Insuring Your Investment Property in the Philadelphia Area

If you own investment propertiesin the Philadelphia area, you are already aware of risks such as fire damage, water damage, and personal liability. You know that insurance in Delaware County, PA is a must. However, there is a risk that is almost always overlooked, but is becoming more prevalent in today’s insurance: tenant discrimination.

 

New guidelines from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) give tenants the ability to file discrimination lawsuits online. Because of this, Pennsylvania courts are being inundated with cases of tenant discrimination, some with merit, and some with no merit. Either way, the owner of the property will end up with a large legal bill defending the case.

The Fair Housing Act seeks to prevent discrimination based on race, color, national origin etc. While you shouldn’t be screening tenants based on these factors, running criminal background checks on potential tenants can also leave you in hot water under these guidelines. The reason for this is the disproportionate incarceration rate among minorities, especially African-Americans and Hispanics.

Blanket bans on anyone with a criminal record is specifically what HUD is trying to prevent. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t use criminal history on your tenant-screening process. You can still use it to show that there is a justifiable concern for the welfare of neighbors, tenants, or your property.

 

Here are some recommendations to avoid or mitigate a discrimination lawsuit:

  • Remove any wording from your lease or application indicating that a criminal record is an automatic declination
  • Evaluate the conviction to justify your concern over renting to a potential tenant. Include factors like: How old is the offense? How old was the applicant when the offense was committed? Were there multiple offenses? How severe is the crime? Was this person arrested, or were they actually convicted of the crime?
  • Keep records of your denials to assist you in defending your decision if the issue should arise.

 

If you do end up in court for discrimination, it is very likely that your property insurance policy does not provide coverage to you or your business. However, a 3rdParty EPLI policy can provide the coverage you need in the event of a discrimination lawsuit. The cost of an EPLI policy is minimal and will vary depending on how many units you own. Even if the lawsuit ultimately proves to be without merit, your policy will pick up the tab for legal fees and provide defense from an attorney who understands these types of claims.

We understand how people can feel overwhelmed when thinking about getting insurance in Delaware County, PA, andwe’re help to help.Call Risk Averse Insurance in Media, PA to discuss the coverage that is right for you and your investment properties in Delaware County, PA or another county in the Philadelphia area.

 

Risk Averse Insurance specializes in providing high-quality insurance products at an affordable price. Contact us today to learn more.

 

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I’m a small business owner that finally listened to Don after so long. Super happy with Don and the entire process. Super fast turnaround, better rates, better coverage and he actually explains to me so I understand what’s going on.
Eddie Friesenbet
Eddie Friesenbet
I am a small business owner in a specialized field ,They handle all of my insurance needs. Easy to talk to. They Explain everything thoroughly, always available to answer questions ! With the help of Don and Angela they make sure I get the most coverage for my buck ! I could not be happier with this company!
Gabrielle Hunter
Gabrielle Hunter
I am a small business owner and have been a customer of Risk Averse for seven years. I cannot recommend themmore highly! The entire team is responsive and thorough. My agent, Don, has proactively reached out on a few occasions to recommend new policies that have the same comprehensive coverage for my business, but with a significant cost savings. They always have an eye on making sure my business has the coverage we need, at a competitive price. We are lucky to have them in our corner!
Heather DiGiacomo
Heather DiGiacomo
Don and Megan were extremely helpful and a pleasant to work with. Highly recommend. They went above and beyond to get me insured quickly and at a really good rate.
Jojo Anaya
Jojo Anaya
Friendly, helpful and great prices.
Susan Young
Susan Young
Our construction company recently switched over to Risk Averse Insurance. We moved all of our policies over to this company. Our agent, Don Blizzard, was amazing! He was upfront and explained everything to us so we understood what we were getting. He made the process very easy and the turn around was very fast! There were no issues! Not only did we get great deals, we got better coverage than we ever had. I would definitely recommend this company! They are the best!
Kelly Robb
Kelly Robb
I recently switched to this company this year for all my business insurances and couldn’t be happier. The service my agent Don Blizzard provides is amazing. I started recommending to all my colleagues and family. Definitely worth reaching out for quotes if you’re a business contractor. Thanks again team
Louis Litwin
Louis Litwin
Just had to file a big claim for a stolen vehicle full of all my professional equipment----the policy they wrote allowed me to get real value back for my stolen equipment so I can come back even stronger!! Big thanks to my agent Don Blizzard for doing such a great job!
Ed Sheridan
Ed Sheridan
Don Blizzard is my agent with Risk Averse and he is absolutely the best. He is quick to respond with any questions or concerns I may have, gets me my certs way faster than expected, and is great at explaining things in a way that a layman can understand. I highly recommend Don and Risk Averse Insurance.
Sean Carter
Sean Carter
Don is a great insurance guy he dose my personal and business insurance every time I call he answers and takes time to answer all my questions and guides me in the right steps
Blaine Kunselman
Blaine Kunselman
I have been using them for over 5 years now and I'm very happy with the service; they always do the best to get me the best and current up-to-date deals and excellent to deal with. I recommend.
Chauncey Brown Jr.
Chauncey Brown Jr.
Ive worked with Don for the last few year's. When I started my buisness I knew I needed help and didn't know where to start.I knew I needed an absolute beast of an agent and every other owner/ operator I talked too said if "You don't have Don Blizzard as an agent then you dont have the best agent. "He took a chance and helped me grow my buisness to where its at today. Riskaverse is the absolute best and since starting my buisness all my insurance is through them with help from Don Blizzard. He has a way to explain it to me where I understand my coverage and exposure and the commercial side including Meghan are the absolute best at getting COI'S sent to potential clients within minutes of requesting the copy.Hands down I only go where Don goes and I know whatever policies are written and where my coverage goes my loyalty will always lay with Don.He took a chance and grew with me and I'm forever grateful to all the staff at RiskAverse for being family and buisness friendly and not looking at me as a number or a client but actually caring and finding us the best for which suits our needs.#TeamDonBlizzard #TeamRiskAverse#TeamMegan
James LeBoon
James LeBoon
I work with Don. He has helped lots of my family and friends for their business and personal insurance. He is super responsive, honest, and hardworking to make sure you are fully taken care of in every aspect of your policy. He cares a great deal about each unique situation. I am fully confident anytime I refer Don.
Molly Eckman
Molly Eckman
Anytime I’ve needed assistance, the staff has always been accommodating. I have, and will continue to refer people here.
Allison Parasink
Allison Parasink
The best I've ever used. Don and the team make u feel protected and being able to lay your head on your pillow at night knowing you are protected is worth more than gold.
Dolans Bar
Dolans Bar
Don and his team have been great to work with and always very accessible which is important when dealing with the stress of getting your insurance set up and doing it right. Highly recommend!
Ryan Callahan
Ryan Callahan
I had the best experience. Don helped me with both auto and homeowners insurance in getting us the best price with great service. Highly recommend!
Gloria McAllister
Gloria McAllister
Fred Burns is the absolute best! Highly recommend!
joanne kelly
joanne kelly
Highly recommend!
Jennifer McGonagle
Jennifer McGonagle
My company, APCS Belts, has been a Risk Averse Insurance client for over 7 years now. As a business owner, business insurance is a huge priority. It is imperative that you have the right coverage at a cost that fits your budget. Risk Averse has always assisted us in finding exactly what coverage we need, as well as helped us change coverage when necessary as we have grown as a company. From Workers Compensation to Property & Liability to Commercial Vehicle Insurance, they have helped us navigate through all of that and with the most responsive, knowledgeable, and professional customer service. We have our own dedicated customer service rep who is amazing - always available and able to help us with our many requests and is always on top of our renewals. You cannot ask for a better insurance agency. I would never go anywhere else and would recommend all of my colleagues to use Risk Averse Insurance!
Christine Sarnasky
Christine Sarnasky
Great experience! Highly recommend.
Meg Malick
Meg Malick
Erik W. at Risk Averse has been absolutely amazing to work with. He was extremely transparent and responsive when we needed homeowner’s insurance, making that portion of the mortgage process smooth. He also matched us with a highly ideal insurance provider who is easy to work with as well. It was easy to add on our cars to consolidate things and we also compared some pet insurance options with Erik’s help. He is only a text or call away when we need his help, and he always goes the extra mile! Thanks to Erik and Risk Averse for making insurance - a traditionally confusing and frustrating subject - easy to manage :)
Katya Ivanovski
Katya Ivanovski
Staff always seem eager to help. They are very knowledgeable.
brianna patricia
brianna patricia
Amazing. I will continue to recommend them to everyone
Joey Cav
Joey Cav
I have my homeowners insurance and car I lnsurance with you guys and you guys are always helpful whenever I need you guys
Regine Mazile
Regine Mazile
Everyone at Risk Averse has been so helpful, knowledgeable and kind.
Madeleine Carr
Madeleine Carr
Great Company and customer service
Little johnnys
Little johnnys
Donald F. Blizzard has always provided great customer service and support! His integrity is top notch and I recommend him to all of my family and friends.
JT Gillen
JT Gillen
Risk Averse has saved us so much time and money, always finding us the best plan and rates!
Lauren Blickos
Lauren Blickos
Don gave me sound advice on insurance options.
matt catona
matt catona
Specifically wanted to shout out Jaclyn for her assistance with my vehicle policies. She was outstanding and communicated very well. Any issues or questions that I have, she handles very quickly and efficiently.
antnymit70
antnymit70
Don’s expertise in condo policies made a big difference for me. Highly recommended
Sean Cho
Sean Cho
Don is for the people, and he'll do whatever he can to take care of you. If you're in search for a new Insurance agent then look no further.
Ant
Ant
I've been working with Don for over 10 yrs. Just recently had a claim that my policy covered very well. He is very responsive, always available when i need and proactively contacts me to move my coverage when it makes sense. I'm extremely happy and satisfied with Don and Risk Averse Insurance
Dante DeSans
Dante DeSans
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