Insurance in Washington, explained straight

Homeowners

Does escrow pay your homeowners insurance — and can you still switch carriers?

You can change carriers any day of the year. The mortgagee clause is what decides whether it goes smoothly.

Closing

What is a home insurance binder, and what does your lender actually need on it?

One page, five fields that matter. Getting the mortgagee clause wrong is what delays closings.

Closing

Mortgage insurance vs. homeowners insurance: which one are you actually paying for?

Four products, one word. Only one protects you — and only some of them ever go away.

First-time buyers

Buying your first home in Washington? Get the insurance quote before you sign

Shop it during the inspection period, not at closing. By then it is a fact instead of a variable.

Homeowners

What is a homeowners insurance declaration page — and how do you read yours?

The page everyone asks you for and nobody reads. Here is what each line means.

Landlords

Landlord insurance vs. homeowners insurance: what changes when you rent the house out

Your policy describes an owner-occupied home. A tenant makes that untrue — quietly.

Cleaning business

Cleaning business insurance in Washington: what it covers, and what it does not

Four different products, one word. Here is what each covers and which ones you actually need.

Cleaning business

The papers a property manager asks for before you can clean their building

Buildings pay more and ask for paperwork first. Here is exactly what they ask for.

Cleaning business

House cleaning insurance: what changes when you clean homes instead of offices

In a home the risk is the client's belongings, and nobody asks for proof until it is too late.

Coverage explained

What is the care, custody and control exclusion — and why does it hit cleaning businesses hardest?

The clause that makes an insured business discover it was not covered for the thing it does all day.

Cleaning business

Window and carpet cleaning: the two add-ons that change your policy

Height and water are rated separately. Adding either without telling your carrier is how a policy stops matching the work.

Cleaning business

What actually drives the cost of insuring a cleaning business in Washington

The state costs are public to the cent. The premium is not, and here is honestly why.

Cleaning business

Starting a cleaning business in Washington: the licence, the L&I account and the insurance

The state paperwork costs $50, not $90 — and you are not a contractor. The real order of operations.

Cleaning business

"Licensed, bonded and insured": what each of those three words actually buys

Three words, three instruments, three beneficiaries. Only one of them protects you.

Real estate agents

E&O insurance for real estate agents: what Washington requires, and what your brokerage actually covers

Washington does not require it. Your brokerage's policy protects the brokerage first, and it ends when you leave.

Home daycare

Home daycare insurance in Washington: what the state requires and what your homeowners policy will not cover

You can legally skip it — if you tell every parent in writing. Most providers do not know that is the choice.