Personal & Commercial Insurance FAQs

Yes the liability & collision coverage extend to the rental car. Any damage done to a rental vehicle is subjected to your deductible. However we always recommend purchasing the additional rental vehicle coverage offered by the rental company. There is peace of mind knowing you can just hand the keys back with no questions asked.

The amount of liability insurance coverage you need depends on your state and your needs. Most states require some amount of liability insurance, but the minimum varies by state. Speak to one of our insurance experts to discuss what limits best fit your lifestyle!

Collision & Comprehensive coverage both pay to repair damage to your vehicle. Comprehensive covers fire, theft, vandalism, glass or hit animal. Collision is anything other than those specific named coverages. Both coverages are subject to a deductible; glass claims typically do not have a deductible.

Yes but it only covers liability while in tow. You have to add Collision coverage to the trailer if you want it to be covered for damage from accident.

Yes you can. We will recommend using registered repair facilities to speed up the claim process but you are certainly free to have your vehicle repaired at the repair facility of your choice. See our Trusted Partner Section of our website to learn more.

Please contact our office; these are very common claims. We have a few preferred vendors we use and this will make the Glass Claim repair process extremely painless.

The Claim reporting period is flexible. We always recommend waiting until you are in a safe place and have let the circumstances of the accident subside. If you didn’t realize damage had occurred to your vehicle and it’s been a while, you can still file a claim and it would be covered.

Of course you can file the claim with your own insurance company. However, if you obtain the other person’s insurance company and policy number, you will not have to pay your deductible. It’s best at the scene of the accident to gather the other party’s insurance information. Ask the other driver for proof of their insurance before the police arrive. We can then guide you through the process to file your claim.

These situations can be tricky because determining fault can be difficult. We recommend documenting the situation with photos and taking the necessary steps to obtain the other person’s insurance information. It’s always a good idea to contact the police, though this is not always necessary.

This is considered a comprehensive claim and the deductible may be different from your collision deductible.

Yes, it is common for the dealership to make the changes on your behalf. However, we always recommend you call or send a message confirming this transaction is taking place.

Yes, when titling and registering to anyone other than the Named Insureds, the insurance companies require the vehicles be on a separate policy.

No, we always recommend waiting until the next business day to call or send the office a message. If you are in a situation where you need the ID Card immediately, send a text to the office and we will do our best to provide the documentation after hours.

If you have a loan on your vehicle, you must maintain continuous Liability & Collision Coverage on your policy.

If you have paid off your loan, you have to decide if the value of the vehicle is worth paying the premium for the collision coverage.

Yes. NY State Law gives you 7 days from after the purchase of a vehicle to add it to your current insurance policy. Many times dealers will not release the vehicle without a new insurance card. (They Don’t Know Any Better.) If you have an active policy, you are allowed to retroactively add the vehicle the next business day.

When you have a loss you will receive a payment minus the deductible amount that is stated on your policy.

We always recommend calling our office at the time of loss. We can discuss the severity and the nature of the claim and give you an indication of what would be appropriate. Not all claims exceed the deductible amount.

Water Back Up / Sewer Sump Pump Coverage will pay for any and all necessary clean up in the result that your sump fails or drain overflows and water causes damage to your property. This coverage is an additional coverage that is added at the time of purchase or can be added at anytime during the policy period.

There is no additional discount for cameras at this time. However as companies evolve, we present these ideas to them.

Insurance Companies will settle your claim by giving you a check minus your deductible amount, i.e., on a $10,000 claim with a $500 deductible, you receive a final payment of $9500.

You can start a claim 2 ways. Call our office to discuss your situation or contact the insurance company directly using their 24-hour reporting hotline. You can find those claim reporting telephone numbers in the claim service section of our website.

We have trusted partners that we recommend for things like fire & water damage restoration. Visit our claims services section to learn more. They will begin protecting and minimizing damage right away.

Yes this would be covered under your policy. The downside is that it’s subjected to your deductible. You would need a significant loss of food for it to be worth reporting a claim.

Water back up from a sewer or sump pump can be one of the most sudden claims policy holders experience. Most policies include an endorsement that specifically covers this type of loss. Please contact our agency to be sure this is a covered loss. If you experienced this type of loss please take all necessary measures to protect any property that can be saved. Typically these claims happen in heavy rain storms or when power failure occurs. Always check your sump pumps to make sure they are actively working and keeping up with the flow of water and are operational during dry or drought periods. We recommend reaching out to any water restoration company like Servpro that offers 24 hour emergency services.

Fire claims can be the most devastating claim you suffer. The most common claim is kitchen or grease fires and the smoke damage is devastating throughout your home or business. Typically you want to contact Servpro or any smoke fire damage remediation company right away to get them on the scene as soon as possible. You then want to file your claim directly with the carrier to get an adjuster assigned to your claim. With fire claims National NSFA which is fire claim advocate will proactively reach out to you, they monitor fire department communications. They will find you so be on alert for phone calls from them. They get paid based of the amount of your claim. We recommend that you speak to them and decide if you want them to advocate for you with the insurance company.

No! you have 30 day from once the Insurance Company offers you a policy to accept. ( This is called the Free Look Period.)

The price that you are quoted is subject to change based on health and underwriting guidelines. While we aim to provide the most accurate price upfront it’s always best to apply and let the insurance company make you an offer. You can always refuse or chose other options.

Sometimes Based on the amount of coverage you are applying for certain medical exams are required. if you decide you want more than desired you may have to complete additional underwriting and or medical exams.

Once you complete the telephone interview and as long is submit electronic payment the insurance company will provide you temporary insurance coverage while in the underwriting process.

This is sent by mail 45 days before your renewal date.

Results can vary. We recommend reaching out to your agent to see if it is an option to get reinstated.

The billing option is typically the same as the previous policy period.

Yes as long as you pay the renewal premium it will renew automatically.

No we evaluate each policy upon renewal. Most insurance companies want to see a 3 year history with prior carrier so unless your current company has taken significant rate increase expect the policy to stay with the same carrier for 3 years

The last few years insurance companies have seen a significant increase in frequency & severity with claims. All the carriers have been increasing premiums. We always do our best to re-market policies when we see an increase of 10% or more.

Home Insurance Policies with guaranteed replacement cost provisions have inflationary riders that increase the premium at rate of 3%. You can ask to have this removed with some companies but you can jeopardize your replacement coverage provision by doing this.

You are entitled to a pro-rated refund based on the amount of premium your prior insurance company has earned. The prior company will fully refund your insurance premiums within a reasonable time period.

We will show you our rating system and how it works. We can present all quote options and help you decide what is best.

Yes we encrypt all our data and never sell your information to any 3rd party. All our communication methods are protected with the highest level of security.

Typically when we speak for the first time it take 10-15 minutes and we can usually get all the information we need. People are really surprised how easy it is.

You can Fax, Email, or Text them to our office.

We will have you sign a cancellation request that we will forward on your behalf to your current or prior company letting them know you properly changed insurance companies according to state insurance laws.

We are your agent and we service your policy just like any other insurance agency does. We are here all the time to answer any type of questions.

Your bill is paid directly to the insurance company. You can set up automatic recurring payment methods or pay in full for the policy period.

We do not accept cash monthly payments in our office. Occasionally we can make an exception but we feel it is a security issue and our agency standard does not allow cash payments.

Yes it’s always best to look at packaging all your policies with one carrier. We typically are not a good fit for single policies unless there is specific underlying circumstances.

We are always here throughout the claim process with follow ups. All insurance claims are to be filed directly with the appropriate insurance company. We always encourage customers to call us regarding any would be claim questions before filing claims with the insurance company.