Commercial to Personal Question
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on April 16, 2026 Question I am hoping you can help me. I have a client who has a commercial auto but uses the car for personal use. She wants to transfer it into her own name. The company is not dissolved.…
Private Mortgage Property in Foreclosure
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on April, 2026 Question I’ve got a little bit of a tricky one! So, a friend of mine did a private mortgage for someone, and they have defaulted, and now she is foreclosing on them! She obviously has a financial interest in…
Mass CAR Program – Questions: Social Service Employees
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on April, 2026 Question I have a question that is stumping my colleagues and me at our agency. Hoping you can shed some light on it. We have a client who is best described as non-emergency medical transport. What they actually do…
50%-50% Accident Result + Waiver of Deductible
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on March 25, 2026 Question This might be outside your bailiwick, but I thought I should ask. As a result of an accident, one of our companies decided the fault is 50%-50%. Coverage-wise, our insured has a waiver if the deductible is…
Homeowners Insurance Claim – Animal Damage
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on March 31, 2026 Question In regards to a home policy, can you tell me if a raccoon does damage to a home is that covered? Also, would squirrels be as well? Answer Laura Poulin: The answer can vary depending on the…
Carvana/Carmax
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on April 1, 2026 Question I’m reaching out as we’ve seen an uptick in calls from clients purchasing vehicles through Carvana and CarMax. In many cases, these dealers are unwilling to provide a copy of the title, which makes it difficult for…
Workers’ Comp for Cleaning Lady
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on March 17, 2026 Question I had an insured call in asking, “I have a cleaning lady coming in, she doesn’t have a company or w/c liability of her own, is there any coverage on my condo policy, or can I purchase…
ACV
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on March 25, 2026 Question One of our insured’s commercial buildings was recently hit by their customer’s auto (comically enough, they hit the body shop that just repaired their car). We put the claim in through the auto policy, which is now…
GVW Change
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on March 27, 2026 Question I have an insured who called me because he was pulling a trailer (14,000 GVW) with a dump truck (14,000 GVW) and was on a jobsite where there were random checks. The officer told him he was…
Deleting Building Coverage After A Total Loss
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on February 20, 2026 Question Our insured operates a recycling facility. Last year, there was a fire inside the facility, resulting in the town requiring the entire building to be torn down. The insured is asking on his renewal policy if he…
Ice Dam
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on March 3, 2026 Question We have a client with Unit Owners Special Coverage A on their condo who was denied for an ice dam claim. I have always thought this endorsement specifically protected condo owners for ice dam claims. Could you…
Claim Denied for Water Damage
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on December 17, 2025 Question We have an insured, and we submitted a claim for water damages incurred in her 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The original appraisal showed water damage to the rear of the vehicle, some carpeting, mechanical damage to some modules,…
Tenant Responsibility for Building Components Under Commercial Lease
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on January 5, 2026 Question I am looking for assistance in finding a coverage solution for an unusual commercial tenant situation. The insured is an attorney’s office occupying one unit within a larger commercial building with several other tenants. We recently received…
Ceded Commercial Auto/Hired Auto
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on December 30, 2025 Question I insure a company that has box trucks under 26,000 lbs that rents trucks on a regular basis. Last year, he had hired auto coverage with a carrier at a cost of hire of $150,000 (cost approx.…
Rental Properties and Snow & Ice
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on December 30, 2025 Question My client asked a question: He has two- and three-family rental properties. If the town ordinance says the landlord is responsible for removing snow, but he has tenants remove it, would his DP3 liability coverage cover him…
Liquor Liability
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on December 29, 2025 Question I have an insured that has a liquor liability policy for a liquor store she owns. The city told her she does not need the liquor liability insurance for the liquor store. Is it beneficial for her…
Advanced Swap
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on October 14, 2025 Question Good afternoon! I was hoping you could help me with this one. The insured had PAS plate on her car. She then applied for a 250 Years of Ind. Plate. The RMV mailed her the plates, and…
Duplicate for Stolen Plate
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on October 14, 2025 Question I have a question for a client. He had his wife’s Low Number Plate stolen off her car last week. He did a police report and the RMV is showing Stolen Plates. However, he wants to keep…
Odometer Discrepancy
Question I am transferring a car from my mother to myself. The current front of the title has “odometer discrepancy” and lists 9,999,999 as the mileage. My question is, on the back of the title with the odometer disclosure statement… do I put 9,999,999 and check off odometer discrepancy or do I put what the odometer…
Reselling and Delivery Exposures – Auto, Homeowners, and Workers’ Comp Considerations
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations, & statutes in effect as of October 1, 2025. Question I had a question about personal lines, Mass Auto, and reselling. More customers are reselling from yard sales or Facebook marketplace, and I’m wondering what kind of coverage they should have for that exposure. Should they…
Kubota Skid Steer
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect as of October 2025. Question I have a client asking if he can register the attached Kubota skid steer with a commercial plate for snow removal (parking lots). The skid steer has tracks, not tires, so I’m a little thrown off on…
Unlisted HHMs
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect as of October 2025. Question We have an instance where a customer called to get a quote to add their daughter to their auto policy. They said she was moving back home and would be using their vehicles. He then said that…
Apportioned Plate
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect as of August 2024. Question Who is a good source to ask apportion plate questions to? I have a client who is purchasing a 16,000 lb truck. When he attaches the trailer that he uses for business, the total weight is 36000…
Carrier RMV Codes
*This question was answered based upon current rules, regulations & statutes in effect on July 31, 2025 Question Is there an updated document list for carrier codes for the companies that write in MA? I used to have one with all the codes, and have not been able to put my fingers on it. If…
Home Health Aid Using Own Vehicle
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question Could you direct me to resources for considering a home health aide who uses their own vehicle? Answer Laura Poulin: You’re right to be cautious here; this is a gray area that requires thoughtful consideration. At a…
Trailer Personal or Commercial
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question I created an RTA for one of our insureds for a trailer that he purchased for personal use. When I checked the RMV portal, it showed that the trailer is registered under a commercial registration. I was…
Sales Tax with Penalties & Interest
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question RMV Insured has a title for a camper. The date of the sale is October 20, 2016. The RMV said that a penalty would be applied. Would you know how much the RMV penalty is for this?…
Vehicle Sale from Estate
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question I have a client who is the personal representative for her late father, and she is putting his vehicle in her own name. On the back of the title, does she sign as the seller, as well…
House Put In Trust
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question I have a client for whom I have a homeowners’ insurance policy. I just received information from an attorney’s office that the house was put in a trust. But at the same time, they sent me the…
MassDEP LEV Requirements
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question We’ve had a client reach out regarding the MassDEP LEV requirements that went into effect on January 1, 2025, as they own many diesel-powered vehicles. I’ve done some research, and it appears that only certain diesel-powered model…
Surcharge Reversal and Deductible
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question Not sure if you can help, but I figured I would reach out. My client had an accident. She was in the left lane with a left turn arrow, making a left turn. The vehicle coming in…
Auto Coverage for Child who Moved Out on Mom & Dad’s Policy
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to reach out with a question regarding a recurring situation I’ve encountered in the Private Client department. Many parents are eager to ensure their children’s well-being, often extending their care…
Surviving Spouse Fees
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question Does it cost anything, as far as fees for a deceased spouse registration and title transfer? She’s keeping the same plates, the car currently titled to the deceased husband only. Putting it into the surviving spouse’s name.…
Registering A Golf Cart
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question One of our insureds asked the question regarding registering a golf cart for street use in Marshfield. There is an LS License Plate with restrictions such as 20-25 mph, less than 3000 lbs. We’re trying to see…
Condo Association – Parking Space Rented to Others
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question We handle the Master Policy for a condo association in Boston. They have a unit owner that is looking to rent out her parking space; this would be separate from her unit that she also rents out.…
Registration & Sales Tax
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of July 2025. Question I have a client who owns a Class 1 new car dealership and wants to add six loaner vehicles, and believes that short-term rentals are tax-exempt when registering. Do you know anything about this by any chance,…
Auto Claim Payment Requiring an SSN?
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of May 2025. Question One of our insureds is going through their carrier as a claimant for damage to their vehicle. His daughter was hit in Colorado, and the other party (insured with the same carrier) was at fault. They offered…
Use of Other Auto Endorsement and UM/UIM Coverage
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of May 2025. Question Hope all is well. I was curious what the benefit of buying the Use of Other Autos endorsement and including it for Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist would be if you have a company vehicle in MA? Would it only…
MAP Trailer Liability – Business-Use Consideration
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of May 2025. Question It’s trailer season! Wondering if we need to be concerned about GVW and/or the use of our clients’ trailers? For example, we have a client who purchased an ice cream trailer. They wish to put the trailer…
FlexCar Coverage
This question was answered based on current rules, regulations, and statutes in effect as of May 2025. Question Do you have any information on FlexCar and coverage? Answer Laura Poulin: It appears that Flexcar positions itself as a month-to-month car subscription service, not as a Transportation Network Company (TNC) like Uber or Turo. Flexcar operates…