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That depends. Liability protection that you carry for personal injury and property damage will provide some protection while you are driving the rental car. Damage to the rental car would be covered under Collision and Comprehensive Coverage, if your policy has it. The rental car company may also try to recover damages for lost income while the rental car is out of service. Your auto policy may or may not protect you against this claim; the best way to know is to look at your policy or ask us to review it for you. Credit card companies often provide protection against these kinds of rental car claims so you should check there to see what the provisions and restrictions might be. Finally, you can purchase a Collision Damage Waiver - CDW - from the rental car company. This isn't actually insurance but a release from financial liability you might otherwise be charged with as a result of damaging the rental car. The CDW is expensive at $8 to $12 a day. This would amount to over $4,000 a year for very limited coverage. Still, if you do not have protection via your auto policy or credit card, paying the CDW over a few days may be preferable than being personally accountable for $15,000 or $20,000 or more to replace the rental car.
You can file a claim several ways. The best way is to contact the insurance company directly. For contact information by carrier, click here. You can also complete the File a Claim form on our website or call us.
Your policy will normally adjust for differences in other state requirements if you have the required minimum coverage for your state. Personal automobile policy protection is only applicable in the United States, US territories and possessions and the provinces of Canada.
That depends. A business auto policy by itself won't extend protection to rented autos unless you have amended it. You can get protection for situations where you rent autos if you add Hired Auto Liability and Physical Damage coverage.
The claim process has a few variations but these are the essential steps once the claim has been submitted to the insurance company:
It is the responsibility of the insurance company to settle and pay your claim and the responsibility of our agency to make sure that is done as quickly and fairly as possible with a minimum of uncertainty and bother for you. We monitor claim progress closely and communicate with you throughout to make sure you are satisfied.
If you own, lease (long term) or finance your vehicle then you will file a claim with your insurance company. You will have to pay any deductible amount. Payment for your loss will include payment to the finance or leasing company, if any. If you cause damage to other vehicles or property, your insurance company will handle that with little or no involvement on your part, in most cases.
In most cases the other driver's insurance policy would respond and reimburse you for damages to your vehicle, property or injuries. In some cases, as when you or your passengers are injured and the other driver has inadequate or no insurance, coverage from your own policy may apply (Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage).
Generally the answer is no. One claim is not a cause for concern on the part of insurance companies. But a pattern of claims may result in a premium increase or cancellation. So if you have a claim that is the third in three years, for example, that will be viewed differently than having one claim only. Individual claims that are suggestive of gross negligence can also result in significant premium increase or cancellation. An example might be an auto accident accompanied by a reckless driving or driving under the influence conviction.
Your automobile policy protection is extended to anyone you grant permission to drive your car. You do not need to explicitly provide permission, the other person only needs to have a reasonable belief that they are driving with permission.
Many natural disasters, such as hurricanes or tornadoes, are covered in a homeowner policy. Others, like earthquake and flood are not. Let us know if you have any concerns about your protection from loss due to natural or even man made disasters; we'll be happy to review your insurance program and let you know what, if any, changes you might want to consider.
The association master policy is for coverage to the structure, which you don't need. However, to get protection for your own possessions and for legal liability related to your own unit, you need your own policy. Many condominium associations will assess unit owners for master policy deductibles. That's another reason why it is important to have your own policy and why it is important that the coverage in your policy match up well with the association master policy.
A standard homeowner policy provides coverage equal to 10% of the limit for Coverage C of a homeowner policy or $1,000, whichever is greater. This coverage is useful for protecting you while traveling and for other temporary situations. If you have property in excess of these amounts away from home or property that is kept away from your residence premises for extended periods, you should consider additional protection.
The 10% limitation for household property, is for property at an Insureds Residence Premise......There is no limitation for property carried on vacation or stored in a storage unit. (except whatever the contents limit is on the property)
Homeowner policies specifically exclude reimbursement for damage caused by flood. Your home may be a significant distance from a major body of water but still be exposed to flood risk if your home was built in a flood plain. The National Flood Insurance Program has a flood risk indicator on their website. All you have to do is enter your property address and you will get an indication of the degree of flood risk you face. Our agency can get flood coverage for you. For an indication of the cost, the National Flood Insurance Site also has a 'quick quote' table of premiums to give you an idea.
Renters policies provide several benefits. A renters policy will provide compensation for many types of loss to your personal property. Renters policies also include liability protection. This can be especially important because a fire, caused by your negligence, could damage a large number of other rental units and the property contained in them. Liability coverage will normally cover your legal obligations to compensate other parties in cases like this as well as for other instances where you are legally liable for damage of loss.
Typical policies provide coverage for you and relatives that live with you. So, if your roommate is not a relative you will not be protected under his or her policy. Renters policies are very affordable, starting at not much more than $150 a year and they provide liability protection as well as coverage for your personal possessions.
That depends on the kind of business you engage in. All businesses need basic liability to protect them against acts of owners or employees for which the business might be considered legally liable. Professional service providers often need special liability protection. Examples might be professional liability protection for lawyers, doctors, architects or software designers. Another example are businesses that manufacture or distribute a product; they typically need product liability protection. It's always a good idea to review the kinds of liability exposures your business might have when updating or initiating an insurance program.
Businesses that own autos or use non-owned autos in the conduct of their business will probably need a business auto policy.
All businesses have property which can be divided up into several categories: office or other equipment, inventory, real property, etc. and it is a good idea to think about your ability to replace any damaged or lost property in these categories. If the possible amount of loss exceeds your comfort level then insurance might be a good alternative.
You also need to think about how long you could afford to be out of business. Insurance, known as business interruption insurance, can pay suppliers, salaries and other costs you might incur even if your business income were to be interrupted by a covered cause of loss.
If you have a homeowner policy your boat might be covered but there are limitations. Automobile policies do not extend coverage to boats. Boat coverage can sometimes be increased by modifying a homeowner policy but a separate boat policy may be needed.
Of the many factors that determine the full risk rate of a structure, the single most important is the elevation of the structure in relation to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). A community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) indicates the area of the community that has a 1% or greater annual chance of flooding. That area is called the Special Flood Hazard Area, or high-risk zone. Put another way, the BFE is the elevation where there is a 1% or greater annual chance of flooding. For a property in the high-risk zone, you need to know the elevation of the structure in relation to the BFE. Generally, the higher the elevation above the BFE, the lower the flood risk. The information is shown on an Elevation Certificate, which is a form completed and signed by a licensed engineer or surveyor. So to determine the premium for a property in a high-risk zone, you first need an elevation certificate. Then, an insurance agent can calculate the premium based on the amount of coverage desired.
Rate changes will have the greatest effect on properties located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) that were constructed before a community adopted its first Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and have not been elevated. For many communities the initial FIRM would have been adopted in the 1970's and 1980's. Your local insurance agent will be able to provide you the initial FIRM date for your community.
Many of these pre-FIRM properties have been receiving subsidized rates. Subsidies are already being phased out for non-primary residences. Starting this fall, subsidies will be phased out for businesses; properties of one to four residences that have experienced severe repetitive loss; and properties that have incurred flood-related damages where claims payments exceed the fair market value of the property. Premiums for these properties will increase by 25% per year until they reach the full risk rate.
Subsidies are not being phased out for existing policies covering primary residences. However, the subsidy provided to primary residences could still be lost under conditions that apply to all subsidized policies. Subsidies will be immediately phased out for all new and lapsed policies and upon sale of the property. There may also be premium changes for policyholders after their community is remapped. But that provision of the Act is still under review and will be implemented in the future.
FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) HMA programs provide funds for projects that reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards. These programs enable mitigation measures to be implemented before, during, and after disaster recovery. Local jurisdictions develop projects that reduce property damage from future disasters and submit
grant applications to the State. The States submit applications to FEMA based on State criteria and available funding. The HMA programs include:
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) - The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides grants to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of HMGP is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during recovery from a disaster.
• Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) - The Flood Mitigation Assistance program provides funds on an annual basis so that measures can be taken to reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to buildings insured under the NFIP.
• Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM) - The Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program provides nationally competitive grants for hazard mitigation plans and projects before a disaster event. States can receive PDM funds regardless of whether or not there has been a disaster declared in that state.
FEMA encourages property and business owners interested in implementing mitigation activities to contact their local community planning, emergency management, or State Hazard Mitigation Officer for more information. Individuals and businesses may not apply directly to the State or FEMA, but eligible local governments may apply on behalf of a private entity. Your community will be working with the State to develop applications for HMA funding and implement the approved mitigation projects. Information about the HMA programs can be found at http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.
Many of the proposed changes are designed to increase the fiscal soundness of the NFIP. For example, beginning this year there will be changes addressing rate subsidies and a new Reserve Fund charge will start being assessed. There are also provisions to adjust premium rates to more accurately reflect flood risk.
Other provisions of the law address coverage modifications and claims handling. Studies will be
Simply put, it means that the premium reflects both the risk assumed by the program (that is, the expected average claims payment) and all administrative expenses. In the case of
flood insurance, this means the premium takes into account the full range of possible flood losses, including the rare but catastrophic floods as well.
Starting this fall, for all currently subsidized policies, there will be an immediate increase to the full risk rates for all new and lapsed policies and upon the sale/purchase of a property. Full risk rates will be charged to the next owner of the policy.
The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) is a law passed by Congress and signed by the President in 2012 that extends the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years, while requiring significant program reform. The law requires changes to all major components of the program, including flood insurance, flood hazard mapping, grants, and the management of floodplains. Many of the changes are designed to make the NFIP more financially stable, and ensure that flood insurance rates more accurately reflect the real risk of flooding. The changes will be phased in over time, beginning this year.
More than 80 percent of policyholders (representing approximately 4.48 million of the 5.6 million policies in force) do not pay subsidized rates. About 20 percent of all NFIP policies pay subsidized rates. However, only 5 percent of policyholders - those subsidized policies covering non-primary residences, businesses, and severe repetitive loss properties - will see immediate increases to their premiums.
Currently, the NFIP Grandfather procedure provides eligible property owners the option of using risk data from previous Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) if a policyholder maintained continuous coverage through a period of a FIRM revision or if a building was constructed "in compliance" with the requirements for the zone and BFE reflected on a previous FIRM. A provision of BW-12, however, requires FEMA to use revised flood risk data (zone and BFE) after a map revision. The legislation provides a 5-year mechanism to phase-in the new rates. This provision impacts the NFIP Grandfather procedure and will be implemented in the latter half of 2014. Many of the precise details of this implementation are still under development.
Flooding has been, and continues to be, a serious risk in the United States—so serious that most insurance companies have specifically excluded flood damage from homeowners insurance. To address the need, in 1968 the U.S. Congress established the NFIP as a Federal program. It enabled property owners in participating communities to purchase flood insurance if the community adopted floodplain management ordinances and minimum standards for new construction. However, owners of existing homes and businesses did not have to rebuild to the higher standards, and many received subsidized rates that did not reflect their true risk.
Over the years, the costs and consequences of flooding have continued to increase. For the NFIP to remain sustainable, its premium structure must reflect the true risks and costs of flooding. This is a primary driver for many of the changes required under the law.
More than 80 percent of policyholders (representing approximately 4.48 million of the 5.6 million policies in force) do not pay subsidized rates.
About 20 percent of all NFIP policies pay subsidized rates. Only a portion of those policies that are currently paying subsidized premiums will see larger premium increases of 25% annually starting this year, until their premiums are full-risk premiums. Five percent of policyholders - those with subsidized policies for non-primary residences, businesses, and severe repetitive
loss properties - will see the 25% annual increases immediately. . Subsidies will no longer be offered for policies covering newly purchased properties, lapsed policies, or new policies covering properties for the first time.
The 80% of all NFIP policies that already pay full-risk premiums will not see these large premium increases. Most policyholders will see a new charge on their premiums to cover the Reserve Fund assessment that is mandated by BW-12. Initially, there will be a 5% assessment to all policies except Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs). The Reserve Fund will increase over time and will also be assessed on PRPs at some undetermined future date.
Additional changes to premium rates will occur upon remapping, the provision calling for these premium rate changes will not be implemented until the latter half of 2014.
You should review all of your insurance needs at least once a year. If you have a major life change, you should contact your insurance agent or company representative. The change in your life may have a significant impact on your insurance needs. Life changes may include:
Source: Insurance Information Institute www.iii.org