TerraBites

A short newsletter of bite-size ideas to chew on for Terrafirma owner-member land trusts, released January, February, May, June, September, October and November.

 

Posts tagged coverage

Insurance is Complicated

Understanding what Terrafirma covers is important to know but equally important is knowing what Terrafirma doesn’t cover. To ensure you can have sufficient insurance protection, we wanted to highlight a few things that Terrafirma doesn’t cover:

  • Terrafirma doesn’t cover bodily injuries or property damage suffered by your staff, visitors or others while at any of your properties or when you are out monitoring. That is generally what general liability insurance covers.
  • Terrafirma doesn’t cover wrongful management decisions by your board, volunteers or staff, even if that management decision adversely affects your properties’ conservation purposes. That is generally what directors and officers (aka “D&O”) insurance covers.
  • Terrafirma doesn’t cover property damage caused by natural disasters or catastrophic events. That is generally what property insurance covers or other special property insurance policies (like flood insurance).
  • Having a Conserve-A-Nation® policy through Alliant or any other insurance policy from any other carrier does not include Terrafirma coverage.
  • The Land Trust Alliance does not have a policy to cover those organizations that do not enroll in Terrafirma.

 And finally, your land trust is only insured by Terrafirma if – and only if – your land trust applies for membership through Terrafirma’s website and meets eligibility requirements.

Looking for insurance that covers these things? Check out this handy guide to common types of insurance coverage.

 

We’re here to help! If you have any questions, please let us know. I know that insurance is complicated so please ask questions.

Thanks,

 

Tom Kester 
Operations Manager and Secretary
Alliance Risk Management Services LLC 
Manager for Terrafirma Risk Retention Group LLC

 

Why do I need more than one type of insurance?

Smart land trusts typically purchase multiple types of insurance coverage and will consider how the various insurance coverages fit together when selecting the right coverage package. Terrafirma fills in many of the gaps in coverage for these other insurance products.

  • General liability insurance is required in order to be eligible for Terrafirma coverage. It covers claims alleging bodily injury or property damage.
  • Directors and officers (D&O) insurance covers claims alleging wrongful management decisions by the land trust board, volunteers and staff. Unpaid directors of land trusts may have some coverage available under their individual homeowners or personal liability umbrella policies but these do not offer any defense for the land trust where the board member volunteers.
  • Title insurance can compensate the land trust if the actual title to (ownership of) the conservation easement or land they own is challenged or if there is a dispute about the legal description of the property, provided that it is not excluded by the survey exception.

For more on different types of insurance, head to the Learning Center for Guide to Risk Management for Land Trusts, starting on page 275, as well as Practical Pointers: Assessing Insurance Needs for Land Trusts. And for those attending Rally in Denver this October, check out the workshop B02: Do You Have the Right Insurance? At the Right Price? Details here.

Have questions? Please let us know. You can email us directly or call 202-800-2219 for Lorri, 202-800-2248 for myself or 802-262-6051 for Leslie.

Thanks,
Hannah

Conservation Defense Associate
(202) 800-2248  | 
Connect with us on LinkedIn

 

P.S. Please remember that your Terrafirma policy requires you to file a claim at the first indication of a problem. Do it now so you don’t run the risk of missing out on coverage! See more here on when to file a claim. Please call us with any questions.

 

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