The popularity of home based businesses has been on the rise throughout Georgia over the past several years.  Although running your business from your home can be a smart, cost saving decision, it can create costly gaps in your insurance coverage.

If you’re working at home you need to review your coverage ASAP. Your homeowners insurance probably doesn’t cover your business. A typical Georgia homeowner’s policy provides only $2,500 coverage for business equipment which is usually not enough to cover all of the business property you use in your business. You also need coverage for liability and business interruption.

To insure your home-based business, you have three choices-endorsements to the home insurance policy, an in-home business insurance policy or a small business owner’s package insurance policy.

1) ENDORSEMENTS TO YOU CURRENT HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE POLICY
Depending on the type of business you operate, you may be able to add an endorsement to your existing homeowner’s insurance policy. For as little as $14 a year in Georgia, you can double your standard homeowner’s insurance policy limits for business equipment from $2,500 to $5,000.

Some companies have begun offering endorsement that includes business property insurance and limited business liability insurance coverage.

2) IN-HOME BUSINESS INSURANCE POLICY
The insurance industry has responded to the growing number of home-based business by creating in-home business insurance policies. In Georgia, for under $200 per year in most cases, you can insure your business property for $10,000. General liability insurance coverage is also included in the policy. A business owner in Georgia can purchase anywhere from $300,000 to $1 million worth of liability insurance coverage. The cost of the liability coverage will depend on the amount purchased.

If your business is unable to operate because of damage to your house, your in-home business policy will cover lost income and ongoing expenses such as payroll for up to one year. The policy also provides limited coverage for loss of valuable papers and records, accounts receivable, off-site business property and use of equipment.

In some cases, the companies that offer these polices require that you purchase your homeowner’s and auto policies from them.

3) BUSINESS OWNER’S PACKAGE INSURANCE POLICY (BOP)
Created specifically for small business, this policy is an excellent solution if your home-based business operates in more than one location or manufactured products outside the workplace. A BOP, like the in-home business policy, covers business property and equipment, loss of income and extra expenses, and liability. However, these coverage’s are on a much broader scale than the in-home business policy.

4) AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COVERAGE
If you are using your automobile for business activities-transporting supplies or products or visiting customers-you need to make certain that your automobile insurance will protect you from accidents which may occur while on business.  Most personal auto insurance policies in Georgia either have exclusions or limitations to coverage when engaging in certain business activities, such as delivering goods.  Please check with your insurance agent immediately to verify your insurance coverage.  The last thing you want to happen is to get into an accident while delivering your products and find out that your insurance policy has an exclusion for deliver of goods, leaving you uncovered and personally responsible for paying for the accident damages.
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In order to get insurance coverage that will not overlap with your homeowner’s policy or leave any exposures, you should consult with an insurance professional with experience in this field.

The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your family or business.

Weathering a global pandemic over the last year and an epic winter storm last month seems a tall order. The upcoming spring storms in Georgia will arrive soon enough.

Yes, spring storm season brings a bit of dread. It is possible to see hailstones the size of softballs here in Georgia.

Who knows what the hail and wind storms will bring? Some years have proved benign. Others have proved off-the-chart in damage and roofing claims. 

It doesn't hurt to plan ahead and think through what a roofing insurance claim will look like in the event your roof is severely pelted by hail or if you suffer damage from high winds. 

Knowing what your insurance carrier will cover as stated in your home insurance policy will help you not to have to ask, "Why won't my home insurance coverage replace my roof?"

Do You Have Partial or Full Replacement Coverage?

One way insurance carriers entice Georgia homeowners to contract their policy with them is to keep the insurance premium down by offering certain options which may help the pocketbook initially, but could hurt at claim time.

What once was a rather straightforward process (your roof is damaged, the insurance carrier covers the full cost of replacing your roof minus your deductible) isn't always the case.

We can thank "creative" dealings between roofing companies and consumers for leading insurance carriers to tighten down the standards on paying claims and increasing deductible amounts. Roofing companies offering to help customers "eat the deductible" has proven more costly and wound up hurting more than helping in the form of higher premiums. It's also illegal.

As a further way to minimize cost for the insurance carrier, they have provided new solutions meant to have less of a payout to the policy owner, mainly you.

One way of doing this is through a Roof Payment Schedule, a.k.a, a Depreciation Schedule. 

If you have this type of provision in your policy, you may not have the protection you need if your roof is altered by ice balls dropping from the sky. 

There are good surprises and bad surprises in life. We don't want our clients experiencing a bad surprise in learning what they though they had for coverage is just that . . . a thought. 

We advise knowing the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value. 

In this case, if you want to answer "Will my insurance coverage replace my roof?" in the affirmative, paying more in premium to do so and bypassing the savings in favor of a costlier claim experience is the route to take. 

Getting Covered Before the Storms

If you have any doubt about your policy or know you are not covered, there is time to talk about it and most importantly, do something about it. 

As a local, independent insurance agent living and working right here in the Canton/Metro Atlanta area, we know this hail that will come knocking soon. 

We also have access to great options with carriers that pay claims consistently and promptly.

We hope the right policy with the right carrier will give you the peace of mind of knowing you're covered while listening to the pounding up top. 

The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your family or business.

As a business owner in Georgia, it is more important now more than ever to make sure your business auto insurance policy has the right coverage limits, endorsements, and symbols to not only make sure your business is properly protected-- but to make sure you aren't paying more than you need to. Million dollar liability claims are becoming the norm for auto accident liability lawsuits, which in turn is driving premiums up for business owner on their commercial auto policies. 

Due to the rise in high dollar claims and high dollar premiums, we wanted to review the commercial auto insurance symbols so that Georgia business owners can review their policies to make sure their operations are properly covered and that they aren't paying for anything they don't need:

Part 1- Commercial Auto Liability Symbols

1. Symbol 1-- "Any Auto". This is the most comprehensive coverage symbol for business auto policies. Symbol 1 dictates that the policy will cover autos that the insured owns, doesn't own, or hires/leases. With the broad and added exposure for the insurance company covering vehicles that they are unaware of, this symbol will be the most costly of all of the commercial auto symbols. 
2. Symbol 2 -- "Owned Autos Only". As the name suggests, this covers autos that are owned by the insured. No liability coverage for any other vehicles. 
3. Symbol 3 -- "Owned Private Passenger Autos". This is the same as symbols 2 except it only applies to private passenger autos, like a sedan. This does not extend coverage to trucks, vans, etc. This may be a good option for a business that just has outside salesmen or staff that use smaller, private passenger vehicles exclusively.
4. Symbol 4 -- "Owned Autos, Not Private Passenger". As the name suggests, this is just like symbol 3 except it only extends liability to owned, non-private passenger vehicles like trucks, vans, busses, etc. 
5. Symbol 5 -- "Owned Autos, PIP Coverage". This symbol is not applicable to most Georgia businesses as PIP (Personal Injury Protection) is only a feature in "no fault states".
6. Symbol 6 -- "Owned Autos, Uninsured Motorist Coverage". This is never going to be a mandatory coverage, but will extend uninsured motorist coverage over owned autos within a business.
7. Symbols 7 -- "Scheduled Autos". This is the most common of the commercial auto insurance symbols because it is the most cost effective. This symbols dictates that liability coverage on the business auto policy will only extend to autos specifically listed on the policy. 
8. Symbol 8 -- "Hired Auto Coverage". This symbols extends liability on your commercial auto policy to vehicles you may hire, borrow, or lease for use in your business. It does not apply if you hire, borrow, or rent from an employee or a family member-- only from another business.
9. Symbol 9 -- "Non-Owned Auto Coverage". This coverage fills the gaps in symbol 8 by providing liability coverage to vehicles hired, borrowed, or leased to your business by a family member or employee. BUT liability only applies if the vehicle is being used for business purposes. 

Part 2- Physical Damage Coverage Symbols

1. Symbol 1 -- "Owned Autos Only". Provides physical damage coverage to autos owned by your business. 
2. Symbol 2 -- "Owned Private Passenger Autos Only". The same as physical damage symbol 1 except it only applies to private passenger autos. 
3. Symbol 3 -- "Owned Autos Other Than Private Passenger". The same as symbol 1 except private passenger autos are excluded.
4. Symbol 4 -- "Scheduled Autos". Covers all autos specifically listed on the policy for physical damage.
5. Symbol 5 -- "Hired Autos". Covers all auto exposures outlined in Part 1 symbol 8 for physical damage. For businesses that frequently rent/lease vehicles, this would be a great option to prevent buying separate insurance from the leasing company.  

As a Georgia business owner, it is important to note that sometimes you will engage in contracts that requires you to purchase coverage that is not applicable to your business OR you may enter into contracts that require less than what your business actually needs. This is very common with contractors in Georgia and is one of the main reasons it is important to review your business coverage needs and provide contract requirements to your independent insurance broker. 

The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your family or business.

Georgia homeowners are always asking, "am I covered for water damage"? In light of a huge influx of water damage claims over the past few weeks stemming from the severe winter weather in Texas and other states, we thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and clear this up for Georgia homeowners. 

The answer: sometimes.

Of course with insurance, it can never be too easy or cut and dry. There are some cases where water damage is never covered. There are some cases where water damage is almost always covered. And then there are some cases where it will depend on the circumstances and the policy contract language. Let's look at each of these scenarios:

When is water damage NEVER covered on a Georgia homeowners policy?

Water damage will never be covered if the water is coming from the ground. If it is coming from the ground, it is considered flood water and would only be covered by a flood policy. In some states, some specialty carriers have added an endorsement for this but, as of now, there's not a Georgia home insurance policy that will cover flood damage or damage from ground water.

Even if you're not in a flood plain, your home can still get damage from ground water. How you might ask? Over the years, we've seen several claims that were subsequently denied due to the damage coming from ground water. 

In a few instances, rain water was being redirected by down spouts to run up against the side of the home and foundation. Over time, this will allow water to seep through and begin causing damage to the interior of your home. 

In other instances, cracks in the basement foundation of homes has caused water to be able to seep through. 

This is one of the reasons you may want to consider getting a flood insurance policy to help protect your home in Georgia. 

When is water damage ALMOST always covered?

If an outside force causes sudden and accidental damage to your home to allow rain water to leak through or if the sudden and accidental damage results in a broken pipe. Unless you have a poorly written home insurance policy with specific exclusions, damage like this will almost always be covered by your Georgia home insurance policy. 

Another instance where water damage is almost always covered is when there is an accident. For example, you're filling up the bathtub, you run downstairs to get something while the water is running. You get distracted and next thing you know there's water coming through the ceiling. Unintentional accidents like this are almost always going to be a covered loss. 

When is water damage sometimes covered?

Water damage has potential to be covered by a Georgia homeowners policy when the loss is due to freezing and unfreezing (weather). Most Georgia home policies state that this is covered as long as the insured has made an effort to maintain heat inside the home. If you go out of town and turn the heat off in the dead of winter, this might not be covered. But generally speaking, as long as you keep the heat on, this should be a covered loss. 

Another situation that has potential for coverage is when there is a small leak that goes unnoticed. This will boil down to the policy language and the company you have your home insurance with. Some companies specifically exclude this type of leak. Others will cover this as long as the damage is addressed as soon as it is noticed. It is very important for you to read your policy, however boring it may be, to see if this is something that would be covered on your Georgia home insurance policy.

The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your family or business.

Things change, times change, vendors change, operations change, government requirements change, client expectations change. So ask yourself, how are things different today in your business and are your insurance policies right for the circumstances you’re in today?

Failing to review your business insurance can put everything you’ve worked so hard to build at risk.
With all of that in mind, here are eight questions Georgia business owners need to ask as you approach your policy renewal date:

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1. If your business has added staff, added office space or operations, congratulations! Now let’s talk about what additional or special coverages you might need at renewal. Don’t leave yourself uninsured or under-insured. Insurance carriers consider company size, revenue and funding among a long list of factors when quoting your premium. So if you’ve grown rapidly in the past year (again, congrats!) don’t be surprised if your insurance costs increase.

2. Have you entered into a joint venture, partnership or LLCs? As you grow your business, new exposures develop, so, again, a good reason to make sure coverage is properly adjusted at renewal.

3. Has your insurance carrier performed a risk control survey of your company’s operations and issued formal safety or loss prevention recommendations? Be sure you have addressed these issues and documented your compliance.

4. Do you have coverage to help carry you through the period following a fire or other loss, when you may not receive income from your customers? Business income insurance bridges that gap to help you pay bills and key employees until you are able to reopen.

5. Have you reviewed loss runs with your agent to confirm your claim records are correct and updated? Be sure that any conditions that caused claims have been addressed and solutions have been forwarded to the carrier for underwriting consideration at renewal.

6. Do you rely on networks, computers, and electronic data to conduct business? Do you handle or store sensitive customer data? Traditional coverage forms, including Property, General Liability, Crime and Errors & Omissions, typically do not adequately cover the information and network security risks of modern business operations. You may need to consider purchasing cyber or data breach coverage.

7. Do you have strong safety programs and risk management oversight? If you believe in your risk management and safety programs, then accepting higher deductibles could yield premium savings.

8. Do you have the right coverage in the event a customer sues? Even if you are not at fault, defending your reputation still will cost money. For example, General Liability does not cover claims arising out of the delivery of professional services. To address those exposures, talk to your agent about Professional Liability.
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Finally, while it may seem like a lot of trouble, the best commercial insurance brokers will be able to work through renewal with you fairly painlessly. That’s why renewal also is a good time to evaluate whether your broker is a good fit. If the process feels a lot like filling out college apps by yourself — overwhelming, complicated, and frustrating — it might be time to shop for a new broker.

The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your business. 

When contractors have a loss to their equipment, it can put their entire business in jeopardy. For example, when a warehouse fire destroys all of the business' equipment, it will take some time to file a claim and acquire new equipment. Even if the claim is processed quickly, what if the equipment is back ordered? It's safe to say the current jobs/contracts are going to be at risk, along with upcoming jobs and projects. This is why it is crucial for Georgia contractors to have Business Interruption Insurance. 

Choosing a BII coverage limit can be challenging with many loss variables involved. It’s important to get enough coverage to bridge potential income interruptions.

Here are 10 key questions contractors should ask when considering what BII limit they need:

1. What equipment, tools, supplies, paperwork and other assets would you lose in a fire or other disaster?
   
   
2. Without those items, how much revenue would you lose per week or month?
   
   
3. While you're unable to work, what expenses would continue to accrue?
   
   
4. How long would it take to replace everything?
   
   
5. How long would it take to replace just the critical items?
   
   
6. If these items aren’t readily available, what items can you substitute, and what kind of delay will be involved in getting the substitutes?
   
   
7. Can you temporarily rent or borrow needed items?
   
   
8. Once everything is replaced, how long will it take to get your operation back to 100 percent?
   
   
9. What kind of extra expenses would you incur (such as penalties for failure to meet a contract deadline, rush shipping on supplies or equipment, labor to update contracts)?
   
   
10. What kind of loss could you sustain if a fire or other covered peril affects one of your key vendors?

Taking the time to run through these scenarios and calculate the potential loss exposure can pay huge dividends down the road. In fact, it can make the difference between protecting your profits and filing for bankruptcy.

How would your business fare if you were unable to operate for a week? A month? A few months? You get the picture. 

Since business interruption insurance is among the least understood coverage types, many contractors simply don’t have enough coverage – and that’s one of the biggest causes of business failure following a fire or other disaster.

If you or a crucial supplier suffered a fire or other disaster, would your income be in jeopardy? For more information about protecting your profits with business interruption insurance, talk to the construction insurance specialists at the Roberts Insurance Group today.

The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your business. ​

According to government statistics, there are approximately 3 million work-related illnesses and injuries reported every year, or approximately 2.9 cases per 100 full-time employees. Benefit payments totaled nearly $62 billion for the most recent year in which figures were available.

Construction, as you might imagine, sees its fair share of work-related injuries but so does manufacturing, the retail sector and even finance and insurance, among others.

So, what are some of the do’s and don’ts for employers and injured workers considering filing a workers’ compensation claim? Let’s start with employers:

• Do get medical treatment for your employee. Give your employee your designated provider list notification letter and take your employee to the doctor. Your employee will appreciate your concern, and you will gain important information about the injury, recommended treatment and outlook for returning to work.
• Do investigate the accident. Use your carrier’s Accident/incident Investigation Report and Employee Accident Report. Complete your investigation immediately, before memories fade and evidence is lost.
• Do report the injury to your carrier, don’t wait to report if you don’t have all the information.
• Do complete a plan for modified duty if your employee is unable to return to regular duty work.

Here, too, are a few do’s and don’ts that, if you’re an employer, you can share with your workers:

• Do file a claim on a timely basis. Waiting does no one any good and only raises questions about the seriousness of your injury.
• Do take time to review the important information about your rights, responsibilities, benefits and assistance available to you sent by the claims examiner and the state workers’ compensation agency. It’s important to understand your benefits and to be actively engaged in helping to manage your claim.
• Do be honest and upfront about the injury and any prior injuries or accidents to the affected body parts. It’s crucial to be thoroughly transparent about your injury or risk losing your benefit.
• Do communicate with the employer and the claims adjuster about your medical status and work status to avoid delays in receiving benefits and the necessary medical treatment.
• Do follow the doctor’s orders. Ignoring them puts your health at risk, not to mention your benefits. Along these lines, don’t discontinue medical treatment before being released.
• Don’t seek medical treatment from unauthorized providers. Going to a doctor who’s out of your network could leave you without coverage.
• Don’t delay returning to work once you’re able.

The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your business. 

When many people think of a commercial auto insurance policy, they may think of big vehicles such as semi-trucks, box trucks, garbage trucks, etc. However, there are many variations of vehicles that would qualify for a commercial auto insurance policy.

How to Determine If You Need a Commercial Auto Insurance Policy

1. If you're using your vehicle to transport business equipment.
2. Freight transportation- Is your vehicle used to transport non-owned goods? If so, you need a commercial auto policy. 
3. Towing vehicles
4. Delivering food or goods- Amazon drivers, food delivery drivers, etc.
5. Using your vehicle to transport passengers for a fee- Uber, Lyft, taxi, limo, bus, etc.
6. If your vehicle is owned by your business or used over 50% of the time for business purposes. 
7. If your vehicle is over 10,000 lbs., you may need a commercial auto policy.

How Is A Commercial Auto Insurance Policy Different Than My Personal Auto Insurance?

Since your vehicle is being used for business purposes, there are different risks that need to be insured. Additionally, the rating system used by companies is entirely different than a personal auto policy.  Each commercial policy needs vary, so contact us to help evaluate what type of coverage and limits your business needs. For Georgia business owners with many vehicles to insure, business auto fleet policies are available. Additionally, consider adding a commercial umbrella policy above and beyond your standard commercial auto policy to protect your business from a catastrophic vehicle accident claim.

How Much Does Commercial Auto Insurance Cost?

Just like your personal auto insurance policy, a commercial auto insurance policy is rated on many factors. Here are a few common examples of what could determine your insurance rate.

• Driving records
• Driver age
• Credit history
• The size & type of your vehicle
• The number of vehicles you are insuring
• What you plan to transport
• Your industry
• How your vehicle(s) are used
• Vehicle radius of operation

Not Sure What Kind of Coverage You Need for Your Business?

That is where we can help.  Our agents at the Roberts Insurance Group can help determine what type of coverage will be the best fit for your specific needs. If you plan to use your vehicle for business and personal purposes, we can help you determine an appropriate type of policy. If you are only looking to cover your vehicle for business use, we can help find you the best rate. We will explain all of your options so you understand your policy. Get a free commercial auto insurance quote by calling or emailing us.