If you work for yourself as a tradesman or business owner you have a number of risks, some of which you may not even be aware of. Sit down with one of our licensed professionals to learn how to best protect yourself and your business. Put our years of experience to work for you!
Paid-In-Full policies get the biggest discount. Policies set up on a monthly Bank Debit commonly called EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) still obtain a discount although slightly lower. There are no billing discounts for invoices which are mailed to you.
There are a number of factors which contribute to the rate you are now paying. These include age, zip code, tickets, accidents, suspensions, coverage, vehicle, marital status, credit, fraud, etc. Our job is to help you understand what you have and what you need, find a billing plan that you can live with and re-quote your policy from time to time to obtain current rates in the marketplace. Your job is to keep your driving record as clear as possible and maintain your policy in force so you get your full renewal discount!
Insurance companies exist for two reasons. First to send out bills, and second to pay claims! You were sent a bill, however not all mail goes where it is supposed to go. That is why we encourage either paid in full policies or EFT (monthly bank debit). Also, you MAY be full paid up for this policy term so you won't get a bill. Simply check with your agent or company.
Aside from buying lottery tickets… you will need to add your new driver to your policy. Some companies do not charge for a driver who has a Learner's Permit, usually until a child turns 18 or 19. Your agent can advise you of your options.
You must disclose all individuals in your home age 15 or over, however you MAY exclude them from driving your vehicles. The complete answer to this question cannot be given here, however the simple version is that judges want insurance companies to pay claims. Therefore insurance companies want to fully understand the risk. Your answers to these types of questions will ensure that if there is a claim, it will be paid!
Most likely no. Think of it as an ad in the newspaper for you to lease a brand new car for $99 per month. Advertising like this is borderline deceit. It's also called deceptive advertising. Most insurance rates are within 5 to 10 percent of each other. All companies have very similar costs of doing business. However, every once in a while a company decides to "buy" business to increase their market share. However when the claims start to accumulate, these companies will start to question and delay every claim and they will obviously need to increase their rates to what they should have been in the first place. Do you wish to find yourself in this situation down the road?
You can call an 800 phone number and never speak to the same person twice. Also, that person will usually NOT be a licensed insurance agent Or you go to a local agency which only represents one insurance company. You will have to accept their rates and rules. Finally, you can select a licensed insurance agent working for a local independent agency who represents many insurance carriers. The decision is yours!
Often times yes, but not always! Someone who uses their vehicle for work will be driving more than someone who simply uses their car to get to work. The more you drive, the higher risk you represent to an insurance carrier. Having said this, we have some carriers who price their commercial policies very aggressively. This means that you may not even have an increase in premium. But you must disclose any business use so that if there is a claim it will be paid!
Maybe yes and maybe no. If they use your car on a regular basis they should be listed as a driver even if they do not live with you. If you are not sure what "regular basis" means ask your agent to get a ruling from your insurance company. But it is a bad idea to lend your car to someone. If they have an accident, YOU will be on the hook completely just as if you were driving. Even worse, your carrier may deny the claim putting you in further financial jeopardy. Want an easy way out? Simply say that they are not listed on the policy and therefore you are unable to loan them the car. Simple. Now that wasn't hard, was it?
Yeah, there is one big one! You will be obligated to carry higher limits of liability than the State of Florida mandates. This is due to the fact that if you have an accident with a leased vehicle, the leasing company is on the hook just like you. This is not the case with a lender who simply loans you money to buy a car. A leasing company is the OWNER of the vehicle and shares the risk of a lawsuit with you. So yes, you will need higher limits throughout the entire lease.
Easy answer. Sit down with a licensed insurance agent and ask questions. It is also important to know what is not covered. Insurance can be confusing at first, but if you have the right agent, it should become clearer and somewhat easier to understand. If your agent is not willing to spend the time with you that you need, we suggest you find an agent who will!
Generally they are NOT included in most policies. However you can add these extra items to your policy by paying a small fee to cover what we call "additional custom parts and equipment". If you do not have this coverage and your fancy, expensive rims and tires are stolen, you will only receive "stock" rims and tires as a replacement. Be careful, this is a very misunderstood item and needs to be discussed, and often documented, so that your valuable "extras" will be covered in the event of a claim.
