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Personal Insurance

Extra Liability Protection for the Unexpected

A serious accident or lawsuit can result in costs that exceed the liability limits of your home, auto, or other personal insurance policies.
Personal umbrella insurance provides an additional layer of liability protection above eligible underlying policies. Bayshield Insurance Services Inc. can help you determine whether umbrella coverage fits your needs.
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Protection at a Glance

An umbrella policy may extend above several eligible policies.

Auto Liability

Home Liability

Landlord Liability

Recreational Liability

An additional layer of liability protection

What Is Umbrella Insurance?

Personal umbrella insurance is additional liability coverage designed to apply after the liability limit of an eligible underlying policy has been reached.

For example, if you are legally responsible for a covered accident and the claim exceeds your auto policy’s liability limit, an umbrella policy may help pay the remaining eligible amount, up to its own limit.

Some policies may also cover specified liability claims not included in an underlying policy, subject to the umbrella policy’s terms and any applicable self-insured retention.

Underlying coverage responds first

An eligible home, auto, landlord, watercraft, or recreational policy generally responds before umbrella coverage.

Additional limits may follow

The umbrella policy may help when an eligible liability loss exceeds the underlying policy’s limit.

Policy requirements still apply

Coverage remains subject to the umbrella policy’s limits, exclusions, conditions, and retention requirements.

A simple coverage example

How Can Umbrella Insurance Work?

Suppose you are legally responsible for a covered accident resulting in an eligible liability claim of $750,000.

  • The underlying policy has a $500,000 liability limit.
  • The underlying policy pays its eligible $500,000 limit.
  • An umbrella policy may cover the remaining eligible $250,000.

This example is for general illustration only. It does not guarantee coverage for a specific claim. Actual coverage depends on the applicable policies.

Discuss Your Liability Protection

What Can Personal Umbrella Insurance Cover?

Coverage varies by policy, but umbrella insurance may provide additional protection for several liability risks.

Bodily Injury Liability

Umbrella insurance may help cover eligible costs when you are legally responsible for another person’s injuries.

Examples may include a serious auto accident, an injury at your home, or a covered incident involving a rental property or recreational activity.

Property Damage Liability

Coverage may apply when you are legally responsible for covered damage to another person’s property.

Examples may involve an auto accident, damage to another person’s home, or a covered incident involving a boat or recreational vehicle.

Landlord Liability

An umbrella policy may extend above an eligible landlord insurance policy.

Rental properties must be disclosed and meet the umbrella insurer’s eligibility and underlying-limit requirements.

Personal Injury Claims

Some umbrella policies may cover specified claims involving libel, slander, defamation, invasion of privacy, or false arrest.

Definitions, conditions, and exclusions vary significantly by policy.

Legal Defense Costs

An umbrella policy may help cover qualifying legal defense expenses associated with a covered liability claim.

How defense expenses affect the available policy limit depends on the policy wording.

Household Liability Exposures

Coverage may extend to eligible household members and specified personal activities.

Definitions of an insured and household-member eligibility vary, so review the policy carefully.

Policies That May Sit Beneath an Umbrella

Umbrella insurers commonly require minimum liability limits on eligible underlying policies.

Auto Insurance

Eligible auto insurance may provide the first layer of liability protection for covered vehicle accidents.

Home Insurance

Eligible home insurance may provide underlying personal liability protection for covered incidents.

Landlord Insurance

Rental properties may need qualifying landlord insurance with specified underlying liability limits.

Watercraft Insurance

Boats and other watercraft must generally be disclosed and maintain qualifying liability coverage to be eligible.

Recreational Insurance

Motorhomes, off-road vehicles, collectible cars, and exotic cars may require eligible underlying coverage.

Explore Recreational Insurance.

Maintain Required Limits

If an underlying policy does not maintain the required liability limit, you may be responsible for the difference before umbrella coverage applies.

What Does Umbrella Insurance Usually Not Cover?

Personal umbrella insurance may exclude or limit claims involving:

  • Injury to you or members of your household
  • Damage to your own property
  • Intentional or criminal acts
  • Business or professional activities
  • Contractual obligations
  • Employment-related claims
  • Certain vehicles or recreational activities
  • Undisclosed rental properties
  • Losses below an applicable retention
  • Claims excluded by the applicable policies

Business-related liability generally requires appropriate commercial insurance or general liability insurance.

Select a limit based on your overall exposure

How Much Umbrella Coverage Do You Need?

Consider:

  • Your home and other properties
  • Savings and investments
  • Current and future income
  • Vehicles and household drivers
  • Rental properties
  • Watercraft and recreational vehicles
  • Activities conducted on your property
  • Existing liability limits
  • Potential legal defense costs
  • Your comfort with financial risk

There is no single umbrella limit appropriate for everyone.

Discuss Umbrella Coverage

Understand how the policies differ

Umbrella vs. Excess Liability Insurance

Personal Umbrella Insurance & Quotes

The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but policies may operate differently. Review the wording instead of relying only on the product name.

Excess Liability Insurance

Generally increases the liability limit of a specific underlying policy while following many of that policy’s terms and exclusions.

Umbrella Insurance

May extend above multiple eligible underlying policies and may provide broader protection for certain specified claims.

Review the Actual Policy

The scope of protection depends on definitions, covered claims, underlying requirements, exclusions, conditions, and limits.

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Who Should Consider Umbrella Insurance?

You do not need to consider yourself wealthy to face a large liability claim.

Property Owners

Consider your home, rental properties, valuable property, swimming pools, trampolines, and other premises-related risks.

Households with Drivers

Multiple vehicles, younger drivers, driving history, and regular vehicle use can increase liability exposure.

Recreational Vehicle Owners

Boats, motorhomes, off-road vehicles, collectible cars, and exotic cars may create additional exposures.

People Protecting Their Finances

Savings, investments, income, property, and future earnings may all be relevant when evaluating liability protection.

What Affects an Umbrella Insurance Quote?

Factors that may influence availability and pricing include:

  • Desired umbrella limit
  • Household members and drivers
  • Driving and claims history
  • Number and type of vehicles
  • Homes and rental properties
  • Watercraft and recreational vehicles
  • Existing underlying policy limits
  • Household employees
  • High-risk property features
  • Personal activities and exposures
  • Eligible bundled policies

Insurance providers evaluate these factors differently.

Compare the protection, not only the price

Why Compare Umbrella Insurance Quotes?

Review the umbrella limit, eligible underlying policies, required minimum limits, covered household members, exclusions, self-insured retention, defense provisions, service, and price.
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How to Get an Umbrella Insurance Quote

Review your existing policies and liability exposures before comparing available umbrella options.
01

Review Your Current Policies

Gather declarations pages for your home, auto, landlord, watercraft, and other applicable policies.
02

Identify Your Liability Exposures

Consider your properties, vehicles, drivers, recreational activities, household responsibilities, and assets.
03

Confirm Underlying Limits

Determine whether your existing policies meet the umbrella insurer’s minimum liability requirements.
04

Compare Available Options

Review limits, exclusions, eligible policies, retention requirements, service, and pricing.
Start Your Umbrella Insurance Quote

Umbrella Insurance Frequently Asked Questions

Clear answers about umbrella limits, underlying policies, covered household members, rental properties, recreational risks, and insurance quotes.

No. Home insurance protects your residence, belongings, and specified liability risks. Umbrella insurance provides additional liability protection above eligible underlying policies.

Add Another Layer of Protection

Bayshield Insurance Services Inc. can help you explore personal umbrella insurance that works with your eligible home, auto, landlord, and recreational policies.
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