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Albany, NY 12205

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Toedt Insurance Agency LLC Blog

Does Your Business Need Umbrella Insurance Coverage?

Umbrella insurance provides additional protection for businesses in the event of unexpected incidents. Many businesses in Albany, NY, can benefit from this type of coverage. Companies that welcome the public onto their premises or send employees to clients’ homes are at higher risk for losses related to property damage, bodily injury, and liability claims. Similarly, businesses in industries prone to lawsuits—such as construction, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, and retail—can find umbrella coverage particularly valuable. Additionally, businesses with expensive assets may benefit from the added protection that umbrella insurance offers.

How Umbrella Coverage Works

Umbrella insurance activates when the limits of your other insurance policies are reached. It helps cover significant costs related to property damage, bodily injury, or liability, ensuring you don’t face substantial out-of-pocket expenses. Umbrella policies typically cover legal fees, judgments, and settlements.

In some cases, umbrella insurance may cover damages not included in your other policies. However, it’s important to note that umbrella coverage does not compensate for losses caused by errors and omissions, criminal activity, or damage to your business property. If you want comprehensive coverage for your business vehicles, you may need to purchase a separate umbrella auto insurance policy.

Call Toedt Insurance Agency LLC for More Information

For most businesses, umbrella insurance is a worthwhile investment. Contact us to learn more about this type of coverage, how it can benefit your business, and what is and isn’t covered. At Toedt Insurance Agency LLC, we are dedicated to assisting Albany, NY, business owners and entrepreneurs in evaluating their options and selecting the insurance coverage that best suits their needs and budget.

DWELLING VALUES AND HOMEOWNER RENEWAL PRICE INCREASES

If you have been wondering why homeowner renewal prices have gone up more than usual, then wonder no more. The price increase is mainly due to increasing material and labor costs. This increase results in increases to the dwelling (or home) valuation or better known as your replacement cost. The average increase in valuation to replace your home is around 14%. Typically dwelling (home) values increase around 4-6% annually to keep pace with inflation. Since inflation is high and some materials still on back order or in short supply, dwelling replacement values have significantly increased. If you wish to discuss your dwelling values or premium increases, we’re here to help. Contact me at: toedtinsuranceagency@nycap.rr.com.

PROPERTY VALUATION RISK

Accurately stating a building’s replacement cost or actual cash value with an adequate and current valuation has always been important for insureds. High inflation and supply chain constraints have further complicated matters making proper building valuation more important than ever.

The consequences of an undervalued building could have big implications for insureds, in the form of potentially large out-of-pocket expenses. Accurately stating a building’s replacement cost is important in order to help ensure that you-the insured have the level of protection you expect and need.

Common misperceptions with valuation
Misperception #1: Purchase price or market value reflects an accurate value for a building’s replacement cost.
o The price of the building or current market value may not be an accurate reflection of its replacement cost.
Misperception #2: Tax and mortgage costs show a building’s value.
o Assessed value for tax purposes can be vastly different from the cost of materials and labor to repair or replace building when it’s damaged.
o Similarly, appraisals performed to establish loans are typically performed at the beginning of the loan term and not updated until the financing program is renegotiated.
• Misperception #3: Keeping a valuation as is, despite inflation, will be fine.
o Property market dynamics vary, but if insured value does not increase over the course of a few years, there is a strong possibility it is undervalued. This dynamic is even more relevant in the current inflationary environment.
Misperception #4: Buildings should be valued at the minimum amount required in the coinsurance clause.
o Coinsurance clauses in property policies allow for a buffer in the valuation, to help protect the policyholder in a situation where the value fluctuates over the policy period. Insuring a building at the minimum amount required by the coinsurance clause can increase the risk to the insured because using the minimum does not allow for common material and labor cost fluctuations.

Below is a simple example of how a valuation change can negatively affect a property owner:
• A commercial office building insured for $600,000 when the owner purchased it appreciates in value a few years later and suffers a total loss from a fire, costing $1M to replace. The property policy has scheduled limits of $600,000, meaning the insurer will pay a maximum amount of $600,000 for the claim (additional co-insurance penalties may apply). The building owner therefore faces at least $400,000 in out-of-pocket costs to rebuild.

It’s important that you-the insured knows that replacement costs have, in most instances, drastically increased in today’s market. Using values from prior years presents you-the insured with a significant risk. Our team of educated property professionals at Toedt Insurance Agency, LLC is here to help. We’ll help you use historical valuations, current local cost per square foot pricing and site specific details to arrive at an appropriate valuation. Contact Us Today!

WELCOME TO OUR WONDERFUL WORLD OF INSURANCE

Welcome to all our past, present and future customers. This blog is the place you can come to find out about every type of insurance, why it’s important, whether or not you need it, what does it do and can you get it at a good price. Our 35+ years of experience on the company and agency sides will guide you in making the best decisions for your family or business. Stay tuned as we’ll be posting weekly.

Partner Carriers

  • American Modern
  • AM Trust
  • CNA
  • Foremost
  • Hagerty
  • Lancer Insurance Company
  • Lemonade
  • Liberty Mutual
  • Main Street America
  • Midstate Mutual
  • National Benefit Life
  • National General
  • NYCM
  • Progressive Commercial
  • RLI
  • Safeco
  • Shelter Point Life Insurance Company
  • Standard Security Life
  • Utica First