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Anyone know a ballpark cost for a Texas POA liability insurance policy for personal injury related to custom street signs

Started by RogerJ18 replies • 259 views

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RogerJ1 (Texas)
Posts: 550
Posted:
Background, a POA approved $15K for custom street signs. Subdivision has ~1.25 miles of county roads, with 8 intersections, all of which have street and stops signs.

I just saw the County agreement, signed by the County Judge and Association's secretary. It does two things causing future costs 1) Association is responsible for initial installation, permitting etc. costs and all further maintenance, repairs and replacements and 2) insurance "at all times" for a minimum of $100K (property), $100K (person) and $300K total per accident to an injured party and shall include the County and County Commissioners.

Any ballpark estimate how much that insurance will cost per year?

Also, would it be a routine insurance product that any major insurance company would offer or would it be complicated, with traffic studies needed to estimate risk properly before a insurer could price it, and therefore not many companies might offer it?
SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964
Posted:
You really need to consult your association's master policy on this one.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius
MaxB4
Posts: 3,513
Posted:
Check with your insurance agent.
RogerJ1 (Texas)
Posts: 550
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By MaxB4 on 12/08/2021 3:51 PM
Check with your insurance agent.

I just learned about a county agreement, that requires such insurance, the association entered. The association has no common property and currently has DDO insurance only. So the Board might have just opened a can of worms in new insurance needs.
RogerJ1 (Texas)
Posts: 550
Posted:
Question, looking into it, I saw many references to a master policy. To get general liability will the association need to first get a master policy then a specific policy for the street sign requirement imposed by the county? In other words, I am sensing this requirement might entail two new insurance policy, Master and one Specific to the street sign general liability. ??
MaxB4
Posts: 3,513
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By RogerJ1 on 12/08/2021 4:46 PM
Question, looking into it, I saw many references to a master policy. To get general liability will the association need to first get a master policy then a specific policy for the street sign requirement imposed by the county? In other words, I am sensing this requirement might entail two new insurance policy, Master and one Specific to the street sign general liability. ??

Master policy plus a Rider
MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836
Posted:
When we changed over to separate water meters in our HOA, we had to turn over our roads to be "Public". The street signs we had were custom made wood signs. (I still have one). The city told us due to us being "Public" roads instead of "Private", we had to use their signs. That meant removing all the custom signs and having new Reflective green signs. Many a long term HOA member did not like the idea of losing those signs.

People don't realize all that goes into "simple" street signs. There are also large fines and/or jail time for stealing one. It's like 10K! The signs are not necessarily cheap even for the city. Plus there are certain liabilities associated with them. What if during a car accident it is knocked through a windshield killing someone? It falls over onto a kid riding their bike? Someone is going to want the bill to be picked up.

If it was me, I would not go down the path of getting private personalized street signs. Leave it up to the city/county. You don't want all that goes along with that responsibility.

Former HOA President
RogerJ1 (Texas)
Posts: 550
Posted:
Quote:


If it was me, I would not go down the path of getting private personalized street signs. Leave it up to the city/county. You don't want all that goes along with that responsibility.

I completely agree. I thought it was silly idea.
But that is past, association voted to approve $15K for the street signs, and the signs were installed recently. Now, there is evidence there will be cost in perpetuity based on the agreement with the county, plus additional insurance needs, and will the liability might have existed anyway after the subdivision changed the signs, there is now public record the association assumed liability explicitly.
RogerJ1 (Texas)
Posts: 550
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By MelissaP1 on 12/08/2021 5:18 PM

You don't want all that goes along with that responsibility.

One place that a sign will go is where a county road enters a 55 MPH, soon to be 4 lane, state highway. The new post was placed today or yesterday. I went to look at it. It is ~15 feet farther away from the highway than the existing sign. There are two large 20+ foot brick subdivision entrance to the right and left off that sign. That will be the replacement stop sign, and any driver who stops behind it, will have little to no view of the highway. So to safely enter the highway, a driver would need to stop twice, at sign then again when where the old sign was. Either that or enter the highway blindly. If blindly, then good shot at a wreck, which at speed vehicles travel on the highway, would probably be bad, perhaps fatale. I assume even a non creative attorney could pin the blame on that stop sign placement.

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