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What is a Personal Umbrella Policy?

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​Umbrella insurance is extra personal liability insurance that kicks in when the limits of your homeowners, auto, and or other underlying insurance policies have been exhausted due to a major claim or lawsuit.   As a result, it helps protect your assets and your future.  It also provides coverage for claims that may be excluded by other liability policies including: false arrest, libel, slander, and liability coverage on rental units you own.

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What is Peace of Mind Worth to You?

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To properly protect your current and future assets, you may need the additional layers of liability protection provided by a personal umbrella liability insurance policy.  If a major claim occurred that resulted in the exhaustion of the liability limits on your home, auto, or other underlying insurance policy, your umbrella insurance policy takes over and provides you with additional financial protection.  Because it is designed for those extraordinarily rainy days, umbrella insurance is pretty inexpensive (around a few hundred dollars per year in many cases).

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Liability Insurance Starts When the Others Stop

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Once the liability limits are exhausted on your home, auto, or other policy, your umbrella policy takes over and provides a second layer of protection of up to $10,000,000. Higher limits are also available.

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With nearly every state in the country practicing financial responsibility laws, this makes every driver financially responsible for bodily injury, property damage and potential loss of income claims that may come as a result of a motor vehicle accident.  Similarly, homeowners need to protect themselves from a liability claim that could result from many circumstances such as a dog bite (your dog biting another animal), a guest slipping and falling in your home, or a fire or flood in one of your rental units that spreads to another which you do not own.  It only makes sense to carry proper home and auto insurance limits and have an umbrella policy just in case. 

 

What does an Umbrella Policy cover?

Bodily Injury Liability – covers the cost of damages to another person's body. Examples include the cost of medical bills and/or liability claims as a result of:

• Injuries to other parties due to a serious auto accident where you are at fault

• Harm caused to others as a result of your pet

• Injuries sustained by a guest in your home due to a fall

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Property Damage Liability – covers the cost of damage or loss to another person's tangible property. Examples include the cost associated with:

• Damage to vehicles and/ or other property as a result of an auto accident where you are determined to be at fault

• Damage claims incurred when your dog bites a neighbor’s dog

• Accidental breakage to a neighbor’s windows caused by your child

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Owners of Rental Units – helps protect against liability that you may face as a landlord. Examples include the cost of liability claims as a result of:

• Someone tripping over a crack in the sidewalk of your rental property and suing you for damages

• Your tenant's dog biting someone and you being held responsible for the injuries

 

Other situations usually covered by most personal umbrella policies include being sued for the following:

• Slander – injurious spoken statement

• Libel – injurious written statement

• False arrest, detention, or imprisonment

• Malicious prosecution

• Shock/mental anguish

• Other personal liability situations

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Be sure to talk with your insurance agent if any of the situations below apply to you.  These are risky situations, where purchasing an Umbrella Policy is strongly recommended:

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• You own a secondary residence, rental property (or multiple rentals)

• You own and/or lease commercial property

• You own a boat or any other kind of “toy” like A.T.V. etc..

• You have a “youthful” driver in your home

• You have a pool

• You conduct business activities from your home

• You’re in the farming business

• You own other vehicles, property or aircraft that may be covered on another insurance policy

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These are just a few examples, and at the end of the day, Umbrella Policies are so inexpensive, even people without these types of exposures should strongly consider purchasing one because you never know what can happen.  It only takes one tragic accident to be sued for everything you own as well as your future earnings and there’s no better way to protect yourself from this type of situation, than with Umbrella Insurance.

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