When Should I Increase My Liability Coverage?

Liability coverage is an important part of your auto and home insurance.  It’s not the coverage that fixes your belongings, but it does pay for damage that you cause to others. 

For example, if you were to cause an auto accident, the liability portion of your car insurance would pay to fix the other vehicles or pay medical treatment for anyone who was injured. Let’s say that you have $25,000 in liability coverage for Property Damage.   And you cause an accident and total a pickup truck worth $35,000.  Your insurance would only pay $25k, meaning that you could be held responsible for the additional $10k in damages.  Not good! 

How to prevent this?  Have enough liability!  Typically, it only costs a few dollars each month to increase to the next level of liability insurance.  We can review your policy and give you price options for multiple amounts of coverage. 

The same thing applies to your home insurance.  Most home policies have around $100,000 in liability coverage.  If someone falls and is injured on your property or if your dog bites a neighbor, then you may need your liability insurance to kick in.

If you have a high net-worth, lots of assets, and need to protect yourself from lawsuits, you may need to purchase extra liability insurance called a Personal Umbrella Policy.The personal umbrella is extra liability that kicks in if you use up all of your auto or home policy liability coverage in a large claim.  These are often recommended for people with teenage drivers, watercraft, or other high-risk situations. 

We are here to help!  Let us review your liability options, look for gaps in coverage, and find the right policy for your family.  Call today for an auto and home quote.