Tweet

Home Security For Better Home Insurance Rates - Legal Issues

Guest post by: John Clark

Article Overview: When you design and implement a home security plan, it's wise to investigate some legal issues that necessarily arise. Laws concerning privacy, gun ownership, security company responses and other issues can become a problem if certain points are not considered up front. The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states (in part): 'The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated...'

Home Security For Better Home Insurance Rates - Legal Issues

When you design and implement a home security plan, it's wise to investigate some legal issues that necessarily arise. Laws concerning privacy, gun ownership, security company responses and other issues can become a problem if certain points are not considered up front. The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states (in part):

'The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated...'

Clearly that's not a principle that criminals who break into your home are respecting. But even before things get to that stage, it's important for YOU to respect it. You may inadvertently violate it if you're not careful. When placing surveillance cameras inside or outside the home, for example, it's possible to accidentally go too far.

The amendment was intended to protect citizens against government intrusion into privacy. But it has often been more widely interpreted over the years to grant a general right to privacy for anyone against anyone else. You can't, for example, spy on your neighbor.

If you place a video camera outside that has too wide a sweep, and it happens to peer into your neighbor's home window by mistake, you need to adjust it. Even inside the home can raise an issue. If you have a camera and audio monitoring system to watch the baby, no one will think anything of it. That's just being a responsible parent. But place a similar system in a teen's room without their consent and you're moving into a legally gray area, especially if you share custody with a divorced spouse.

Gun ownership and use is another complex area of the law. Even though the Second Amendment recognizes the right of gun ownership, it has been subjected to numerous laws defining or restricting it. Most states and municipalities have laws that either outright disallow ownership or at least modify how that right can be exercised. In many cases, those laws are not fully consistent with one another.

As such, it's wise for someone who is considering buying a firearm for home or personal protection to investigate the local and state regulations on the subject. Some may resent the need to do so, but forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes. Find out what the law says about the need for registration. Almost all areas require at least this, owing to Federal rules.

Go a step beyond that and investigate what local and state ordinances require or allow in the event you have to discharge the weapon. Even if you don't actually shoot someone, simply pointing it at someone in the home can raise a legal challenge if the intruder goes to court.

Everyone can agree that the patchwork of sometimes contradictory laws on the subject isn't helpful. Nevertheless, it's in your best interest to find out what the law is in your area and how it's likely to be enforced or interpreted.

Do some research on any home security company you hire to monitor your system and respond to an alarm. Find out what licensing they are required to have versus what they do have. Ask about the real-life experience of the guards, how they would respond to certain realistic and somewhat likely scenarios and more. Don't assume that the responsibility for following the law rests solely with the company you hire.

You can't resolve all the inconsistencies in the regulations. But you can protect yourself by understanding what the law in your area says.

Related Articles
  How are Car Insurance Premiums Increased?
  The SUV Owner’s Guide to Lower Auto Insurance Premiums
  Working at Home in Canada - Are the Rules that Different?
  It's the Little Things that Create BIG Savings
  How to Get the Best Rates on SR22 Car Insurance
  How To Purchase Cheaper Auto Insurance Coverage
  Comparing Home Coverage
  Do I Need Insurance for My Home Based Business
  A Glance at Payroll - Strong Business Credit
  Is Secured Car Finance Cheaper
  Car Insurance Rates: Tips To Lower Them Now!
  Florida Homeowners Insurance Provider
  Boat Loans Terms Australia
  What Is Unoccupied House Insurance?
  Home-based Business: Insurance Broker
  Homeowners insurance - Don't forget about it
  Not Reviewing Your Insurance Can Be Costly
  Home Insurance
  UK Business Finance - Do I Need To Insure My Equipment?
  Employee Insurance Packages for the Self Employed

Article Tags: audio monitoring, company responses, constitution states, fourth amendment, government intrusion, gray area, gun ownership, home security, monitoring system, responsible parent, right to privacy, searches and seizures, second amendment, security company, security plan, share custody, surveillance cameras, u s constitution, unreasonable searches and seizures, video camera
Referred by: http://www.franchisefix.com/



Related Forum Posts
Re: Insurance for Home Based Business? - hi there I'm a newbie here.I can get good information regarding the Insurance for Home based business and more. It's really safe to have Insurance for a home based business. Thanks a lot for discussing some important issues here and i feel really happy to be a part of this.
Should FDIC Worry about FHLB? - What do you think the impact would be on the Bank Insurance Fund with Federal Home Loan Advances for business? Especially since you can obtain a grant when used in combination with FHLB advance. The grant can be used for anything you want for your business (down payment to a seller or franchise fees, working capital...etc.) This puts the borrower in a pretty good position. Should FDIC worry about FHLB?
Re: Trade Shows - Are They Worth It? - HI, I have used trade shows (not participated) to collect potential clients. For example, the Home & Garden Industry is extremely behind the time in regards to their websites. I attended an Home & Garden Expo in Denver and collected all the companies contact information. I plan on cold calling & mailing information to each business. It also gave me time to research the industry more, talk directly to the owners in many cases, and learn more about what they need. Jeff
Re: Should FDIC Worry about FHLB? - [quote="BizLoanz4u":3cde91n6]What do you think the impact would be on the Bank Insurance Fund with Federal Home Loan Advances for business? Especially since you can obtain a grant when used in combination with FHLB advance. The grant can be used for anything you want for your business (down payment to a seller or franchise fees, working capital...etc.) This puts the borrower in a pretty good position. Should FDIC worry about FHLB?[/quote:3cde91n6] Hi Michele, Could you first tell us a little more detail about both organizations?
New Small Business Topic - Hello everyone, I'm on the lookout for new topics to add to my site. We just launched a Franchising section and are planning Human Resources section. Do you have any thoughts for a new section? Here's a list of what we currently have: Angel Investors Branding Bank Loans Business Coaching Business Plan Franchises (New) Insurance Legal Marketing Public Relations Sales Small Biz Loans Venture Capital


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Paint A Word Picture - Excite Your Customer

3 Key Factors For Raising Capital

Do You Pretend To Listen To People?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.