How important is insurance with good coverage, really?

How important is insurance with good coverage, really?

Rental Property Investor · Hummelstown, PA · Member since 2015 · 638 posts · 653 votes

I’ve been using the same insurance broker for around 4 years. He’s written dozens of policies, rentals and flips, vacant and occupied.

I’ve recently gone and gotten a few quotes from another broker and they came in a few hundred dollars lower PER LOCATION. Portfolio wide, this could be thousands of dollars of savings per year.

I’ve come to realize that the difference is that all my current policies are DP3 and all the new quotes were DP2 (insurance jargon). I had no idea what this meant until yesterday. Basically the difference is what types of events can be covered in a claim. With DP2 there is a list of a few dozen things that are covered. With DP3 there’s a short list of the only things that AREN’T covered (things like nuclear war).

I'm seriously considering switching to less coverage for higher cash flow. We keep a ridiculous amount of cash reserves (18-24 months PITI), plus we have lines of credit we can tap into as well. My line of thinking is, the chances of an uncovered disaster are outweighed by the benefit of increased cash flow. And if we do have something happen that isn't covered, we have the cash on hand to cover almost anything.

Has anybody else wrestled with this type of insurance decision? Curious to hear how others manage their risk.

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Insurance Agent · Norwalk, CT · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Kyle, Wether or not you chose to reduce coverage to save money is a matter for you to decide. I would consider offering your current agent the opportunity to quote the lower coverage. Also, if you had to discover on your own that the new agent quoted you lower coverage I would consider a different agent if you switch. If he/she was not able to match what you had or if they should have been upfront about it. Suppose you had not figured it out on your own and had an uncovered loss how would you feel.
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  • Cameron TopePro Member
    Property Manager · Katy, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    Hey Kyle,

    It all depends on your risk tolerance and comfort level. 

    Once I had over a dozen SFRs I raised all the deductibles to $5,000 and increased the cash flow of the portfolio by several thousand dollars per year. I was comfortable doing because the odds of all the properties having a vacancy or massive repair is extremely low - so I could sleep well at night. 

    As far as the difference for DP2 vs DP3 - can you sleep well at night knowing you're not covered on more items? Losing sleep and worrying are not worth a few thousand dollars per year. 

    Hope that helps!

  • Rental Property Investor · Hummelstown, PA · Member since 2015 · 638 posts · 653 votes
    6y

    @Cameron Tope

    I think I would sleep like a baby knowing my cash flow is $1000’s higher

  • Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    Insurance coverage isn't important at all, until you need it. It was stated above already, but this is all about your personal risk tolerance. I know investors who own their properties free and clear and don't have insurance at all. A hurricane could wipe them out, that's way too risky for me, but to each their own... 

  • Insurance Agent · Norwalk, CT · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y
    Kyle, Wether or not you chose to reduce coverage to save money is a matter for you to decide. I would consider offering your current agent the opportunity to quote the lower coverage. Also, if you had to discover on your own that the new agent quoted you lower coverage I would consider a different agent if you switch. If he/she was not able to match what you had or if they should have been upfront about it. Suppose you had not figured it out on your own and had an uncovered loss how would you feel.
  • Cameron TopePro Member
    Property Manager · Katy, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Kyle McCorkel:

    @Cameron Tope

    I think I would sleep like a baby knowing my cash flow is $1000’s higher

    Then why don't you cancel all your insurance? That will save you $1000's more!

  • Rental Property Investor · Hummelstown, PA · Member since 2015 · 638 posts · 653 votes
    6y

    @Cameron Tope

    Maybe I would, but lenders require it and all my properties have a mortgage

  • Investor · Marin County California · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Insurance ain't important until it is.  

  • Jason BottPro Member
    Insurance Agent · Nationwide · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Kyle A. you need to run through some claim scenerios on the coverage you would be giving up to see if it makes sense.

    A simplified example,

    If you are taking on $5,000 of new risk to save $3500 in premium, you should do that all day long.  You are breaking even every 16 to 17 months.

    Conversely, if you are taking on $100,000 of risk to save $700, it would take you 142 years to recoup that cost and probably not worth the risk.

  • Specialist · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2017 · 418 posts · 126 votes
    6y

    @Jason Bott great illustration! I may have to steal these numbers for some people who only speak numbers.

  • Rental Property Investor · Clarksville, TN · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Kyle McCorkel

    Reinforcing what John said, you should not do business with a broker that quoted you something less against something you had without disclosing it. Whether or not you go to a DP2 form or not, slimy salespeople are slimy businessmen.

    We carry maximum deductibles on our DP3 policies for savings as we would rather sacrifice known amount up front than be on the hook for a larger amount on the back end. Get the argument for cost savings, and everyone considers value differently. If you are happier with what you are getting for your money, good for you for finding a better fit.

  • Insurance Broker · Kansas City, MO · Member since 2017 · 370 posts · 127 votes
    6y

    Most of what I would say has already been said by John and Jason.

    We pretty much only write DP3 for our clients because we don't want the exposure the DP1 and DP2 policies bring to our clients.  IF the client decides to move their policy elsewhere and saves a ton of money (similar to your example) the policies are likely not similar at all, therefore, you're not comparing insurance coverage.  You're comparing pricing and nothing else.

    I would suggest, if you have not switched, be very hesitant.

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