Kate Betts, Author at Atlanta Insurance

What is a home insurance declaration page?

March 26, 2019 by Kate Betts

Your declaration page can give you an overview of your home insurance.

Home insurance policies can be complicated and overwhelming. There are a lot of pages, a lot of words, and a lot of insurance-speak. It would be super helpful if your Atlanta home insurance policy came with a summary that functions like a cheat sheet. Well, good news – that’s actually a thing! It’s called a declaration page, and it’s basically an overview of your home insurance. We’ll explain what this insurance cheat-sheet does.

Where’s the declaration page?

The declaration page (a.k.a. dec page) should be towards the front of the paperweight that is your insurance policy. It’s generally one of the first things you’ll find. And it should be conveniently labeled “Declaration page.”

What is in a declaration page?

Okay, that sounds all fine and good, but what stuff is actually included in this insurance cheat sheet? How do you read it? We’ll explain.

A home insurance declaration page generally includes:

The policy number:

The policy number should be listed on the dec page to make things easier for everyone.

Your name and address:

Well, that makes sense, right? The dec page should have your name and address on it, as it’s your house (and you) being insured. The dec page tells who and what is insured.

The insurance company’s information:

You may have to get in touch with your insurance agent or insurance company at some point, so their name, address, and contact information should be on your dec page.

The coverages you have:

This is the part of the dec page that gives you an overview of what coverages you’ve got for your home. The declaration page might break the coverages down into dwelling, personal property, other structures, loss of use, and liability.

Your limits of coverage:

The declaration page will outline the limits of insurance you have, meaning how much money your insurance will pay out for a covered loss. It’s important to make sure that you have enough insurance to fully cover the cost of rebuilding your home from the ground up, replace your possessions, and cover your liability.

Deductible:

The declaration page should also provide your deductible. The deductible is the amount you agree to pay in the event of a claim. Basically, you pay your deductible and the insurance company covers the rest of the claim. For example, let’s say you have a $1,000 deductible. If a falling tree causes $4,300 of damage to your home, you’d pay $1,000 and the insurance company would pay $3,300.

Endorsements:

Your declaration page should also list any endorsements on your policy. (An endorsement is an addition to your policy that can alter or add coverage.) For example, if you have an endorsement for sewer backup coverage, that will likely be listed on the dec page.

The effective/expiration date:

The dec page should also list the effective date and expiration date of the policy – which are two dates you should pay attention to.

Discounts:

The dec page can also list any home insurance discounts that you have for your policy. There are a lot of discounts out there that could help you save money on your policy.

Price:

The dec page should also give a breakdown of your premium and how much your home insurance costs. We understand that you might not want to think too much about how much you’re paying for home insurance, but if you’re ever wondering, you can check out your declaration page.

Limits of liability:

Your declaration page should also list your limits of liability insurance.

Additional insured:

If you have a mortgagee or a lending company, they should be listed on the declaration page. They have an insurable interest in the house because they’re the ones who have been lending you money for it.

Check over your declaration page.

It’s important to look over your declaration page to make sure that all the information listed there is correct and as it should be. If you happen to notice any typos or mistakes, kindly ask to have them corrected. It’s just for the best to have the mistake fixed so that your policy reflects all the coverage you purchased, the discounts you have, and so on. Make sure your name is spelled right, your deductible is what you asked for, your coverage is correct, and so on.

If anything’s unclear or you need some decoding on your declaration page, don’t hesitate to reach out to your agent. It’s important to make sure all the ducks are in a row.

So, if you have a quick question about the coverage you purchased for your home, the declaration page is a good place to start. As we said, it’s essentially the cheat sheet for your insurance policy. Just don’t forget to make sure all the information on your cheat sheet is correct.

Get Atlanta home insurance quotes quick by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us on LiveChat.

Source:

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-an-insurance-declaration-page-2645728

Am I covered by Atlanta car insurance if a tree falls on my car?

October 7, 2020March 21, 2019 by Kate Betts

Comprehensive insurance generally covers you if a tree falls on your car.

You’ve always thought your car was pretty sturdy. You’ve been through a lot together, after all. But that was before a tree decided to pick a fight with it while it was minding is own business, just chilling in the driveway. And, well…The tree won by the simple strategy of falling on it and squishing it. (Which seems like cheating.) Anyways, your main question is this: am I covered by Atlanta car insurance if a tree falls on my car? That’s what we’re going to unpack.

Am I covered if a tree falls on my car?

Well…generally you are if you have comprehensive coverage. If you only have liability coverage, the tree definitely won this one because you’re not covered from this type of loss.

Why?

Liability insurance is only meant to protect other drivers on the road (well, it also protects you by safeguarding your bank account.) If you’re in a car accident, your liability insurance will cover your legal obligation to the other driver (and help with your legal expenses if they decide to sue.)

The bodily injury part of your liability insurance can pay for the other driver’s medical bills, lost wages, and so on. The property damage part can help repair or replace the other driver’s car (or other property you happen to damage by driving into it – like a fence or something.) But it won’t help you repair or replace your car if it’s damaged in an accident. Or if, you know, a tree with some sort of grudge crash-lands on it.

That’s where collision coverage and comprehensive coverage come in.

Collision coverage can help you repair or replace your car if it’s damaged in an accident or another sort of collision.

Comprehensive coverage can help you repair or replace your car if something other than an accident or collision damages it (though, alas, it doesn’t cover everything.) It generally covers the following losses:

Fire
Theft
Vandalism
Animal strikes (for example, if you hit a deer)
Flood
And…falling objects (like if a tree falls on it)

So, as you can see, collision and comprehensive coverage are important pieces of the “protect your bank account” mission you embarked on when you got your insurance. If you have a loan on your car, your lienholder may require you to carry collision and comprehensive insurance. (They want to protect their investment in the car, after all.)

What about my deductible?

Well, yes – there is that…

Your deductible is the amount you’ve agreed to pay if you have a claim. You have your portion of the claim and the insurance company takes care of the rest. You can set your deductible at the level that you’re comfortable with, but you’ll have to pay it if you have a claim.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say your deductible is $500. That tree falls on your car (very rudely) and causes $6,000 of damage. You would pay $500 and the insurance company would pay $5,500. If it’s any consolation…they’re paying a lot more than you are.

(Note that your deductible can affect your car insurance rates. If you raise your deductible, you could see lower premiums because you’re less likely to file a claim. However, you don’t want to set your deductible so high that it would be a big financial burden to pay in the event that a rogue tree trashes your car. Or a fire destroys it. Consider how much you could comfortably afford to pay in the event of a claim and find your happy premium-deductible balance.)

If you’ve made an investment by buying a car, it makes sense to protect it with insurance. When you get car insurance, don’t forget to give some thought to collision and comprehensive coverage. It can prevent you from having to shoulder the entire cost of the car repairs from either an accident or a freak occurrence like a deer strike – or if a tree falls.

Get Atlanta car insurance quotes.

Get started with car insurance quotes by filling out our online form, messaging us on LiveChat, or giving us a call.

8 pro tips for getting car insurance in Atlanta

July 16, 2020March 14, 2019 by Kate Betts

Keep these things in mind when you're getting car insurance.

So, getting Atlanta car insurance might seem like a monumental task – and one that you’re not too keen to embark on. You may even be dreading it. To help boost your confidence about the entire ordeal, we’ve put together a list of eight tips to keep in mind when you’re getting car insurance.

8 tips for getting car insurance in Atlanta

1. First of all, remember that liability insurance doesn’t protect your vehicle.

So, the first thing to remember about getting car insurance is that liability insurance won’t cover your car. If you’re in an accident or if something else happens to your ride, your liability insurance won’t cover the bill to repair or replace it. That’s because it’s meant to protect the other driver in an accident in which you’re at fault, like so:

Bodily injury liability: This covers the medical expenses and pain and suffering of the other driver.
Property damage liability: This covers the repair/replacement of the other driver’s car (or other property you damage) if you’re at-fault in an accident.

(Liability insurance can also help you cover your legal expenses if you get sued.)

However, there is a way to make sure your investment in your vehicle is protected: collision and comprehensive coverage. These coverages will help you repair or replace your car, but we’ll explain each of those coverages in a second.

2. Understand the different coverages you can get for your car.

There are many different coverages you can choose for your car that will help you protect your vehicle. It’s important to understand the various coverages you can choose for your car – and how they can shield your bank account from harm.

Liability insurance – The bodily injury and property damage liability that we explained above.

Collision coverage – Helps you repair or replace your car if you’re at-fault in an accident or otherwise crash into something.

Comprehensive coverage – Helps you repair or replace your car if it’s damaged by fire, theft, vandalism, animal strike, or falling objects (i.e. tree branches.)

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) – Helps you out if you’re hit by a driver who doesn’t have enough insurance (underinsured motorist) or who doesn’t have insurance (uninsured motorist) and can’t cover all of the expenses of an accident.

Rental reimbursement – Can help you cover the expenses of renting a car if you’re in an accident and your car has to go to the shop.

Medical payments – Helps cover the medical expenses and those of your passengers if you’re involved in an accident.

Anyways, it’s important to understand the basics of different coverages when you’re getting car insurance.

3. Make sure you get enough insurance.

It’s important to make sure that you completely cover your risk and protect your bank account. Georgia’s state minimum liability insurance limits are $25,000 bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 of property damage liability. At first glance, it might look like that’s a ton of coverage. But when you consider how much you could owe someone if you cause a serious accident, or how expensive a lawsuit could be, that amount suddenly seems a lot smaller. Those limits can quickly run dry.

Anyways, what we’re saying is that you might want to get more than the state minimum level of car insurance. You may want to set higher levels of liability coverage than 25/50/25.

Also, you might want to consider adding coverages like collision and comprehensive instead of just getting the bare minimum liability insurance. Other coverages are also essential to protecting yourself financially.

4. Give some thought to bundling.

Bundling is when you get multiple lines of coverage from the same carrier – for example if you get home and auto insurance from the same insurance company.

Why should you think about bundling?

A lot of carriers offer a discount for clients that bundle their home and auto insurance. And discounts mean that you get to save money on your insurance. It’s definitely something to think about when you’re getting car insurance.

You can also bundle your auto insurance with your renter’s insurance if you don’t have a house. Just keep that in mind.

5. Understand the different factors that affect car insurance rates.

There are a ton of things that can impact your car insurance premium. It’s not just an arbitrary number that comes out of nowhere. Many, many things go into determining your rates, including:

Your car’s year, make, and model
Where you live
Your driving record (tickets, accidents, etc.)
Claims history
Your credit score
How old you are
What deductible you set
The coverages you’ve selected

So, be prepared for the above to play a part in your premium when you get car insurance.

6. Set the deductible that works for you.

Your deductible is the amount you agree to pay if you ever have a claim. Basically, you have your chunk of the loss and the insurance company has theirs. For example, if you have a $500 deductible and then have a $3,000 loss to your car, you pay $500 and the insurance company pays $2,500.

So, when you’re setting your deductible, you have to consider how much you’re comfortably able to afford in the event of a claim. Keep in mind that if you set a higher deductible, you could get a lower premium because you’re less likely to file a claim. However, you don’t want to set your deductible so high that it would be burdensome to pay if you ever did have a claim.

7. Don’t forget car insurance discounts.

Car insurance discounts can help you save money on your car insurance. Many carriers offer discounts like the Good Student Discount, the multi-car discount, a bundling discount, and more. Check out the discounts that your carrier offers.

8. Get car insurance quotes.

It’s also important to get car insurance quotes so that you can get great coverage at a great rate. Do some research about the companies you’re considering and make sure they have a strong financial rating and good claims handling and customer service.

Get a quote for Atlanta car insurance by filling out our online form or calling us. You can also Live Chat message us to get started.

Atlanta car insurance: What’s a multi-car discount?

August 4, 2020March 7, 2019 by Kate Betts

You might be eligible for a multi-car discount.

You might worry about how much your car insurance bill costs – and the toll it’s taking on your bank account. It’s a perfectly reasonable concern. Car insurance can be expensive, and you might feel that you’ll leave no stone unturned in your quest to get a lower auto insurance rate. If you’re paying more than you’d like for your insurance, you should look into different car insurance discounts to score some quick savings. One discount offered by many carriers is the multi-car discount. We’ll explain what the deal is about it and how you can get it.

What’s a multi-car discount?

The multi-car discount is, well, a discount for insuring multiple cars on a policy. (Get it? Multi-car discount?) This is a natural fit for households that have two or three cars insured with their carrier. The percentage you’ll save can depend on the carrier you’re insured with but still – any savings are helpful, and it can help offset the extra expense associated with having to get coverage for multiple cars. (Because let’s face it, that adds up.)

But the next question is this: do all the cars have to be on the same policy? Not necessarily. Generally, the cars can be on separate policies and still score a discount so long as they’re with the same carrier. So for example, let’s say you’ve got your grown-up kiddo living at home with you and they’re paying for their own, separate car insurance policy – but they’re with the same insurance carrier that you are. Or let’s say you’ve got a teenager who’s on their own policy. You may still be able to get a discount, depending on your carrier.

Sticking with the same carrier can pay off.

Keeping your insurance with one carrier can make your bank account happy. The multi-car discount is just one example.

You can also benefit from keeping your insurance with one carrier by bundling your home and auto insurance. (Basically, that means you get both lines of coverage from the same insurer.) Many insurers offer a multi-line discount. If you don’t have a house, you can still take advantage of a multi-line discount by getting your renters and auto insurance from the same carrier.

So, that’s just something to keep in mind as you get your insurance sorted out. It’s an easy way to score some savings if it’s the right choice for you.

Don’t forget about other car insurance discounts.

Why should the fun stop at the multi-car discount? There are plenty of other car insurance discounts you can consider. These are a few others you should ask about.

Safe driver: If you go a certain amount of time without an accident, you could qualify for a safe driver discount.
Low-mileage discount: If you don’t drive very much, you could get a low mileage discount.
Good Student discount: High schoolers and college students (and even young adults) can get a “good student” discount if they make good marks in their classes.
Automatic payments: You can get a discount simply by setting up automatic payments so your car insurance bill will never be late.
Paperless discount: If you go paperless and choose to do your bill-paying online, you could score some savings.

So, that’s the scoop about the multi-car discount. It’s an easy way to save money on your car insurance premium, so be sure to ask your agent about it if you’re insuring more than one car with them. And don’t forget about other car insurance discounts! Let the savings pile up and graciously accept your bank account’s thanks.

Get quotes for great Atlanta car insurance. Message us on LiveChat, fill out our online quote form, or give us a call.

Source:

https://www.thebalance.com/how-do-i-get-a-multi-car-discount-527538

Do I need physical damage insurance for my Atlanta tow truck business?

February 28, 2019 by Kate Betts

It's important to consider physical damage insurance for your tow truck business.

If you have a tow truck business, you’re probably wondering what kind of insurance you need to tow cars. Is just having auto liability insurance enough, or is there other insurance you need? One coverage that you might want to consider to protect your business’s bottom line is physical damage insurance. But what exactly is that, and why do you need it for your Atlanta tow truck business? We’ll explain what physical damage insurance is and why it’s important to think about when considering insurance for your business.

What is physical damage insurance?

Physical damage insurance is the coverage that can help you get your tow truck back on the road following an accident or another loss. Basically, if your tow truck gets smooshed, scratched, squashed, or otherwise damaged, your physical damage insurance helps with the repairs (or, in dire circumstances, replacement) of your vehicle.

The thing to keep in mind about tow truck insurance is that auto liability insurance won’t cover the repairs of your tow truck. If you’re at-fault in an accident, liability insurance pays for expenses like the other driver’s medical bills and car repairs – and it can help cover your legal expenses if you get sued over the accident. It protects the other driver…not your vehicle.

Bodily injury liability helps cover the other driver’s medical expenses. Property damage liability helps cover the repairs or replacement of the other driver’s car (or other property you might damage.)

Moving on, physical damage insurance consists of two parts: collision coverage and comprehensive coverage.

What is collision coverage?

Collision coverage helps you repair or replace your tow truck if you’re in an accident (or if you collide with something else, like a tree or telephone pole.)

For example:

You’re driving along on the way to help a driver whose car has broken down. On the way there, you accidentally run a red light and get into an accident. Fortunately, everyone is fine, but your tow truck is pretty smashed. Your collision coverage can help you cover the repairs.

What is comprehensive coverage?

Of course, getting into an accident isn’t the only way your tow truck could come to harm. If your truck is damaged by something other than an accident, comprehensive coverage helps you cover the repairs or replacement of the tow truck.

Covered losses can include…

Fire
Vandalism
Animal strikes
Falling objects (i.e. trees)
Theft

To give an example, let’s say that you park your truck outside in the yard. You happen to be located in a spot that’s near a lot of trees. That night there’s a surprise storm that knocks down a bunch of the aforementioned trees…and a huge tree branch crash-lands right into your tow truck. Which now resembles a pancake. Comprehensive coverage can help you repair the truck and get it back on the road.

Why is physical damage insurance important?

So, here’s the deal:

If you run a tow truck business, you’re kind of dependent on, well, your tow trucks. You can’t have a tow truck business without vehicles. If something were to happen to one of your trucks – for example, you get into an accident that’s your fault or your truck gets stolen out of your yard – you would need to get that tow truck either repaired or replaced and back to work. You need all of your trucks operating to protect your bottom line and keep your business running smoothly.

The only problem is that tow trucks are expensive. That’s why having the proper coverage for your tow trucks is essential. Those trucks are a major investment, and physical damage insurance is a crucial part of protecting that investment. If you only carry auto liability insurance, you would not be financially protected if something happened to your tow truck – meaning that the repairs or replacement of your truck would fall on your shoulders.

So, that’s what physical damage insurance is and how it can protect your bottom line and your business’s finances. Collision insurance helps you repair or replace your tow truck if it’s damaged in an accident. Comprehensive insurance helps you repair or replace your tow truck if it’s damaged by a loss other than an accident, such as a fire, falling trees, animal strike, vandalism, and theft. When you’re getting Atlanta tow truck insurance, be sure to consider physical damage insurance for your business.

To get started with tow truck insurance quotes, fill out our online quote form or give us a call. We can help you get great tow truck insurance at a great rate by getting quotes from multiple insurance carriers.

Deductible, premium, and limit: 3 Atlanta home insurance words to know

February 26, 2019 by Kate Betts

It's important to know about your premium, deductible, and home insurance limit.

When you’re dealing with your Atlanta home insurance, there are a lot of vocab words – and numbers – that are important for you to know. You know that you need to get home insurance, but what do all those numbers and words mean? What are some of the things that you need to pay attention to? We’re going to explain three home insurance terms you should know: premium, limit, and deductible.

What is a home insurance premium?

Okay, let’s be real – this is probably the number you’re most concerned about.

And for good reason:

To put it simply, your home insurance premium is basically your home insurance rate. It’s what you pay for home insurance. So, yes, it makes perfect sense that this would be a number you’d want to pay attention to.

Now, you might be wondering how the insurance company decides how much your bill is going to be. Believe it or not, it’s not some sort of trick or mumbo jumbo like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It’s not a random number that comes from midair.

The truth is home insurance companies look at a lot of different factors about you and your house when they’re setting your premium. They don’t exactly do “random” or “detail-free” when it comes to insurance rates. For example, they may look at the following factors when setting your home insurance rates:

Your location
The crime rate where you live
The building material your home is made of
Your credit score
How close you are to a fire station
Your roof
Whether or not you’ve bundled
How much it would cost to rebuild
How old your house is
Any discounts you qualify for

So, that’s home insurance premium in a nutshell. The best way to find out how much your home insurance will cost is to get insurance quotes – and you can do that by filling out our online form or giving us a call today.

What is a home insurance deductible?

Another word to know (and number to be aware of) is deductible.

Your home insurance deductible is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim if you have a loss to your home. You have your portion of the “bill” per se and your home insurance will help you cover the rest of your claim. (You might feel better about the whole thing if you consider that they’ll probably be paying a lot more than you will!)

It’s easiest to explain the concept of how a deductible works by giving an example.

Let’s say you have a $1,000 deductible on your home. A tree very rudely decides to fall and hits your roof. Thankfully no one is hurt, but the tree did cause $5,500 worth of damage. You would pay your $1,000 and your insurance company would pay the remaining $4,500.

Your deductible can also play a part in your Atlanta home insurance rates. It can affect your premium (see, using those vocabulary words already!) because if you choose a higher deductible, you’re less likely to file a claim. And that means you could see lower premiums. However, you don’t want to set your deductible so high that it would be a huge financial burden to pay if you had a claim. You need to consider how much you could comfortably afford to pay if you had a loss.

What is a home insurance limit?

Your home insurance limit is simply how much your insurance would pay out for a claim. (It’s essentially how much home insurance you’ve purchased.) Your home insurance would tap out if your claim hit that amount.

When you’re setting your home insurance limit, it’s important to make sure you have enough home insurance to:

Completely rebuild your home from the ground up (meaning you should insure your home for its replacement cost)
Cover your liability
Replace your personal belongings

Again, it’s important that you have enough insurance. Protecting yourself financially means making sure you have a safety net that will actually catch you – not let you crash to the ground. So, make sure that your limits of Atlanta home insurance are high enough.

Protecting your home with the right Atlanta home insurance is easy when you work with our team. Get started with quotes by filling out our form or giving us a call today.

How do I get Atlanta tow truck insurance quotes?

February 21, 2019 by Kate Betts

If you have a Georgia tow truck business, you’re probably wondering how to go about getting tow truck insurance. You know you need to get insurance, but you’re really not looking forward to it – there are a lot of tow truck insurance coverages to consider, and you’re worried that your insurance might be expensive. But first of all, what’s the best way to get quotes for tow truck insurance? We’re going to explain how to get Atlanta tow truck insurance quotes and why it’s so important for you to get multiple quotes.

How to get tow truck insurance quotes:

Are you a little worried that getting tow truck insurance quotes will be complicated or overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be – actually, it can be quite easy. We’ll explain how the quoting process works so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

1. You fill out our online quote form or give us a call.

The first step in getting tow truck insurance in Georgia is filling out our online quote form or giving us a call. This lets us know that you’re in the market for insurance. We have a team of tow truck insurance professionals who can help you get quotes for your insurance – you just have to reach out to us.

2. One of our agents asks a few quick questions.

So, the next thing that happens is that one of our agents will ask a few quick questions to gather some general information about your business. We need to ask these questions so that we can get you the most accurate quote possible. But don’t worry – we’ll be quick and we won’t take too much of your time. We know that you’re busy – you have a tow truck business to run, after all. We like to make insurance easy.

3. We go get your tow truck insurance quotes.

Next comes the fun part – we go to the various carriers that we work with to collect some tow truck insurance quotes for you. We have relationships with many different insurance companies, so we can get competitive quotes and help you get the quality coverage you need. (Shopping around for tow truck insurance quotes can help you save money on your rates, by the way.)

4. We come back with your quotes.

We’ll go over your quotes with you and present your options. We’ll help you finalize your coverage and get everything squared away so you can hit the road with peace of mind. Our goal is to help you get great tow truck insurance at a great rate.

5. We’re here to help you with any insurance-related questions.

You can reach out to us any time with questions or issues pertaining to your insurance. You don’t have to go it alone. We’re available by phone, email, and LiveChat so you can get in touch in whatever manner is most convenient for you. Need to add a truck to your policy? Sure! Need to make an adjustment to your driver list? Not a problem. We’re here to take care of any concerns in a timely manner and with great customer service.

Why is it important to get tow truck insurance quotes?

Maybe you’re wondering why it’s important to bother with this entire process. Perhaps it feels like a bit of rigmarole. You might just be looking to get a ballpark estimate. However, the issue with “ballpark” estimates is that they tend not to be terribly accurate. There are a lot of factors that affect tow truck insurance rates, so rates vary a lot from business to business. The reason is that insurance companies need to find out how much of a risk you would be to insure and how likely you are to file a claim.

For example, things like your drivers’ MVRs, speeding tickets, your claims history, your location, your tow trucks, your towing radius, and so on can affect your rates. Thus, not every business is going to have the same rates – all of these details can play a part in your premium. Besides, every business needs different coverages and a customized insurance plan. Tow truck insurance plans aren’t exactly one-size-fits-all. You can’t go by a ballpark number because that number might not accurately reflect your business’s insurance needs.

So, that’s how you can get Georgia tow truck insurance quotes and why it’s important to get those quotes in the first place. Like we mentioned, getting started with those quotes is easy – all you have to do is fill out our online quote form or give us a call.

What you need to know about Georgia tow truck insurance

September 27, 2022February 7, 2019 by Kate Betts

Here are some answers to some common Georgia tow truck insurance questions.

If you work with tow trucks in Georgia, you know that there’s a lot of adventure that goes along with towing cars. Which is exactly why there’s tow truck insurance – when accidents happen or things go wrong, having the right insurance can really save the day. So, you know that you need to get tow truck insurance, but there are plenty of questions that go along with it. We’re going to tackle five common tow truck insurance questions to shed some light on the strange thing that is Georgia tow truck insurance.

Do I need tow truck insurance?

There are a variety of businesses that could benefit from tow truck insurance. Basically, if your line of work involves a tow truck or a wrecker, you’ll probably need to consider getting skilled insurance that includes specific coverages to protect your vehicle.

Businesses that might need Georgia tow truck insurance include (but are not limited to):

Auto body shops
Roadside assistance businesses
Towing services
Repo companies

What insurance coverages do I need to tow cars?

As you can imagine, there are plenty of business insurance coverages to consider to protect your towing business. Some of the coverages towing businesses get include…

Auto liability insurance: Auto liability insurance can help cover your legal obligation to the other driver and their passengers if you’re at fault in an accident. It can help you if they decide to sue you.
- Bodily injury liability: This part of auto liability insurance can help you cover the medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages of those that you injure in a car accident.
- Property damage liability: This part of auto liability insurance can help you cover the costs of repairing or replacing the property of others that you might damage in an accident – for example, the other driver’s car if you’re in an accident.
Physical damage insurance: This coverage can help you get your tow truck back on the road ASAP if it gets damaged. (Liability insurance won’t cover damages to your own tow truck.)
- Collision insurance can help you repair or replace your tow truck if it’s damaged in an accident or if you otherwise collide with something.
- Comprehensive insurance can help you repair or replace your tow truck if it’s damaged by something other than an accident, such as fire, theft, vandalism, and falling objects (i.e. trees).
On-hook/In-tow insurance: On-hook insurance can help protect you if one of your client’s cars is damaged while it’s attached to your tow truck.
Garagekeepers insurance: Garagekeepers can help protect you if you ever have care, custody, or control of your clients’ cars (for example, if you ever have to store them on your premises.) Examples of covered losses include fire, theft, and vandalism.
Garage liability insurance: Garage liability can protect you against claims of bodily injury or property damage arising from the day-to-day operation of your business and the services you provide.
Wrongful repo insurance: Wrongful repo insurance can protect you if you accidentally manage to repossess a car that you’re not supposed to.

How much does tow truck insurance cost?

You’re probably wondering how much Georgia tow truck insurance costs. The thing is that tow truck insurance rates depend on a lot of different factors. Insurance companies look at a lot of details about your business because they want to know how much of a risk you are to insure. (Businesses who present more risk will probably have higher rates.)

Some of the details that affect tow truck insurance rates are…

Your location
How long you’ve been in business
Your tow truck
Loss history/Claims
Tickets and traffic violations
The kind of towing you do
Your drivers and their MVRs
Your towing radius

How can I save money on tow truck insurance?

Another thing that you might be wondering about is how to save money on Georgia tow truck insurance. It’s important to emphasize safety at your towing business – this will help you avoid claims and therefore save money on towing insurance. The following can help you save money on your premium:

1. Have written workplace safety policies to outline driver behavior and safety expectation.

2. Have a pre-trip vehicle inspection procedure.

3. Have a thorough hiring process and hire safe drivers.

4. Conduct regular safety meetings with your employees.

5. Don’t forget to ask about tow truck insurance discounts.

6. Raise your deductible if you’re financially comfortable doing so.

7. Avoid filing minor claims against your insurance.

8. Get multiple quotes for tow truck insurance.

How do I get Georgia tow truck insurance quotes?

It’s important to get multiple tow truck insurance quotes so you can compare coverages and pricing. But how does one go about doing that? We’ll explain our quoting process.

1. You fill out our online quote form or give us a call.

2. Our agent gets some details about your tow truck business.

3. We go shopping and get you competitive quotes from different carriers.

4. We go over your insurance options with you and you decide which policy will work for you. Then we help finalize your coverage.

5. We’re here to answer any questions you may have and to assist with any insurance-related queries you may have.

So, those are the answers to several important tow truck insurance questions. If you need tow truck insurance quotes, we would be happy to help. Our tow truck insurance professionals can help you get the business insurance coverage you need to protect your company from risks. We’re also pros at making insurance easy. To get started with your quotes, fill out our online quote form or give us a call today.

7 Atlanta home insurance questions: Am I covered?

September 5, 2020January 29, 2019 by Kate Betts

You may have some home insurance questions.

When you’re getting Atlanta home insurance, you might have a lot of questions about what’s covered and what’s not covered. Home insurance doesn’t cover everything. (Which is why it’s important to read your home insurance policy carefully and comb through it with a fine-toothed comb.) Anyways, we’ve compiled a list of seven home insurance FAQs to give bite-sized answers to some common home insurance questions.

Atlanta home insurance questions

1. Am I covered if there is heavy rain and water seeps into my basement?

Flooding is not covered by home insurance. (And by flooding we mean a rapid and unusual accumulation of water on the ground where there is usually not water.) So, if your area is hit with some heavy rain and some water infiltrates your basement, creating a big soggy mess…unfortunately, it’s not covered.

You can, however, purchase a separate flood insurance policy, which can cover flooding and surface water from heavy rain. You can get flood insurance through an agent from the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) so that your house can be protected from flood-related losses.

2. If my sump pump fails, am I covered?

Home insurance policies usually exclude sewer backup and sump pump failure. However, you can add a sewer backup endorsement to your home insurance policy so that this kind of loss can be covered. (Sewer backup is not something that is very pleasant, so you may want to think about adding this coverage to your home insurance.)

3. Is my boat covered?

If boat theft occurs away from your residential property, no, the loss would not be covered by home insurance. You would need a boat insurance policy to cover the vessel and any accessories you have for it.

4. If my neighbor’s tree falls through my fence and ruins it, does their insurance pay for it?

No. Your Atlanta home insurance, though, should cover the claim. If it’s your fence or your home that gets damaged by your neighbor’s tree, your home insurance would be the one paying the claim, not theirs. Now, if your tree fell through your neighbor’s fence, the neighbor’s home insurance would cover it.

(However, if your neighbor’s tree falls as a result of their negligence, it’s possible that your insurance company could subrogate against the neighbor’s home insurance company to get your deductible back.)

5. Do I really need to take a home inventory?

It’s definitely a good idea to take a home inventory (which is basically a list of all your belongings, room by room.) First of all, it’ll help you know that you have enough home insurance to cover all of your belongings. Your inventory will also help if you have to file a home insurance claim because you’ll know exactly what needs to be replaced. And you’ll also have a bit more proof for your insurance company that you’ve lost what you’ve said you’ve lost. (Insurance fraud is a big deal.)

6. If my iPod is stolen from my car, is it covered by home insurance or car insurance?

Well … neither.

Most home insurance and auto insurance policies specifically exclude sound transmitting equipment (yes, including iPods) that are used in cars. So, if your iPod or sound equipment gets swiped from your car…unfortunately you might be out of luck. (You may, however, be able to add extra coverage to cover this sort of loss, but you’d have to talk to your agent to find a solution.)

7. How much home insurance do I need?

Ideally, you should have enough Atlanta home insurance to completely rebuild your home from the ground up, cover all of your personal belongings, and cover your liability. When you’re getting home insurance, it’s important to make sure that your limits of coverage are high enough to fully protect you from a loss.

These are some common questions about home insurance with convenient answers in bite-sized form. As always, it’s important to read your home insurance policy carefully to find out what it will cover and how it will protect you. And ask questions if you need to – questions are great!

If you need Atlanta home insurance quotes, we can help. Our agents can get you multiple home insurance quotes all while making insurance as easy as possible. To get started with your quotes, fill out our online form or give us a call.

Decoding 7 different auto insurance coverages

January 24, 2019 by Kate Betts

There are many different auto insurance coverages.

The world of car insurance can seem very overwhelming and complicated. Insurance isn’t as simple as choosing a one-size-fits all policy. There are different coverages to think about as you’re getting insurance for your vehicle. But what do each of those coverages do? How can they help you and how to do they protect your bank account in the event of a loss or claim? We’re going to decode 7 different Atlanta insurance coverages for you.

Breaking down 7 auto insurance coverages.

1. Auto liability.

Okay, this one is really important as far as auto insurance coverages go. It’s the coverage that’s required by the state. Basically, it helps you cover the costs that you’re legally obligated to pay to another driver if you’re at fault in an accident. It can also help you cover legal expenses if you get sued.

There are different parts to auto liability insurance.

Bodily injury liability can help cover the medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages of the other driver and their passengers if you’re at fault in a car accident. It can help you cover your legal obligations to them.

Property damage liability can help cover the damages to other peoples’ property if you damage it with your vehicle. For example, it can help cover the repairs or replacement of the other driver’s car if you get into a car accident. (Note that it will not cover the damages to your own vehicle.)

Pro tip: The minimum limits of liability insurance in Georgia are 25,000/50,000/25,000. That means that you would have $25,000 of bodily injury insurance per person, $50,000 of bodily injury liability per accident, and $25,000 of property damage liability. (However, you might want to consider getting higher limits of coverage than the state minimum in order to protect yourself in case you ever get into a serious accident.)

2. Collision coverage.

Now, we mentioned that liability insurance won’t cover damages to your car if you’re at-fault in an accident. But that’s where collision coverage comes in – it can help you cover the repair or replacement of your own car if you’re in an accident or otherwise have a collision. (As far as auto insurance coverages go, this can help you protect your car.)

3. Comprehensive coverage.

Once again, liability coverage does not provide protection for your car. Comprehensive coverage can help you repair or replace your car if it’s damaged by something other than an accident. It covers losses like animal strikes, fire, vandalism, and falling objects (i.e. trees). It can even cover theft.

Pro tip: If you have a loan for your car, your lender or lienholder may require you to carry comprehensive and collision coverage.

4. Uninsured motorist/Underinsured motorist (UM/UIM).

Uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) can help protect you financially if you are ever hit by a driver who does not have insurance (uninsured motorist) or who doesn’t have enough insurance to cover the total cost of the accident (underinsured motorist.)

Liability insurance is required by the state of Georgia, but not all drivers carry it. And some drivers might only have the minimum limits, which might not be enough to cover all the expenses resulting from a serious accident. That’s why you might want to consider UM/UIM when you’re thinking about auto insurance coverages.

5. Medical payments.

Medical payments coverage is a no-fault coverage that can help you cover your medical bills and the medical bills of your passengers following an accident.

6. Rental reimbursement coverage.

If you’re in a car accident, you might need to get a rental car while your own vehicle is in the shop being repaired. Rental reimbursement coverage can help you cover the expenses of renting a car while you’re waiting for your car to be fixed. It’s usually a fairly inexpensive coverage to add to your car insurance policy, but one that could come in handy. There will typically be a limit of coverage per day and per accident (for example, $30 per day and $900 per accident.)

7. Gap insurance.

Gap insurance can help you if you buy a new car and take out a loan. Since car values depreciate rapidly over time, you might find yourself owing more on your loan than your vehicle is actually worth. If you get into an accident, you might not get enough reimbursement from the insurance company to cover the balance of your loan. Gap insurance can help cover the difference.

Those are seven auto insurance coverages decoded. When you’re getting Atlanta car insurance, it’s important to make sure that you have enough coverage to fully protect yourself in the event of an accident. It’s also important to evaluate whether you want your own vehicle to be covered by insurance (meaning that you would want to get collision and comprehensive coverage.) Anyways, hopefully these bite-sized explanations help to translate the strange language that is car insurance!

If you need to get car insurance quotes, we can help. Our agents can help you get multiple quotes for Atlanta car insurance so you can get the coverage you need. Getting started with quotes is easy – all you have to do is give us a call or fill out our online quote form.