at all.
Rule of thumb: Keep mulch beds a few inches off siding, and don't let bags sit in direct sun for long before spreading.
Most homeowners policies require you to tell your carrier about a trampoline, pool, or diving board. Skip that step, and a guest injury could turn into a coverage dispute instead of a straightforward claim.
Rule of thumb: Adding a pool or trampoline this summer? Call your agent first — it's a five-minute conversation that can save a major headache later.
Lithium-ion batteries — in e-bikes, scooters, hoverboards, and cordless yard tools — have been behind a growing number of house fires. They burn hot and fast, often overnight while everyone's asleep.
Rule of thumb: Charge on a hard, open surface away from exits, and unplug once it's full instead of leaving it topped off all night.
If your car is broken into (or stolen) with a garage remote inside — and your registration in the glovebox — a thief now has a way into your house, not just your car.
Rule of thumb: Keep the remote with you, or use a keypad/smart-garage app instead of a clipped-on remote.
Have questions about your coverage for any of these? Reach out to your Camargo Insurance agent — we're happy to walk through your policy.