Watercraft

Your boat can serve as the ultimate weekend retreat or your next big adventure. Regardless of what type of boat you have or how you use it, we offer a wide range of watercraft carriers to fit your coverage needs and particular style of boating.

We can insure personal watercraft, small boats, big boats over 50 feet in length, performance boats that have speeds over 100 MPH, and boats used for charter.

Also know that on vessels that are older and over a certain length, you may be required to have a valid marine survey (usually dated 5 years or newer) available so the carrier can asses your boat for coverage. Some carriers like Progressive will never require a survey and build it into their pricing.

Carriers will also ask you for information about your previous boating experience. If you are purchasing insurance for a larger boat a company might also want to see you have experience operating a larger vessel. They can ask what types of boats you have owned in the past or operated, if you have any additional safety or navigational training, and if you have had any past watercraft losses.

Below you will find some useful information on what is included when you purchase a new policy.

Common Coverages

I am closing on a new house, what do I need?"

We do new home closings all of the time! We will contact your closing attorney and your lender to provide them with two items. 1. A temporary proof of insurance called a binder 2. a receipt showing you have paid us the full annual cost of the home insurance OR an invoice to pay at closing. Closing dates change often. We constantly stay in contact with everyone to make sure the policy is issued for the correct date. Your lender will also inform us if the homeowner's insurance will be paid by your lender in the future years. If it is, your insurance company will send the bill to your lender at renewal. The annual term will then be paid out of your escrow account. We promise to make buying insurance the easiest part of your closing!
My mortgage company pays my home insurance. How do I switch?

If you want to switch your homeowner's insurance and your mortgage company pays your home insurance bill, we contact the bank for you. We provide them with all of the new policy information and inform them you are moving your insurance. Once they receive the bill they will make the payment out of your escrow account. We recommend you always take any refund money from your old policy if it is being canceled mid-term and place it back into your account to pay towards the new insurance.
Can I reduce the replacement cost amount on my home policy?

In most cases, no. We perform detailed cost estimators on every new quote to determine the true rebuilding value of your house. A replacement cost policy requires you insure the dwelling to 100% of its true replacement value. If an agent issues a policy at a suppressed rebuilding cost, at the time of inspection a certified inspector will do their own cost estimator and compare their work with the agent's. If the two values do not match, the insurance company will force you to insure the property correctly.
When does a company perform inspections?

If you issue a new homeowner's policy, carriers will perform an exterior inspection of your house to check for pride in home ownership. They will make sure your roof is in tact without misplaced and cracked shingles, level walkways, proper drainage, no moss on the siding, no loose debris in the yard, etc. Make your house look like something the company wants to insure! In some instances, a company will order an interior inspection. They may do this if your house is older than 75 years of age to check for updates or if you have a high value home. There could be other reasons as well. Insurance companies over time also have the right to re-inspect your property as a policy ages.
I live within 2,600 feet of the water and I thought I couldn't switch my insurance?"

In CT prior to October of 2014, preferred carriers would not write homeowner's insurance if your house was located a half of a mile or less from the coast without hurricane mitigation (hurricane straps, shutters, hurricane rated glass). You would of been forced to seek out specialty carriers that would write your house. Being a coastal agency, we dealt with this a lot. After October of 2014, the State of CT required all insurance carriers in the preferred market to accept homeowner's insurance up to the coast. They considered not doing so redlining. Today as a coastal homeowner, you will have no issues re-quoting your insurance in a variety of markets.
I no longer live in my house, do I have to notify my agent?"

If you were at one point living in your house and it is now vacant, rented out (even to family members...), or under renovation, you need to notify your agent IMMEDIATELY. A standard home insurance policy assumes the owner named on the deed or a spouse is occupying it. If you are renting a house, it needs to be written as a rental. If it is vacant it needs to be written as vacant. If you have a claim and a policy is written with the wrong occupancy, the company can deny your claim.
Do CAT Claims affect my insurance?

CAT claims stand for catastrophic claims. This means you have experienced some sort of loss from a widespread incident that affected many claimants. Companies are not supposed to hold individuals responsible for these sorts of events.
When do I need Lead Certificates?

Many carriers in the preferred market require lead certificates if you are renting out a home or individual unit built prior to1978. Some carriers will require lead free or lead safe certificates certifying there is no lead risk before they will accept the risk. We offer various markets that will not require lead certificates in these situations.
I have an adverse claims history and nobody wants to insure me - now what?

You will most likely have to go to an excess and surplus lines company. Due to the strict guidelines in a preferred market, if you have certain types of claims such as a large liability loss or multiple incidents within a short period of time, you may not be eligible. We have access to many specialty markets to find you a quote in these situations. They will price accordingly!
Dogs - Are They a Problem?

Having a dog is not an issue in itself. However, most carriers have restrictions on a number of breeds. Pit bulls, rottweilers, ridgebacks, akitas, dobermans, chows to name a few will give you trouble when trying to get homeowner's insurance. In some cases you may have to go to an excess and surplus market to find house insurance and they will apply an animal liability exclusion on the policy. If you have an animal liability exclusion on youer policy, this means when your pup bites someone (or another dog) and causes injury, there is no coverage.