Questions, answered straight.

No. Commission is already built into the carrier's filed rate, so you pay the same premium whether you buy direct or through us. What changes is that someone shops several carriers on your behalf and answers the phone afterward.

A captive agent represents one company and can only sell you that company's product at that company's price. We're independent, so one application goes to several carriers and you see who actually wants your risk. When a carrier raises rates or drops an appetite, we can move you instead of making you start over.

We quote with multiple national and specialty markets. Availability varies by state and line of business. Gerald Burns is licensed in Arkansas and Minnesota, and we write in both.

For home and auto: names, dates of birth, addresses, vehicle or property details, and your current declarations page if you have one. For commercial: business name and entity type, what you do, where you operate, rough payroll and revenue, claims history, and any lease or contract insurance requirements. Don't have it all? Start with what you have and we'll fill the gaps.

Yes, renewal is exactly when to look. Carriers re-rate every term, and loyalty is not a discount program. Send us your current declarations page. If we can beat it, we'll show you. If your current deal is good, we'll tell you that too.

You can report a claim directly to your carrier 24/7 and the number is on your policy documents. But call us first if you're unsure. We'll tell you straight whether filing is worth it, and we stay involved instead of handing you to a call center.

It depends far more on your trade than your size. A handyman doing interior trim and a roofer working at height are different worlds to an underwriter. Payroll and receipts, the limits you buy, your claims history, and whether your subs carry their own coverage all move the number. The range is wide enough that a single figure would mislead you, so give us the specifics and we'll shop it.

If you work on other people's property, effectively yes. Arkansas doesn't require general liability of every business by statute, but general contractors, project owners, permit offices, and the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board routinely require proof before you can start. In practice the contract is what requires it.

It covers bodily injury and property damage you cause to other people, like a ladder through a client's window or a passerby hurt on your site. It does not cover your own employees, which is workers' comp; your own vehicles, which is commercial auto; your own tools, which is inland marine; or faulty workmanship itself. That last one surprises people most.

A certificate is the one-page proof of coverage a general contractor, landlord, or client asks for. If you're our client, ask and we issue it, usually the same day. Send us the exact insurance language from the contract so what we issue actually satisfies it.

A certificate holder simply receives a copy of your certificate and gets no coverage from it. An additional insured is an actual extension of your policy to that party, and it usually takes an endorsement. Most contracts asking to be added to your policy mean additional insured. Send us the contract clause and we'll issue exactly what it requires.

No. General liability covers damage you cause others, not your own property. Stolen or damaged tools fall under inland marine, often called tools and equipment or contractor's equipment coverage. Watch the per-item cap, and insure for replacement cost rather than depreciated value.

General liability covers damage you cause somebody else. It does not cover the structure you are putting up. Builders risk covers the work in progress, plus materials on site, in transit and in temporary storage. Settle in the contract whether the owner or the contractor carries it, and make sure the permanent property policy starts the day builders risk ends.

Insurance protects you. A bond protects the person you are working for. If a claim is paid on your bond, the surety comes back to you for the money, which makes a bond closer to a line of credit than to coverage. License, permit, bid and performance bonds are all common for contractors, and most are quick to arrange.

Arkansas generally requires workers' comp once you have three or more employees, and full-time, part-time and seasonal staff all count toward that number. But if you're in construction, don't rely on that line: contractor requirements are stricter, and many contractors need coverage from the first employee. Minnesota has no threshold at all, so one employee triggers it. With no employees you generally don't need a policy by law. The catch is that a contract can require one anyway, and general contractors and licensing bodies routinely want proof regardless of headcount. Tell us your setup and we'll confirm what applies to you.

Technically an independent contractor isn't your employee. Functionally it doesn't work out that way: if a sub can't show their own coverage, your carrier can treat what you paid them as your payroll and bill you for it at audit. Collect a certificate from every sub, every job, and keep it on file for the whole policy year.

It's rated on payroll and job classification, as a rate per hundred dollars of payroll. Office staff cost pennies; roofers cost real money. Correct classification is where an agent earns their keep, because misclassification means overpaying now or an ugly audit later. Give us your payroll by role and we'll price it.

Penalties are set by each state's commission and vary, but the exposure isn't only fines. You can lose the liability protection the workers' comp system gives employers, which means an injured employee may come after the business directly. You can also be shut out of jobs that require proof of coverage. It isn't the place to gamble.

Often yes, depending on your entity type and your state. Sometimes that's sensible. Sometimes it means the person the business can least afford to lose is the only one with no wage protection after an injury. Worth deciding deliberately rather than by default.

Because the premium you paid was an estimate and the audit trues it up to what actually happened. The most common cause of a surprise bill is uninsured subcontractors being added to your payroll. Underestimated payroll and misclassified work do it too. Estimate honestly at renewal and keep every sub certificate on file.

Sudden, accidental damage is generally covered. Deliberate damage by a tenant and ordinary wear and tear generally are not, and wear and tear is never an insurance claim. This is one where the policy wording genuinely decides it, so send us yours and we'll read it with you.

No. A homeowners policy assumes you live there. Once it's tenant-occupied the risk has changed, and a carrier can deny a claim or non-renew you when they find out. Tenant-occupied property belongs on a landlord or dwelling fire policy.

The structure, your liability if a tenant or guest is injured, and loss of rental income if a covered event makes the place uninhabitable. That last one is the most under-known and often the most valuable. It does not cover your tenant's belongings, which is their renters insurance.

The policy needs to match the name on the deed. If the LLC owns the property, the LLC belongs on the policy, with you added as appropriate. Getting this wrong is one of the most common and most expensive landlord mistakes, because it gives a carrier room to contest a claim.

Yes, and it's worth doing. It covers their belongings and puts a liability layer between their accident and your policy. Require a minimum personal liability limit, ask for proof before move-in, and ask to be listed as an interested party so you're told if it lapses. The lease wording itself is a question for your attorney.

Usually not. Standard landlord policies assume a long-term tenant on a lease, and short-term paying guests are a different, more commercial risk. Platform host protection is limited and secondary, not a substitute for your own policy. If you're running a short-term rental it needs to be insured as one, so tell us how you list it.

Many property forms reduce or suspend coverage once a building has been vacant beyond a set period, commonly around 60 days. Vandalism, glass breakage, water damage and theft are the usual casualties, and remaining losses can be cut by a percentage. Tell us before the vacancy starts, because a vacancy permit endorsement has to be added in advance, not after a loss.

Yes, and it decides claims. Unoccupied generally means nobody is living there but the furniture and contents remain. Vacant generally means empty of both people and property. Vacancy is what triggers the restrictive wording, so a furnished unit between tenants and a stripped one are not treated the same. The exact definitions sit in your policy, so send it to us.

Almost always because of duration, not amount. Property forms cover water that escapes suddenly and accidentally, and exclude continuous or repeated seepage over weeks or months. Rot, staining, mold and rusted fasteners are the evidence an adjuster uses to establish how long it ran. Fix small leaks the week you find them and keep the invoice, because that dates the repair.

Lessor's risk only, or LRO, is the policy for someone who owns a commercial building and leases it to businesses. It covers the building and your liability as the owner. It does not cover your tenants' operations, stock or equipment, which is what their own policy is for, and your lease should require them to carry it.

It swings widely with your concept, size, hours, and especially whether you serve alcohol. Liquor liability alone can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars a year. Square footage, sales, cooking equipment, and claims history all matter. Tell us the concept and we'll price the whole stack.

Usually several policies working together: general liability, property for your build-out and equipment, liquor liability if you serve alcohol, workers' comp for staff, and commercial auto if you deliver or cater. Equipment breakdown and food spoilage are worth adding. One policy rarely covers all of it.

Yes. Most general liability policies specifically exclude alcohol-related claims, so general liability alone leaves you exposed the moment you serve. In Minnesota the state asks for proof of insurance when you apply for your liquor license. Arkansas requirements vary by licensing authority, so ask us and we'll confirm what applies to you. Leases and landlords often require it regardless.

Not automatically. Basic property coverage responds to named perils like fire and theft, and a compressor that simply fails isn't one of them. Food spoilage coverage, usually paired with equipment breakdown, is what pays for lost stock. Check the limit and the deductible before you need them.

Mechanical or electrical breakdown needs equipment breakdown coverage; it isn't part of basic property. For a kitchen, where one failed unit stops service, it's some of the most practical coverage you can carry. Ask whether business income ties in if a breakdown shuts you down.

In Minnesota yes, because there's no employee threshold, so one part-time server triggers it. In Arkansas the general line is three or more employees, and part-time and seasonal staff count toward that number. Kitchens produce burns, cuts and slips, and this is the coverage for them.

A business owner's policy, or BOP, bundles general liability with property coverage in one policy, usually for less than buying them separately. What it does not include: workers' comp, commercial auto, and professional liability. Those are separate, and assuming a BOP covers everything is a common and costly mistake.

It depends on what you do, where you do it, how big you are, and your claims history. A consultant and a welding shop aren't close. The range is too wide for a single number to be useful. Tell us the operation and we'll shop it across carriers and give you a real figure in writing.

Send us the insurance clause from the lease itself, not a summary of it. We'll write the limits it requires and add the landlord as an additional insured by endorsement, then issue the certificate that satisfies it. Certificate holder status alone usually will not satisfy a lease that asks for additional insured.

Barely. Business property in the home is usually capped at a low sublimit, and business-related liability is generally excluded outright, so a client injured at your house or a product you sell likely isn't covered. Depending on the business you need an endorsement, an in-home business policy, or a BOP.

If the vehicle is titled to the business or used for work regularly, it belongs on commercial auto. Personal policies often limit or exclude business use, and a work-related accident can get a personal claim denied. If employees run errands in their own cars, ask us about hired and non-owned auto as well.

An LLC can limit liability between the business and your personal assets in some situations, but it does not pay claims. If a customer is injured or you damage someone's property, the LLC doesn't write the check, insurance does. Most contracts, leases and clients also require proof of coverage before they'll work with you.

Improvements and betterments are the things a tenant installs that cannot be carried out at the end of the lease: partitions, wiring, cabinetry, flooring, a hood. They sit under their own limit, separate from contents. The lease decides who owns them and the policy has to match the lease. A tenant with a sixty thousand dollar build-out and a fifteen thousand dollar contents limit is underinsured by the difference.

Not automatically. Hired and non-owned auto is the coverage for vehicles your business does not own but benefits from, including an employee's own car and a rented van. The employee's personal policy responds first, and then the claim looks for the business. It is inexpensive, it is commonly left off, and it is one of the easiest gaps to close.

Mostly for reasons that aren't about you: rebuild costs, severe weather losses across the region, and carriers re-rating whole books of business. Arkansas and Minnesota are both hail-exposed, which pushes property rates. Your claims history and the age of your roof matter too. If the number stopped making sense, send us the declarations page and we'll shop it.

It depends on the cause and on how your policy settles roof claims. Sudden storm or hail damage is generally covered; wearing out with age is not. The bigger question is whether your roof is settled at replacement cost or actual cash value, because actual cash value pays a depreciated amount on an older roof and you cover the difference. Many policies also carry a separate wind and hail deductible. Send us the policy and we'll check those terms specifically.

Dwelling coverage is based on what it would cost to rebuild, not what the house would sell for. Market value includes land, rebuild cost does not, and construction costs have moved a lot. That's why coverage can exceed the purchase price. Being too low is the real danger, because even a replacement cost policy won't pay past its limit.

A sudden, accidental burst pipe is generally covered. Slow leaks and seepage over time generally are not. Sewer or drain backup usually needs its own endorsement and isn't included by default. Flood is never covered by a homeowners policy.

No. Flood is excluded from every standard homeowners policy and needs a separate flood policy, through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private market. That matters in parts of both Arkansas and Minnesota. If you're near water or in a mapped flood zone, ask us.

It can, and more than one claim in a short window can affect renewal as well as price. That's exactly why we'd rather you call us before filing a small one. We'll tell you straight whether it's worth it, and deciding that with real numbers beats finding out afterward.

Usually a mix of things outside your control: repair and parts costs, claim severity across the state, and carriers re-rating. Your record, your vehicle and where you park it matter too. Because carriers weigh all of it differently, the same driver can get very different prices. Send us your declarations page and we'll shop it.

It isn't a real coverage type, it's shorthand, and it means different things to different people. Most people mean liability plus comprehensive and collision. What actually matters is the limits and deductibles on the policy, not the label. Ask us to read yours out loud; it takes two minutes.

The state minimums are 25/50/25 in Arkansas, and 30/60/10 plus $40,000 of personal injury protection in Minnesota. Those are legal floors, not a plan. This agency quotes higher limits: our floor is 100/300/100, not state minimum. If a serious accident exceeds your limit, the remainder can come out of your wages, savings and assets.

Yes. Minnesota is a no-fault state, and personal injury protection pays your own medical and certain other expenses regardless of who caused the accident. Minnesota requires $40,000 of it. Arkansas is an at-fault state and works differently, though medical payments coverage is commonly available there. If you drive in both states, don't assume one policy behaves like the other.

Minnesota requires it. Arkansas requires that it be offered and allows you to reject it, but we include it in what we quote regardless, because plenty of drivers carry nothing or the bare minimum and this is the coverage that protects you when they can't pay. We also quote a $0 glass deductible where it's available.

Generally not under a personal auto policy. Most exclude driving for hire, and the platform's own coverage often applies only during parts of a trip. If you deliver or rideshare, tell us. There are endorsements and policies built for it, and finding out after an accident is the expensive way.

Glass falls under comprehensive, not collision, so if you carry liability only there is no glass coverage at all. Repair a chip the week it happens, because it spreads with temperature changes and a repair keeps the original factory seal. If your vehicle has lane keeping or automatic braking, the camera behind the windshield needs recalibrating after a replacement, and that is a legitimate part of the claim.