Commercial Insurance is tailored to cushion your business financially against risks such as legal suits and natural hazards. However, there are several myths associated with the policy. Here are some of them; 

1. A really small business does not need to have an insurance cover

Small businesses are not immune losses emerging from liabilities, downtimes, equipment theft, and natural disasters. Small businesses are also susceptible to lawsuits that could adversely affect the profitability. 

2. The landlord has an insurance cover, so I do not need one

While the landlord could have an insurance cover for the premises, this does not cover the building’s contents. You need to apply for an insurance cover on your equipment, inventory, and any improvements you have made to your rented space.

3. My business is home-based and therefore covered under my home insurance

Running your business from home does not mean that your home insurance automatically covers the business. Should you have a home office or business equipment in your residence, you should consult commercial insurer such as Southwest Insurance Center know so that they provide a cover for such as well.

4. My insurance policy covers me against any loss

Under the commercial insurance policy, only business-related assets and equipment are covered. 

5. I do not need a commercial vehicle cover as I drive my personal vehicle

If you use your personal car to carry out business related activities such as ferrying work equipment, driving your clients or going to meet with them, this is considered a commercial activity. Have your insurer amend your current policy to cover such business operations.

Need to learn more about commercial insurance?  At the Southwest Insurance Center we write commercial insurance in Austin, TX. We work with qualified agents who will advise you on the ideal coverage options for your business. You can also get a free estimate of your policy on our website. 

No one plans for their RV catching fire. However, this is something that can occur. An RV can catch fire if it is involved in a car accident if it gets caught in a forest fire, if embers from a nearby fire ignite the RV or if a fire breaks out in the kitchen of the RV. If you have RV insurance, you may know that certain things are covered by RV insurance and other things are not. At Southwest Insurance Center, serving the greater Austin, TX area, we believe it is important that every RV owner know what is and what is not covered by their insurance policy. Here is what you need to know about fire damage. 

The type of RV coverage you have, and the reason for the fire, determine whether your insurance policy covers fire damage. If the fire was caused by an accident, the fire would be covered if you have collision insurance on your RV. If the fire were caused by vandalism or cooking in your RV, comprehensive RV insurance would cover the fire damage. As such, in order for all forms of fire damage to be covered, you will want to make sure you carry full coverage RV insurance, including collision and comprehensive coverage to fully protect your RV. 

If you are wondering if your RV insurance policy covers fire damage, bring it to Southwest Insurance Center, serving the greater Austin, TX area. We would be happy to read over your current RV insurance policy with you and discuss what is and is not covered. If needed, we can help you find a new RV insurance policy that helps to fully cover and protect your RV. 

Traveling with your pets in Austin, TX is a lot more fun if you have an RV. However, your RV may be damaged by your pet or your cat or dog buddy may suffer from an injury while driving. If you and your pets travel regularly in your RV, contact us at Southwest Insurance Center to get the coverage you need to protect them.

Pet Coverage Was Once An Impossibility

In the past, most RV insurance policies did not cover pets. That’s because they didn’t consider them an important part of the RV. However, a large number of people have demanded an increase in this type of coverage. As a result, many companies have been forced to start offering pet coverage.

Some Policies Now Cover Pet Injuries

The high demand for policy expansion has caused many RV insurance providers to add coverage for pets. These policies usually cover injuries caused to your pets while on the road. In most cases, pet injury coverage does not require a deductible. This makes is a great addition for people who love traveling with their best cat or dog friends.

Pet Damage May Not Be Covered

One problem you might note when buying this type of policy is a lack of pet damage coverage. That’s because pet damage is often considered a problem that you caused, rather than one that occurred independently of you. Even if you didn’t mean for damage to occur or had no malice, many policies don’t pay for damage caused by pets or even other types of animal invasions, such as rats.

Don’t Neglect Your RV Pet Needs

So if you plan on traveling around the Austin, TX in an RV with pets, please contact us at Southwest Insurance Center today. We will work hard to find a coverage type that works for you and will provide a high-quality and comprehensive insurance that fits your needs.

A regular homeowner’s policy in Austin, TX will typically cover everything except those things that are listed as exclusions. A dwelling fire policy, however, will cover specifically-named perils. Because of this, if there are certain assets that you want to make sure are covered by insurance, then a dwelling fire insurance policy may make for the best choice. For now, let’s take a closer look at what a dwelling fire insurance policy is. 

What is Dwelling Insurance?

Dwelling insurance is sometimes called "dwelling coverage." It can be part of homeowner’s insurance policy and may aid in paying for the repair and rebuilding of your home if certain damages occur that are related to weather damage, vandalism, or explosions. This policy is namely for landlords who rent out properties and have no need to put insurance on any of the contents of the home.

Know the Difference

• Homeowner’s Insurance: Offers coverage on the structure, contents, and the property of a home. It offers protection from fire and helps pay bills related to the repair, rebuilding, and replacement of the home.

• Dwelling Fire Insurance: These policies are popular for rental properties. If you rent a property to tenants, it is vital to have dwelling fire insurance.

What It Covers?

Fire is not the only type of claim that dwelling fire policies cover. This is why it is a popular option for secondary residence and rental properties. A few things covered under dwelling fire insurance may include;

• The Dwelling: Including cabinets, flooring, countertops, roof, walls, exterior porches, light fixtures, and built-in appliances.
• Other Structures: Storage sheds, detached garages, and fences.
• Fair Rental Value: Your policy will reimburse the homeowner for the loss of rental income when the property has been damaged and the rental unit is uninhabitable.

Contact Us Today

If you would like to learn more about dwelling fire insurance, please contact the Southwest Insurance Center serving the Austin, TX area. 

If you are a homeowner in the Austin, TX metro area and you don’t already have flood insurance, you might want to think again. Some of the biggest floods in recent years have been in Texas, and although Austin was not hit, it could be next. Check out these important facts and statistics about Flooding in Texas:

Flood Prone Austin

The average annual rainfall in Austin TX is 34 inches. That doesn’t sound like much, but the problem is that much of it can come at once.  May and September are the rainiest months, with contributions from dissipating tropical storms coming up from the Gulf as well as stalled-out cold fronts. Rainfall amounts exceeding 5 inches in several hours are not uncommon and can cause widespread flooding.
 
The Colorado River Flows through Austin. Over the years, Colorado has been prone to flooding. In the 1930’s, when Austin was much smaller, the swollen Colorado flooded Austin several times and cut the city in two. In addition, Central Texas is known as "Flash-flood Alley". Flash floods, emanating from smaller streams and tributaries of the Colorado River are a concern every year. Because of its dynamic growth, more and more concrete has been poured in the Austin metro area, contributing to increasingly large flood runoffs during storms.  

Southwest Insurance Center, Serving Austin, Texas

If you own a home or business in the Austin metro area, speak with the team at Southwest Insurance Center today about getting flood insurance. Southwest Insurance center is a one-stop independent insurance agency covering all aspect of home, auto, commercial and other insurance needs.

On a homeowners policy, it covers you if someone were on your property and fell down your stairs. This bucket of money or personal liability limit would cover the injured party’s trip the hospital, additional doctor bills and so on. Imagine you had a pool in your backyard and decided to host a block party. During this party, your neighbors’ wife fell into the pool, drown and had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital. Common underlying liability coverages of $100,000, $300,000 or even $500,000 would not be enough to cover the high costs of this type of medical treatment, and you would be responsible for making up the difference out of pocket, or possibly in a lawsuit.

This works in the same manner for auto insurance; if you have the required underlying limits for the umbrella policy, it will kick in once your primary limits have been used up. The umbrella will pay up to the policy limit described on the declarations page.

How Much Umbrella Insurance Do I Need?

When considering the amount of coverage you need, think about three things:

The hazards you may encounter. Review the jeopardies as a homeowner or renter, the chance of causing an accident during your daily work commute, and any other possibly dangerous activities you engage in that could put those around you at risk. Are you an avid boater? Causing a boating accident would be something that falls under the umbrella policy as well.

The value of all of your possessions. These assets include properties, belongings in your home, stocks, bonds, savings and retirement funds. Your umbrella policy limits should reflect the amount of stuff you have to protect, the more possessions, the higher the limit should be.

Are you up for to risking future income? Probably not. But did you know that liability lawsuits can result in the loss of stuff you have now and money you haven’t even earned yet?  Even if you have few assets now, may want to think long-term about the implications of a major loss.

When thinking about your future earnings, consider your earning potential.  If you are on the fast track for a high-paying career, you could be part of a lawsuit that targets money you have only dreamed of earning.

If you think you may need an umbrella policy, but have questions and are in or around the Austin, TX area give Southwest Insurance Center a call. 

RVs are now a very popular purchase in Austin, TX and across the state in general. Many people of all ages are finding that this type of vehicle offers a lot more options when it comes to traveling than traditional modes of transportation, but there remains some confusion over applicable insurance laws. So is RV Insurance required in Texas? The truth is a little complicated. RVs that are driven by themselves will need their own insurance policy, but those that are attachments to other vehicles can often be covered under that vehicle’s policy (albeit usually through an attachment or extension). If the vehicle is being leased or financed, the dealership or rental company will usually require full insurance coverage to protect what is still legally theirs, but if you are the owner, you will at the very least need to be able to cover damages inflicted to others in the event of an accident. 

Do You Own an ‘RV’? 

It can sometimes be confusing as to what is defined as an “RV”, especially if you do not own a traditional-looking one. In the legal sense, the term “recreational vehicle” actually covers a rather wide range of vehicles and vehicle components that usually have some type of living quarters. This includes (but may not be limited to) trailers, motorhomes, caravans, truck campers, pop-up campers and fifth-wheel trailers. If you’re still unclear as to whether or not your vehicle needs to be covered with RV insurance, the experts at Southwest Insurance Center can help. 

Taking the Next Step

Southwest Insurance Center serves Austin, TX and surrounding areas. To expedite the insurance process, it is wise to have your driving history on hand, as well as an idea of where you might be driving your RV. When you’re ready, please feel free to contact us to learn more about how you can protect yourself and your RV before you embark on that next great adventure. 

Riding a motorcycle can be a very fun and exciting experience and mode of transportation.  When you are looking to ride a motorcycle, you also need to make sure it is properly protected by insurance.  There are several factors that need to be considered when you are determining what type of motorcycle insurance you should get.

Legal Requirements

People that are in the Austin, TX area will need to comply with state laws when it comes to getting insurance on their motorcycle.  In the state of Texas, all people that ride a motorcycle will need to have minimum amounts of liability coverage in place to be in compliance with the law.  In Texas, this includes having $25,000 of property damage liability coverage and $30,000 of bodily injury coverage for each injured person with a $60,000 cap in bodily injury coverage per incident. 

Additional Coverage

While you are only required by law to have the liability coverage in place on your motorcycle insurance policy, most people would benefit from additional types of coverage as well.  The base liability coverage will not provide you with any coverage in the event your motorcycle is damaged in an accident or if it is stolen or vandalized.  To ensure you have coverage for these situations, you will also need to get collision and comprehensive coverage on your motorcycle insurance policy.  These types of coverage will also be required if you take out a loan to buy your motorcycle.

For those that are in the Austin, TX area and would like to ride a motorcycle, speaking with the Southwest Insurance Center first could be a great option.  This company will help you better understand the motorcycle insurance requirements and help you get into a policy that provides you with the right amount of protection and coverage. 

Regardless of the type of boat that you own, you need to protect it from any unseen circumstances or incidences that may happen while in water. Boats are assets considered as investments, and the best way to keep them safe is by purchasing a boat insurance coverage. Although standard home insurance provides a little amount of protection, it does not give you adequate protection on some factors such as liability claims. To acquire adequate protection for your watercraft in Austin, TX, Southwest Insurance Center is the place to be. We will also educate on the factors that affect your policy.

Does size and material of the boat affect your boat insurance coverage?

This is one area that tends to confuse individuals especially those that are not aware of the factors that affect premiums of the boat insurance. Boats come in different sizes.

Size – Boats are considered to be 26 inches and below. Anything bigger than that is regarded as a yacht. Yachts have broader insurance coverage than a boat. This is because they cover a longer distance and have unique exposures. From that point of view, the size of the aircraft has impacts on insurance coverage.

Material – Boats are made of different material qualities too.  The construction material and the style used to design the vessel are determinants of the premiums paid. For example, you need to determine if the vessel is a fishing boat, sailing yachts, V-hull or catamaran before purchasing your policy. These types of watercraft come in different sizes, material, and design.

What is included in boat insurance?

Your boat insurance provides you with various protections which include liability, fuel spills, medical coverage, mold, rusts and collision among others.

To understand more about factors that affect your boat insurance coverage in Austin, TX, contact Southwest Insurance Center and let our experts educate you more on the same. We can also help you decide the best coverage for you.