​While fall may be the most beautiful season of the year, things get real ugly when it comes to vehicle and deer collisions in regards to auto insurance claims. Although the driver faces the risk of hitting a deer throughout the entire year, far more collisions occur in the fall (more about that later).


     When it comes to auto insurance policies, drivers are under the impression that to increase their auto insurance coverage to better protect them against deer collisions is going to cost them a fortune. But the reality is, a driver can get protection against deer collisions, or increase the protection that they already have, for less money than what many would think. For those of you who are on a tight budget, but still feel the need for better protect yourself against deer collisions, this article will help you become more aware of some options that you may not of known existed.


    Before we get into all of that, let me give you some broad statistics about vehicle and deer collisions. You'll notice that I'm only using rounded off approximate numbers. That's because different sources vary in the numbers. But overall, they're fairly consistent and in the same ballpark of one another.

​6 key facts about deer and vehicle collisions as it relates to auto insurance.

• The annual cost on deer related auto insurance claims is over $4 billion a year.

• The average cost of a deer claim continues to grow. The  average cost per claim is approaching $4000.

• In the months of October and December,  the number of deer crash claims double. And in the month of November, they nearly triple. This is because of the fact that mating season and hunting season both occur in the fall.

• Although this statistic varies from state to state, many states report that the two biggest days for deer vehicle crashes are the first day of deer hunting season and the first Saturday of deer hunting season.

• Nationally, deer related crashes amount to an average of 200 deaths per year (those numbers are even far worse for the deer!). While many of those fatalities involved motorcycles, a lot other fatalities occurred with regular vehicles as well. The danger is not so much regarding the impact of a deer collision, but rather the driver's reaction to seeing the deer. For example: swerving into another lane of traffic.

• Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia are all high-risk states for the probability of deer related crashes. The only state in my territory that is not high risk high risk is Indiana, which is in the moderate risk category.

A clever way to maximize your auto insurance coverage for deer protection without spending a fortune.


  Keep in mind the following things:

• The only part of auto insurance coverage that protects your vehicle from hitting deer is comprehensive coverage (also known as "other than collision" coverage in some states). Besides covering your vehicle hitting deer, comprehensive covers your vehicle in the event of theft, fire, damage from weather, etc. 

 

• Having both comprehensive and collision coverage together is often referred to as having "full coverage". Many people mistakenly believe that comprehensive coverage and collision coverage must be sold together. This is not true! An insured can decide to have comprehensive coverage without collision coverage (they just can't have collision coverage without comprehensive coverage). For those who can't afford collision coverage, just having comprehensive coverage will at least protect you from losses from deer.

 

• The average extra cost to adding just comprehensive coverage is usually only around $10 per month. And of course, it doesn't cost you a dime to simply ask your agent how much extra it would cost. You can get an exact price and decide for yourself whether or not it's worth it.

 

• Coverages can be added at anytime during your policy period. It can also easily be changed back to where it was before. Because of this many people feel it's a good idea to carry comprehensive coverage only in the fall months, and then remove the coverage again in January, when the risk of hitting deer goes back down. This strategy plays the odds while minimizing costs.

 

• For those who already have comprehensive coverage, that's great! But most all policies have a deductible. You can also benefit from having extra coverage against deer simply by lowering your deductible during the fall months. The extra cost is usually minimal, and it will cut down on your out of pocket expense if you do hit a deer.

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 Related Blog Articles:

 ​Video: Should I add/increase deer coverage on my auto insurance
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 Many landlords have felt the effects of insurance companies tightening their strings as far as underwriting, and what they will and will not accept for dwelling fire insurance coverage on rental properties. Insurance companies are getting very picky nowadays with many lines of insurance. Rental properties are certainly one of those. File one major claim and you may be on the outside looking in. The same goes for landlords having to deal with vacant properties. Go vacant longer than 60 days, and it's nearly impossible to get dwelling fire insurance on your property the way it should properly be insured.


    But there are insurance companies who are willing to pick up the slack. And there are some insurance companies who offer competitive rates as well. If you are a landlord having trouble finding the right insurance coverage on a rental property, you are not alone. Hopefully, I can either help you directly, or at least steer you in the right direction. There are companies who will insure rental dwellings even if you do have problems finding dwelling fire insurance elsewhere.


   Properties I can help you insure

• Properties of any age (no limit).
• Properties housing multiple families (up to 4 famililies per building).
• Vacant properties (a property can be vacant up to 2 years, as long as the owner plans to rent, sell or occupy the home in the very near future).
• Landlords who own multiple properties can place everything on one policy instead of separate policies, and can receive a discount for doing so.
• Properties with prior loss claims (a property can be insured with up to 5 paid losses, as long as all damage has been repaired).
• Properties with an LLC listed as the named insured.
• Manufactured rental homes.

     Any landlord who owns rental property in which any of the above conditions apply has probably went through the frustration of trying to find dwelling fire coverage on it. I will help you go through the process as painless and simple as possible. It's a simple 3 step process:
1. Fill out a quote form with your property info needed to run a dwelling fire insurance quote.
2. I will run you a quote and also help you clear whatever underwriting hurdles come up.
3. Once the property has cleared underwriting, you're all set to go!


      The underwriting process


One thing that you will be pleased to know is that with companies who will insure rental properties that other companies deem too risky, their underwriting process is much simpler and are far less of a hassle to deal with. Again, I will make this as simple and easy for you as possible by being the middleman in the underwriting process. Clearing the underwriting process can be as simple as answering a couple of questions. At most, they may want to see some type of documentation or see pictures of the property. all you need to do is send it to me and I'll take care of it for you. In most cases, properties can clear underwriting in a day or less, and in many cases, can be cleared in a matter of minutes.




    Summary:


Many landlords who own properties that are hard to insure have simply given up on trying to find dwelling fire insurance coverage, and are left exposed to the risk of losing their property in the event of a total loss. In the vast majority of these cases, the problem is not that the property cannot be insured, but rather the landlord hasn't found the right insurance company who will offer insurance for the property. I will be happy to help you as best I can finding you coverage.


For any landlord living in the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia are welcome to fill out the landlord rental quote form below. Once you fill out a quote form, I will take it from there and do all of the grunt work for you.


And as always, I handle all quotes personally and privately and do not share your information with anyone. So before you give up on finding coverage for your properties, you are best at least giving some of these higher risk rental insurance companies a shot.



Get a Landlord Dwelling Fire Insurance quote with Lyles Insurance


 Call me for a Quote


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Related Blog Articles:

Video: Foremost Insurance Coverage for Vacant Rental Properties