Ready for a saga? Buckle up... So I have been thinking about getting some coverage for the cars I am working on and transporting these days...in case I burn paint, scratch car, crash it while driving etc... I bring up this question to my insurance agent who begins to look into options, he comes back with a 'garage keepers' (GK) policy that meets these coverage needs. This is great, I think, and he refers me to a counterpart within the company that deals with these types of policies. In discussing my situation with this person, they let on that any damage to my house from cars I am working on (customer car drives into my water heater, starts a fire and burns the house down) or liability from a customer slipping in my garage would not be covered by either my homeowners or GK policy. In later discussions with the two agents I find that these two policies are definitely not compatible and they would not be able to renew my homeowners policy if I was detailing in my garage. At this point, I begin to shop around and have an insurance broker that deals with multiple insurance carriers search for companies that would be willing to cover me on these two fronts...they come back with 1 company that wants to charge me 2x what I pay now just for the homeowners policy...yikes. A few facts: My auto policy only covers me in my car, not any others. A GK policy would cover me for damage to a customer's car, just not in my garage. If I worked in a detached garage or shop, there would be no incompatibility with the homeowners policy. I don't have a shop or space I can rent/use to detail that is not detached to my house. At this point, I am hoping others in our detailing world have run into the same problem and can share solutions they found. I would greatly appreciate any advice.
Man that really stinks and it is ridiculous that, that one company is going to double the rates on you just to make both policies compatible. I hope you find a solution for this best of luck.
Wait a minute, so everytime you drive someone elses car you are an uninsured driver???? I've never heard of that, dang who is your car insurance with and what does it cost a year like 8 bucks?
I was thinking the same thing. I'm insured no matter what car I drive. Typically you can add this to your insurance.
http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum...marketing/19233-guide-liability-insurance.htm Hopefully this will shine a little light on the various covers and options available to help you with the decision on what is most appropriate for your business.
In Canada, drivers aren't insured per se, but vehicles are. You put insurance on your car and it is covered regardless who was driving it at the time.
I was surprised to hear that too, but that is what MetLife told me. My auto policy with them is otherwise normal in terms of costs and coverage. I've thought about relying on the insurance a customer has on a car, but why would they want to report an accident/damage, pay a deductible and potentially face higher rates if they weren't even driving the vehicle? It seems to me they would expect me to have coverage. Thanks for all of the input guys.
Thanks for the input but this write-up seems geared more towards the system in the UK. I'm not confident that much of it applies in the states, especially after some conversations with various insurance companies here over the past few weeks.
What about looking into a Business Owners Policy and possibly switching your auto coverage carrier. It has been awhile since I took the class but I think a BOP would give you the coberage you are looking for. Typically a BOP policy includes: 1. Property insurance (covering buildings, equipment and inventory). 2. Business interruption insurance (covering losses that cause you to shut operations or reduce production for a time). Business interruption insurance can provide money to offset lost profits or to pay continuing expenses (typically for up to a year for insured losses). 3. Casualty or liability protection (covering harm done by the employees or products to other people or their property). 4. Crime insurance (covering loss of money or securities resulting from burglaries or robberies or destruction) as well as losses from employee theft or embezzlement. 5. Liability insurance covering lawsuits arising from accidents (as when someone trips and falls on your business’s property) or when you sell a product that damages the customer’s property or you are accused of offenses such as slander, copyright or invasion of privacy. 6.Vehicle coverage for rented or borrowed vehicles.
I leave in florida and from all my research it appear that Garage Keepers is the correct insurance. However when I got to an insurance agent - they say that is wrong. If you offer mobile services in florida. What is the correct coverage for in the state?
I just went through this whole thing, its really a pain. From what i understand most insurance companys wont cover damage you caused while doing your "profession". I contacted 2 insurance companies and both told me the same thing. BOP is the best option and certainly something i'm looking into for next business year!
