Umbrella Insurance
One serious accident can exceed your auto or home liability limits. An umbrella adds a layer above both, usually starting at a million dollars, for less than most people expect.
California license #6020106
Menlo Insurance Services is the filed name of Opero Labs Inc., licensed by the California Department of Insurance.
Licensed in four states today
California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York. Applications in Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan are with those states now. We do not quote a state before its license is issued.
Independent brokerage
We hold appointments with multiple carriers, so the quote is shopped rather than served from one shelf.
What this policy covers
Liability above your other policies
An extra layer, usually starting at one million dollars, that sits over your home and auto liability.
The catastrophic accident
A serious at-fault crash or an injury on your property that exceeds your underlying limits.
Claims your other policies skip
Certain personal liability claims, like libel or slander, that home and auto policies do not address.
Legal defense
Defense costs for covered claims, which can be substantial on their own.
For households with something to protect
- Homeowners with equity and savings
- Families with young drivers
- Landlords with a rental property or two
- High earners whose future income is the asset
What changes your premium
There is no flat rate for this coverage. These are the inputs a carrier prices against, and they are the same things the quote form asks you for.
- The underlying home and auto limits you already carry
- The number of drivers, vehicles and properties in the household
- Pools, trampolines, dogs and other named exposures
- The excess limit you want
Frequently asked questions
Who actually needs an umbrella policy?
Anyone whose assets and future earnings are worth more than their auto and home liability limits. That includes more ordinary households than people assume: a single serious at-fault accident can produce a judgment well beyond typical policy limits.
How much does a million dollars of coverage cost?
Umbrella coverage tends to be inexpensive for what it does, because it only pays after your other policies are exhausted. Price depends on your household's cars, drivers, homes, and history, so we quote it alongside your other policies.
Do I need certain limits on my home and auto first?
Yes. Carriers require minimum underlying liability limits on your auto and home policies before an umbrella attaches. We line those up as part of the quote so there is no gap between layers.
Does an umbrella cover my teenage driver?
Household members, including young drivers, are typically covered, which is exactly when the extra layer earns its keep. Underwriting will ask about all drivers up front.
Umbrella vs just raising my auto limits?
Raising underlying limits is often step one and sometimes enough. The umbrella adds a larger shared layer across home and auto at once, plus some coverages neither policy has. We can price both approaches side by side.
Does this policy cover your own injuries or property?
An umbrella is liability-only. It protects others' claims against you.
Does this policy cover business liability?
Business exposures belong on commercial policies. A personal umbrella sits over personal ones.
Does this policy cover intentional acts?
Deliberate harm is uninsurable.
Does this policy cover claims below your underlying limits?
The umbrella starts paying only after the home or auto policy beneath it is exhausted.
Can you write this where I live?
We are licensed in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, and applications in Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan are with those states now. We do not quote a state before its license is issued. Start a quote and we will tell you where you stand before you spend time on it.
What actually happens after I start a quote?
You answer a short set of questions, and a licensed broker at Menlo reads them, maps your operation to a class, and shops it with the carriers we are appointed with. There is no instant bind and no black box. You talk to a person before anything is quoted.
Coverages that pair with this
Homeowners Insurance
The structure, everything inside it, and your liability as the owner of the place it happened.
Auto Insurance
Liability, damage to the car, and the other driver who turns out to have no insurance at all.
Renters Insurance
Your belongings and your liability in a building whose policy covers the landlord rather than you.
Price a million-dollar layer
Tell us about your household, homes, and drivers. We line up the layers and quote it alongside your other policies.