UMBRELLA INSURANCE · VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA
Umbrella insurance, for the claim that goes past the limit.
A million dollars of liability coverage that sits on top of your auto, home, boat and rental policies, usually for less than any one of them costs. Written from South Hill for families in Virginia and North Carolina.
THE FIRST THING TO KNOW
Your other policies stop paying at their limit. This one starts there.
Every liability policy has a limit, and a serious injury claim can pass it. When it does, the policy stops and you are the next thing on the list: wages, savings, the house. An umbrella policy sits over your auto, homeowners, boat and rental policies and adds another layer, usually a million dollars, sometimes more.
It also pays for the defense, which matters even when the claim is wrong. Most people who own a home, drive a car and have a teenager, a boat or a dog have more to lose than their auto limit, and that is the whole case for it.
HOW IT WORKS
Three things to understand about it.
What it sits on top of
Your auto, homeowners, boat, motorcycle and rental property policies. It responds after one of those pays its limit.
What it adds
Liability coverage in one million dollar layers, plus the cost of defending a claim. Some also cover claims the underlying policies do not, such as libel or slander.
What it requires
Each underlying policy has to carry a minimum limit the umbrella carrier sets, usually well above the state minimum. Part of writing an umbrella is bringing those up.
It does not cover your business. A commercial umbrella does the same job over general liability and commercial auto, and is written on the business side of this office.
WHEN IT EARNS ITS MONEY
Six situations where the underlying limit is not enough.
A teenager with a license
The most common reason a family buys an umbrella, and the most common reason it pays.
A boat on a crowded lake
July on Gaston. A boat liability limit is often lower than an auto limit, and the injuries are not.
A pool, a trampoline or a dog
The three things on a property most likely to turn a visitor into a claimant.
A rental property
A landlord's liability follows every tenant and every guest. An umbrella over the rental is usually cheaper than raising the landlord policy alone.
A volunteer role
Serving on a board, coaching a team. Some umbrellas extend to personal liability from volunteer work; some do not. Ask.
Something you said online
Personal injury coverage for libel, slander and similar claims, which most homeowners policies leave out and some umbrellas include.
WHO WE WRITE IT FOR
Who we write it for
● Families with a teen driver
● Boat owners on Kerr Lake and Lake Gaston
● Landlords, one house or several
● Anyone with a pool, a trampoline or a big dog
● People whose savings and home are worth more than their auto limit
About underlying limits
An umbrella carrier will not sit over a minimum limits auto policy. It sets a floor for each policy underneath, well above the state minimum, and the floor differs by carrier. Raising the underlying limits to meet it is often the larger part of the cost, and it is coverage you keep either way.
THE STATE LINE
Why the state minimum is not the finish line
Virginia
Minimum auto liability is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $25,000 property damage. A single serious injury claim can pass the first figure in the first week of hospital bills, and the policy stops there.
North Carolina
Minimum auto liability is $50,000, $100,000 and $50,000. Same arithmetic. What a policy does not pay on a judgment is owed by the person who was sued, which is what the umbrella is standing between you and.
Whether a particular claim is covered depends on the policy language and the facts, and nothing on this page binds coverage. Bring us the policies you have and we will tell you what an umbrella would sit on.
QUESTIONS WE GET
Before you call
How much umbrella do I need?
Most families start at one million. Landlords, boat owners and people with more to protect go higher. Additional layers are usually priced lower than the first, and we can quote both.
Does it cover my business?
No. A personal umbrella covers personal liability. A business needs a commercial umbrella over its general liability and commercial auto, which we also write.
Does it cover the boat and the camper?
If those policies are listed as underlying and carry the required limits, yes. Leaving one off is the gap to avoid.
My cars are with one company and my house with another. Can I still get one?
Often, if each underlying policy meets the umbrella carrier's minimum. Some carriers require the auto to be with them. We will tell you which it is.
Can I add an umbrella through the form?
Call the office. Writing an umbrella means checking every underlying policy first, and coverage is not bound through the form or by email until somebody here has confirmed it.
Changing your coverage
For adding or deleting coverage, please call the office during business hours. Coverage is not bound through sending a request by email or using the contact form without explicit confirmation from an authorized agent or carrier.