What an Umbrella Policy is & Who it Covers

An umbrella policy provides extra coverage in addition to what you’d get from your liability insurance policy. It cannot be purchased as a separate policy but can be purchased once you already have a regular policy in place for a certain dollar amount.

The umbrella policy is for the person or company that purchased the policy. Although they’re generally used by businesses, they may be purchased by individuals as supplemental insurance on homeowner and automobile policies. It can be used to pay for property damage, legal expenses, medical bills, and more.

How it Works

Umbrella policies are different from other insurances because you can only purchase them if you already have another policy in place. It’s ideal for the individual who is being sued and has insufficient liability coverage on his or her main policy.

Say an individual has a $100,000 liability insurance policy and an additional $100,000 on an umbrella policy. If the individual is sued for $200,000, the first half is paid through the regular policy, and the second half is covered by the umbrella policy. It’s a popular choice because it’s somewhat cheap to buy.

Types of Coverage

Individuals or businesses can use them to provide coverage for property damage, personal injuries, homeowners insurance, landlord insurance, or even for lawsuits for slander or libel. They can even purchase an umbrella policy only when they feel they’ll need it as long as they have a regular liability policy in place.

Major Benefits

We seldom know when we’re going to be sued. The main benefit of an umbrella policy is that it can provide the additional coverage we may need. Most lawsuits require large payouts. Often an umbrella policy can mean the survival of a business.