FAQs
Answers to the most common questions
Featured questions
Commercial insurance FAQs
Commercial insurance helps protect a business from financial losses related to property damage, lawsuits, injuries, vehicles, employees, equipment, cyber incidents, and other business risks. The right coverage depends on your industry, operations, size, location, contracts, and exposures.
DELORA can help businesses explore coverage such as General Liability, Commercial Auto, Workers’ Compensation, Commercial Property, Business Owners Policies (BOP), Commercial Umbrella, Bonds, Inland Marine, Cyber Liability, Professional Liability, and other specialized business insurance options.
Commercial insurance can help protect your company’s assets, operations, employees, vehicles, property, and financial future when unexpected losses occur. Clients, landlords, lenders, general contractors, or government entities may also require certain coverage before you can work with them.
Requirements vary by state, industry, business activity, number of employees, vehicle ownership, and contractual obligations. Some coverage may be legally required, while other coverage may be required by a client, landlord, lender, or contract.
There is no single limit that is right for every business. Your limits should be reviewed based on your operations, contracts, assets, payroll, revenue, vehicles, property, and potential liability exposure.
Pricing depends on factors such as your industry, location, revenue, payroll, claims history, number of employees, vehicles, property values, coverage limits, deductibles, and the type of work your company performs.
Pricing depends on factors such as your industry, location, revenue, payroll, claims history, number of employees, vehicles, property values, coverage limits, deductibles, and the type of work your company performs.
An independent insurance agency is not limited to only one insurance company. This allows the agency to explore available options from multiple carriers and compare coverage, pricing, and terms based on the needs of your business.
Yes. As an independent agency, DELORA can help compare available carrier options based on your business, desired coverage, underwriting eligibility, and state availability.
General Liability insurance can help protect a business from certain third-party claims involving bodily injury, property damage, and personal or advertising injury, subject to the policy’s terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions.
Many contractors carry General Liability because customers, general contractors, property owners, municipalities, and project contracts frequently require it before work begins.
Employee work-related injuries are generally addressed through Workers’ Compensation rather than General Liability. The exact coverage depends on the policies in place and the facts of the loss.
A common policy structure provides a $1 million per-occurrence limit and a $2 million general aggregate limit. The exact limits, sublimits, and terms depend on the policy you purchase.
An Additional Insured is a person or organization that may receive certain rights under another party’s liability policy when the policy and an applicable endorsement provide those rights.
No. A certificate holder receives evidence of insurance. Additional Insured status generally requires an applicable policy provision or endorsement and may provide certain coverage rights that a certificate holder does not automatically receive.
Certificates of Insurance
A Certificate of Insurance is a document that provides basic information about certain insurance policies and limits in effect at the time the certificate is issued. It does not replace or change the insurance policy itself.
Send us the certificate holder’s name, address, email and any insurance requirements they gave you on WhatsApp. We’ll review the request and help with the right documentation when the policy allows it.
Yes, when appropriate. Provide the recipient’s contact information and any insurance requirements so our team can review the request.
Commercial auto
Commercial Auto insurance is designed for vehicles used in business operations and may include liability, physical damage, uninsured or underinsured motorist, medical payments, and other available coverages.
Personal auto policies may exclude or limit certain business uses. If a vehicle is owned, leased, or regularly used by a business, Commercial Auto coverage may be appropriate.
Often, yes. Businesses with multiple vehicles may be able to insure them together under a commercial auto policy or fleet program, depending on carrier eligibility and underwriting requirements.
Employees may be permitted drivers depending on the policy and carrier requirements. Insurance companies may review driver licenses, driving records, age, experience, and how the vehicles are used.
Hired Auto coverage can address certain exposures involving vehicles rented or hired for business use. Non-Owned Auto coverage can address certain liability exposures when employees use vehicles the business does not own for business activities.
Commercial Auto does not always provide broad coverage for tools or business equipment carried in a vehicle. Inland Marine, Tools and Equipment, or other coverage may be needed depending on your operations.
Workers’ compensation
Workers’ Compensation can provide benefits for employees who experience covered work-related injuries or illnesses, subject to applicable law and policy terms.
Requirements vary by state and business situation. Even when coverage is not legally required, a client, contract, landlord, or general contractor may require it.
It depends on the facts, state law, worker classification, contracts, and policy terms. Businesses that use subcontractors should review their insurance requirements carefully.
Common factors include payroll, employee classifications, type of work, state, claims history, experience modification, and workplace safety practices.
An Experience Modification Rate is a rating factor that may reflect a business’s Workers’ Compensation loss experience compared with similar businesses. It can affect premium depending on the program and state.
Commercial Property & BOP
Commercial Property insurance can help protect covered buildings, equipment, inventory, furniture, and other business property against covered causes of loss, subject to policy terms and limits.
A Business Owners Policy typically combines certain property and liability coverages into one policy designed for eligible small and midsize businesses.
A BOP can be convenient and cost-effective for eligible businesses, but it is not right for every company. More complex operations may need separate or specialized policies.
Business Income coverage can help replace certain lost income and continuing expenses when operations are interrupted because of a covered loss, subject to the policy’s terms, limits, waiting periods, and exclusions.
Equipment Breakdown coverage may be available by endorsement or as separate coverage. It can address certain mechanical, electrical, or pressure-system breakdowns depending on the policy.
Commercial Umbrella
Commercial Umbrella insurance can provide additional liability limits above certain underlying policies when the policy’s requirements are satisfied.
Businesses may purchase Umbrella coverage when they want higher liability limits or when contracts, landlords, clients, or other parties require limits above the primary policies.
No. An Umbrella policy has its own terms, exclusions, conditions, and underlying insurance requirements. It should not be viewed as coverage for every uninsured or excluded loss.
Contractors, Construction & Equipment
Depending on the operation, contractors may need General Liability, Commercial Auto, Workers’ Compensation, Inland Marine or Tools and Equipment, Builder’s Risk, Commercial Umbrella, Bonds, and other specialized coverage.
Requiring subcontractors to carry appropriate insurance is an important risk-management practice and may also be required by your insurance carrier, customer, or contract.
Builder’s Risk is property coverage designed for certain buildings or structures while they are under construction or renovation, subject to the policy’s covered property, causes of loss, exclusions, and limits.
Contractors Equipment or Inland Marine coverage can help protect certain mobile tools and equipment that travel between locations or job sites.
DELORA works with commercial businesses and contractors. Availability depends on the specific trade, operations, location, loss history, requested limits, and carrier underwriting guidelines.
Bonds
A surety bond is generally an agreement between the principal, obligee, and surety that guarantees certain obligations of the principal. A bond is different from a traditional insurance policy.
Common examples include license and permit bonds, bid bonds, performance bonds, payment bonds, and other commercial surety bonds. Availability depends on the obligation being guaranteed and underwriting requirements.
No. Insurance generally transfers certain risks to an insurer, while a surety bond primarily guarantees an obligation and may allow the surety to seek reimbursement from the principal.
Claims, Renewals & Policy Changes
Contact DELORA or your insurance carrier as soon as reasonably possible after a loss. Have your policy information and details about what happened available. If there is an emergency, protect people first and contact emergency services when necessary.
Protect people from immediate danger, contact emergency services when necessary, take reasonable steps to prevent additional damage, document the loss, and notify your insurance carrier or DELORA.
A claim can affect future pricing or eligibility, but the impact depends on the type, frequency, severity, circumstances, and carrier underwriting guidelines.
Premiums can change because of claims, payroll or revenue changes, vehicles, property values, coverage changes, inflation, industry trends, carrier pricing, underwriting changes, or other factors.
At minimum, review your coverage around renewal and whenever your business makes a significant change such as adding employees, vehicles, locations, equipment, services, contracts, or revenue.
Contact DELORA. Changes in operations, ownership, locations, employees, vehicles, revenue, payroll, or services can affect your insurance and should be reviewed.
Quotes & Working With DELORA
Some quotes can be obtained quickly, while more complex businesses may require additional underwriting information. Providing complete and accurate information helps speed up the process.
To get started, we will ask for your full name, company name, best phone number, business location, type of work, coverage needed, and desired effective date. Depending on the coverage, we may also need revenue, payroll, employee, vehicle, property, and claims information.
Yes. We can review your current coverage and discuss potential gaps, limits, deductibles, and available alternatives based on your business needs.
Potentially. We can review the reason for the cancellation or non-renewal and explore available carrier options based on your business and underwriting circumstances.
Yes. New businesses often need insurance before signing leases, obtaining licenses, purchasing vehicles, hiring employees, or beginning contracts.
Potentially. Claims history is an underwriting factor, but prior claims do not automatically mean coverage is unavailable.
In many situations, yes. Before making a change, it is important to review cancellation provisions, premium financing, possible refunds, fees, and any coverage consequences.
Availability depends on the states where the agency and applicable insurance professionals are properly licensed and where carrier products are available. Contact DELORA to confirm availability for your locations.
Yes. DELORA provides service in English and Spanish. Se habla español.
