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Ledford Insurance Agency

1910 N Big Spring St
Midland, TX 79705

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Why Do I Need Homeowner’s Insurance in Texas if I Own It Outright?

Buying a home is a significant milestone in one’s life. Whether you purchase it outright or finance it over time with a mortgage, protecting your investment is crucial. One of the best ways to safeguard your home in Midland, TX—and your finances—is by maintaining a homeowner’s insurance policy. At Ledford Insurance Agency, our agents are here to discuss the benefits of having a policy and the risks associated with not having one.

About Homeowners’ Insurance

If you have a mortgage, your lender will require you to carry homeowner’s insurance. However, once your mortgage is paid off and you own your home free and clear, you may be tempted to drop your insurance to save money. While this might seem like an immediate financial benefit, the long-term consequences of not having insurance can be costly.

Why Homeowner’s Insurance is Beneficial

Although Texas does not require homeowners to maintain insurance once their mortgage is paid off, it is highly recommended. Homeowner’s insurance provides critical protection for your investment in the face of unforeseen events.

For example, if your home requires repairs due to a fire or severe weather damage, you would be responsible for covering the entire cost out of pocket without insurance.

Additionally, if someone is injured on your property and you are found liable, it could lead to a lawsuit. Homeowner’s insurance can cover medical bills and legal fees, helping to alleviate significant financial strain.

Most policies also include coverage for your personal belongings, offering further protection for your assets.

Contact Us

If your home in Midland, TX no longer requires insurance, contact Ledford Insurance Agency. Our agents can guide you through various scenarios where maintaining insurance is the more advantageous option. Let us help you make an informed decision about protecting your home.

Things You’ll Want to Know About Learner’s Permits and Insurance in Texas

Texas Learner’s Permits and What You Need to Know

If someone in your household has acquired a learner’s permit and plans to drive your vehicle, it’s important to understand Texas insurance requirements to ensure proper coverage. With assistance from our agents at Ledford Insurance Agency in Midland, TX, vehicle owners can find answers to their questions and secure the right protection.

Learner’s Permits and Insurance Coverage

Whether the driver with a learner’s permit is a teen or an adult in your household, you’ll want to ensure you have liability insurance coverage in case of an accident. In most cases, the vehicle owner can add the learner’s permit holder to their existing policy. However, it’s crucial to notify your insurance agent about the driver. If you fail to do so and the driver is involved in an accident, your insurance company may deny the claim.

If you’ve followed the proper procedures and informed your agent, your policy will likely cover any damages resulting from an accident. However, it’s always best to discuss the specifics with your agent to confirm coverage.

If the person with the learner’s permit does not reside in your home but has permission to drive your vehicle, they may need a separate insurance policy. Before allowing anyone with a learner’s permit to operate your vehicle, consult with one of our agents to ensure you meet all requirements and have adequate protection.

Contact Ledford Insurance Agency

Understanding insurance requirements for drivers with learner’s permits can be confusing. If you’re facing this situation in Midland, TX, our agents are here to help. Contact Ledford Insurance Agency today for guidance and support. We’ve got you covered.

What Is Cyber Insurance, and Does Your Business Need It?

As a business owner, you may find that several types of commercial insurance are necessary for your business. You might need multiple policies to cover different aspects of your business. However, one type of insurance you might not have considered is cyber insurance. This newer type of insurance can provide significant protection for businesses. If you’re interested in safeguarding your business with cyber insurance, contact us today at Ledford Insurance Agency in Midland, TX.

What Is Cyber Insurance?

Cyber insurance protects you against issues like data breaches. A data breach can be incredibly costly for a business to endure. Businesses of all sizes are increasingly being targeted for hacks. These hacks can steal data from your business and use it in a variety of ways. They could sell it to marketers or thieves, post it online, or even hold it ransom. If you’re hacked and data is stolen, that’s where cyber insurance comes in. It covers the aftermath of such incidents.

Protecting Your Texas Business

Some companies that have experienced a data breach have faced enormous costs afterward, and some businesses aren’t able to cover them all. This can be serious for a small business and has put some companies out of business entirely. With cyber insurance, the policy can cover all of those costs so that your business doesn’t suffer from having to pay them. This could be the difference between staying in business and having to close down.

Get Cyber Insurance in Midland

Your business needs protection, and this type of insurance can help against the increasingly challenging climate of constant business data breaches. To get cyber insurance for your company, contact us at Ledford Insurance Agency in Midland to learn more and start a policy.

Can Your Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Stationary Vehicles on Your Property?

For those who collect old cars to work on, or those who’ve decided to park an RV on their property — and who have no intention of driving any of those for a while — the idea of saving money by canceling vehicle insurance coverage may be tempting. If no one is driving them, the thinking goes, there’s no need for coverage on the road, just for property. Many people assume their home insurance will cover them if something happens. However, the Ledford Insurance Agency in Midland, TX, wants you to know that this is unlikely to be the case.

A Vehicle Is a Vehicle

It’s not unusual at all to park your RV on your property, nor is it unusual to have an old car that you’re fixing up. It’s also not unusual for these vehicles not to move for months. But their lack of movement does not make them non-vehicles, and the fact is that they are likely going to be operational, if they aren’t already.

If you decide not to insure them as vehicles, then you have no coverage if they sustain damage from, say, a storm or vandalism. Your homeowner’s insurance is likely not going to consider the RV to be stationary property, even if someone is living in it full-time and not moving it anywhere.

If you think the vehicle is a special case and believe you can prove that it’s a stationary property and nothing more, then you should discuss this with your insurance agent. Never assume your homeowner’s insurance will cover damage done to the vehicle when it’s parked on your property. If you have more questions, call the Ledford Insurance Agency in Midland, TX.

Can adult children remain on the family auto policy?

Becoming a driver is a rite of passage most teens look forward to. Families typically add their children to the family auto policy either because they are driving the family vehicle or because it is more cost-effective. In Midland, TX, our dedicated team of independent agents at Ledford Insurance Agency is here to help customers with all their auto insurance questions and needs.

College

The first time you need to consider whether your family auto policy might cover your adult children is when they go off to college. Many young adults will return home during breaks from school, and their permanent addresses will not change while they are away taking classes. Especially if one of the family cars is going away to school with them, and they remain on the auto insurance policy, they will be covered.

After college, if the student returns home to live, nothing has changed, and they are still covered.

Moving Back Home

With the increase in rental costs and the inability of people to afford a home, children moving back home has become much more common. It is not uncommon for children to move back home after a divorce or losing their job either. Not every insurance company is the same when it comes to adults, but it is worth giving them a call to check. Make sure you add them to the policy as a driver to ensure they are covered. If they are using your vehicle, resist the temptation not to add them to the policy. It is better to do it correctly.

Contact our team at Ledford Insurance Agency in Midland, TX, to get a quote on auto insurance or any other insurance needs you may have.

Do You Need Commercial Insurance for Your Michigan Business?

When it comes to commercial insurance for your business, state law in Texas doesn’t require you to have worker’s compensation and commercial auto liability insurance in place. In most states, if you have one or more employees who work at your business for more than 35 hours each week, you must have a worker’s compensation policy to cover them. Also, if your business owns or uses personal vehicles for business purposes, you must have at least a minimum amount of auto liability insurance on each one. The agents at the Ledford Insurance Agency LLC serving the Midland, TX area want you to know and understand that you can obtain other types of commercial insurance for your business.

What Does Commercial Insurance Cover?

When it comes to commercial insurance, you can choose from many different coverage options as a business owner.

Commercial Liability Insurance Coverage

Commercial liability insurance coverage is extremely important for you to have in place if someone is injured at your business. This could be a customer, a client, or some other type of visitor who falls or somehow becomes injured at your company. This policy will help pay for their medical bills and any lost wages they suffer. This type of insurance can also help you pay for an attorney if you’re ever accused of something like libel, copyright infringement, or slander.

Commercial Property Insurance

If a fire, natural disaster, or vandalism damages or destroys your business, you will definitely want commercial property insurance coverage. This will help you recover any lost inventory due to one of these types of situations or if a burglary occurs at your business.

Contact Ledford Insurance Agency LLC

The agents at the Ledford Insurance Agency LLC serving the Midland, TX area are ready to serve you with all of your commercial insurance needs. Call today to set up an appointment to get your policy started and protect the investment you have made in your business.

Tips to Protect Your Roof From Ice Dams

Winter can be harsh on your home, especially your roof. One of homeowners’ most common winter problems is dealing with ice dams. These icy formations can cause significant damage to your roof, gutters, and even the interior of your home. At Ledford Agency LLC in Midland, TX, we understand the importance of protecting your home. That’s why we’re here to share some practical tips to help you prevent ice dams before they become a costly problem.

Keep Your Roof Insulated

Maintaining a consistent temperature across your roof is the key to preventing ice dams. Ice dams form when warm air escapes from your home, melting the snow on the roof, which then refreezes near the edges. To avoid this, ensure your attic is well-insulated. Proper insulation helps keep warm air inside your home and prevents unnecessary heat from escaping to the roof.

Clear Your Gutters

Clogged gutters can be a disaster during winter. Leaves, dirt, and debris can prevent water from draining properly, causing ice to build up along the edges of your roof. Make sure to clean your gutters before the first snowfall and check them regularly throughout the season to ensure they remain clear.

Use a Roof Rake for Heavy Snow

If snow accumulates on your roof, it’s essential to remove it safely. A roof rake is a great tool to pull excess snow down without risking damage to your shingles. Clearing snow reduces the weight on your roof and minimizes the chance of ice forming at the edges.

Protecting your home from ice dams is just another step towards safeguarding your investment. If you’re looking for reliable home insurance, contact Ledford Agency LLC in Midland, TX, today.

Upgrades To Your Automotive Policy – What to Consider

If you are getting ready to purchase a new vehicle or use your current vehicle for a new purpose, you will need to upgrade your automotive policy. Learn how simple changes will protect you while your vehicle is actively operated or parked.

Insurance for a New Vehicle

Your new vehicle may be considerably more valuable than your current vehicle. It may also come equipped with safety features that you do not currently have access to. To acquire full ownership, you may be required to make monthly payments.

These changes will affect the type of automotive coverage you need. An online comparison tool will help you decide which type of automotive coverage your vehicle is best equipped for. You can choose from liability, collision, underinsured, and specialty insurance products.

Insurance for Specialized Use

You may decide that you are going to use your vehicle for towing purposes or another specialized reason. If your vehicle is going to be used differently than you are accustomed to, you may need more automotive insurance coverage.

The insurance you acquire can protect a trailer, hitch, lights, or other materials you will use when driving your vehicle.

Insurance for Different Driving Patterns

If you follow a different driving pattern, you may need more or less automotive coverage. It is a good idea to keep track of your proposed driving pattern and how often you will be driving your vehicle.

Secure Your Automotive Insurance with Ledford Agency LLC

Contact one of our agents at Ledford Agency LLC. An agent will discuss all the insurance options you have. You will be provided with insurance guidance based on the type of vehicle you own and how you plan to use it.

Do Midland TX Business Owners Need Commercial Flood Insurance?

Texas law doesn’t require business owners to purchase commercial flood insurance in Midland, TX. However, this type of insurance shouldn’t be automatically dismissed as an unnecessary expense. While Midland County doesn’t have widespread flooding problems, some areas of Midland are at a higher risk of flooding than others. If your business is based in a part of town that is prone to flooding, a commercial flood insurance policy will protect you from total loss if a flood occurs. Furthermore, if you lease a commercial building, your landlord may require that you purchase flood insurance. Entrepreneurs who run a home-based business will likewise want to purchase commercial flood insurance to protect valuable business assets stored in the house, as home insurance doesn’t cover items or activities related to commercial ventures.

What Does Commercial Flood Insurance Cover?

Commercial flood insurance covers water damage to your building, its plumbing, and electric fixtures such as an HVAC unit. It also covers damage to and loss of business machinery, inventory, equipment, and furniture. Moreover, it can provide compensation to cover the cost of cleaning up after a flood and taking measures to prevent future floods. However, to qualify for coverage, the flood must be caused by an act of nature. Flood insurance policies don’t cover burst pipes or floods caused by plumbing problems.

Contact Ledford Agency LLC to Find Out More about Policy Options

At Ledford Agency LLC, we specialize in helping Midland, TX business owners find great commercial insurance policies at a great price. We sell commercial flood insurance as a stand-alone policy but can also help you bundle this type of insurance coverage with other policies if need be. Contact us today for more information or to get a policy quote.

Why You Should Buy a Sewer Line Addendum

One of the most common insurance areas to be overlooked by homeowners is the sewer line. With homeownership, most owners are concerned with the home itself, which makes sense. However, other aspects of homeownership are less visible and buried deep beneath the surface. We’re talking about the sewer line, which can cause future trouble. That’s why you should buy a sewer line addendum through your insurance representative at Ledford Agency LLC, serving Midland, TX.

What is a Sewer Line?

The sewer line is the pipe that carries wastewater from your home to the municipal sewer system or a septic tank. It serves as the main exit route for all the waste from your plumbing fixtures, including toilets, sinks, showers, and appliances like dishwashers and washing machines. For most homeowners, the municipal sewer system starts at the property line on the street. From there to the actual house is the sewer line. Many homeowners don’t realize it, but the sewer line is the homeowner’s responsibility.

Where is it, Exactly?

The sewer line is buried several feet below the ground and exits the home through the foundation, sloping downwards to ensure gravity helps the wastewater flow away from the house. The exact location and depth of the sewer line vary based on the layout of the home, the type of foundation, local building codes, and the geography of the area.

Adding a Sewer Line Addendum

Adding a sewer line addendum to your home insurance policy is simple and affordable, especially compared to repairing or replacing this line. Talk to your insurance representative at Ledford Agency LLC, serving Midland, TX, to learn more.

We are here for all your home insurance needs, from the sewer line addendum to everything else. Contact us today to discuss your home insurance policy!