Frequently Asked Questions
General Insurance Questions
What happens if I am late paying my bill?
You may have late fees charged
You renewal premium may increase based on payment history
You may lose your installment options and will have to pay the balance
What is the basis of the insurance scoring?
It is a mix of credit scoring, motor vehicle and clue reports (violations and accidents) and your payment history. Companies now have many tiers. Tiers are the level of rates offered by insurance companies to their clients. Your insurance score determines the tier you will be placed in along with the town you live in.
What is a personal umbrella? Do I need one?
An umbrella is a separate coverage from your home and auto that provides additional liability above and beyond the liability portions the insured’s home and auto liability offers. We strongly recommend it.
Do I need to do the audit?
Yes. When your policy is written and the applications are signed you agree to complete the audit that is sent out. The audit is on the prior year’s policy and is to make sure the numbers that were used for writing or renewing the policy were accurate. An audit needs to be done even if you have switched companies and are no longer with the company looking for the audit to be done.
Homeowners Related Questions
Is my in-home business automatically covered by homeowners insurance?
Not Sufficiently! An estimated 43 million Americans operate full or part timer businesses from their home. Most homeowner’s policies provide only $2,500 property coverage for business equipment and $250 away from your home. If a business credit card is stolen, a power surge destroys data on your computer or a lawsuit over a business related matter you are not covered. We write inexpensive in-home business policies to pick up many of your needs.
What is flood insurance and does my homeowners insurance cover me?
According to FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program: Flood, as used in a flood insurance policy, means: “A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from: (a) overflow of inland or tidal waters (b) unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source (c) mudflow.
Homeowners does not cover flood, you will need a flood policy for that. A flood policy will cover your home’s foundation elements and equipment that’s necessary to support the structure (for example: furnace, water heaters, circuit breakers, etc.). It’s important to note that some items in your basement are covered under building coverage (like a furnace, hot water heater and circuit breaker) and others are covered under contents coverage that must be purchased in addition to building coverage (for example, your washer and dryer, or your freezer and the food in it). The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) encourages people to purchase both building and contents coverage. Flood insurance does not cover basement improvements, such as finished walls, floors, ceilings or personal belongs that may be kept in a basement.
If I volunteer for a non-profit organization am I protected for liability?
Yes. The Volunteer Protection Act provides liability protection for harm a volunteer may cause as long as the volunteer was acting within the scope of their volunteer responsibilities, they were properly licensed if required, the harm was not willful (or illegally caused) and not caused by operating an auto. Be careful if you are a director of a non-profit organization since the homeowners insurance covers you if your negligence causes someone bodily injury or property damage, not for financial injury.
Does my homeowners insurance cover my boat, my snowmobile, my quad, and my dirt bike?
The “short” answer is NO. There is a policy designed to insure each of those types of policies specifically because the homeowners either does not cover them or barely covers them.
I own a condo, should I insure the kitchen cabinets, flooring, and finished basement that I paid for or does the condo association policy cover these?
We need to consult the association bylaws to determine what is your responsibility to cover versus what is the association property. We can assist you in that endeavor.
Auto Insurance Related Questions
How will the new laws effective 8/1/08 affect my teenage driver?
There is a curfew at 11:00. Parents will need to take 2 hour class, the youthful driver license will be suspended if any rules not followed. No one else in auto until 1 year of driving under there belt. Refer to link for more detailshttp://www.ct.gov/teendriving/site/default.asp
Why didn’t my auto premium go down, the car is older?
As the age of a vehicle increases, the value of it decreases so it would make sense for the collision premium to go down over the years for a total loss. However, the cost to repair a vehicle keeps going up (parts and labor) so your premium may not go down.
How long do I need to keep collision on my car?
We recommend that when a car is 10 years or older that you look into the market value of the vehicle either on kellybluebook.com or in the Sunday paper. When you know the value of the car you would lose in a total loss, you can determine if the insurance premium is worth keeping the coverage.
What is Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage?
Uninsured/underinsured motorist is coverage that protects you, your resident family members or people occupying your vehicle. The coverage is “triggered” when you are injured by someone who is negligent in the operation of their vehiclewhich causes you injury. You could be in your vehicle, someone else’s vehicle or not in a vehicle at all. The point is that you are injured by someone else’s vehicle. If that someone else does not have auto liability insurance, or does not have enough coverage, your own automobile insurer will settle with you as if they represented the other party under this coverage.
If renting a car, do I need to purchase the rental companies insurance?
Whatever coverage you have on your vehicles will follow you while driving a rental vehicle in the US or Canada. Unfortunately, the rental companies can also hold you responsible for their loss of rental income while the vehicle is being fixed. Your auto insurance doesn’t cover this but some credit cards may.
How many estimates do I need to get if my car is damaged?
One. In fact, if you go to an insurance company’s preferred repair shop, you don’t have to get any and the work is guaranteed.
How can I protect my car from theft?
- Never leave your car running while unattended. (Nearly 20% of stolen cars still have the key in the ignition)
- Never leave your keys in the car.
- Lock your car and garage
- T-shaped lock knobs may be replaced with smooth ones
- Park in busy, well lighted areas
My adult child lives at home and has their own car insurance; will my insurance cover me while I drive their car?
Probably not! According to most auto policies, you are covered while using your vehicle or a temporary substitute such as a rental car on vacation. If your adult child is a resident of your household, their car may be available for your use and as such, not a temporary substitute for your car.
If my personal belongings are stolen from my car, does my car insurance cover them?
No, if you have homeowners insurance, that covers your personal property that is stolen from a vehicle but unless the personal property was permanently installed in the vehicle, it is not covered.
How do I get in touch with the State of Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles?
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday – 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Thursday – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday – 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Telephone Center number is:
860-263-5700 (Within Hartford area or outside of Connecticut)
800-842-8222 (Elsewhere in Connecticut).
or visit the official website
If I have a complaint against you or my insurance company, who do I turn to?
Your tax dollars pay for a system already in place to hear and respond to grievances. Visit the official website
