Independent agency · Yarrow Isle & the outer harbour
Cover written for salt air, spring tides and a long ferry ride to the mainland.
We place home, flood, boat and small business policies for people who live where the weather arrives first. One agent reads your declarations page, tells you plainly what is and is not covered, and stays on the file when you claim.
- Coastal property
- Flood
- Marine & mooring
- Commercial
- Auto & umbrella
Cover we write
Five lanes, and what each one actually does
Island risk does not fit a mainland rating form. Here is the honest shape of each policy we place, including the part most carriers leave out of the brochure.
01 / HO-3 + DIC
Coastal home and flood
A homeowners policy for the fire, wind and liability exposure, paired with a separate flood policy for rising water. We write the two together so the wind-versus-water argument is settled before a storm, not after one.
Usually excluded: gradual seepage, erosion of the bank itself, and anything below the lowest finished floor unless you add contents cover at that level.
02 / Marine
Boat, mooring and trailer
Agreed-value hull cover with a navigation range that matches where you genuinely go, not a radius drawn around a marina office. Includes liability for the mooring tackle and cover while the hull is ashore for the winter.
Worth asking about: whether your hull cover follows the boat during a yard haul-out, and who pays for the crane if it goes wrong.
03 / DP-3
Holiday let and landlord
A dwelling policy rated for short-stay guests rather than a long tenancy, with loss of rental income after a covered closure and liability that recognises guests you have never met using your dock and stairs.
Common gap: a standard homeowners policy treats paying guests as a business use and can decline the claim outright.
04 / BOP
Harbourside trade and small business
For the chandlery, the bakery, the charter skipper and the trades van. General liability, contents and stock, plus business interruption measured against a real island season instead of a flat twelve-month average.
We will tell you: if your trade is better served by a specialist marine programme, and we will say so before quoting.
05 / Auto + umbrella
Vehicles and personal umbrella
Island mileage is low and ferry crossings are frequent, which changes how a car should be rated. An umbrella then sits above the home, auto and boat policies so one bad afternoon does not reach your savings.
Requirement to watch: an umbrella needs underlying limits to be met on every policy it sits above, including the boat.
Where to start
Find your situation, open that policy first
Most enquiries begin in one of these six places. Read across to see which policy to open and the endorsement worth raising in the first conversation.
| If this is you | Start here | Ask about |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a house within sight of the water | Homeowners plus a standalone flood policy | Elevation of the lowest floor, and whether the roof settles at replacement cost or depreciated value |
| Renewing a policy you have not read in years | A declarations-page review, no quote required | Whether the dwelling limit has kept pace with island build costs since the policy was written |
| Letting a cottage to summer guests | Dwelling policy rated for short-stay use | Loss of rents, guest liability, and cover for the dock or steps guests will use |
| Keeping a boat on a mooring or in a yard | Agreed-value marine policy | Navigation limits, lay-up dates, and who carries wreck removal |
| Opening or taking over a harbourside shop | Business owner's policy | Interruption cover shaped to your season, and stock cover during a power cut |
| Holding several policies with different carriers | One consolidated review, then an umbrella | Matching deductibles and the underlying limits an umbrella will require |
Not sure which row you are in? Describe the property or the boat in the review form and we will tell you which policy to open first, even if that policy is not one we place.
How a claim runs
Four stages, and who does what in each
A claim is the only part of insurance that matters on the day. This is the order it happens in and the part we take off your hands.
-
Make it safe, then record it
Stop the loss getting worse and photograph everything before you move it. Keep receipts for tarpaulins, pumps and temporary repairs.
- You do
- Photos, receipts, a short written note of when it started.
- We do
- Talk you through what the adjuster will want to see.
-
We open the file
We report the loss to the carrier with the policy numbers, the dates and your contact details already in place, so you are not reading a declarations page over a bad phone line.
- You do
- Send us what you recorded.
- We do
- File the notice and confirm the claim number to you in writing.
-
The adjuster visits
An adjuster inspects and scopes the damage. Ferry timetables mean island visits are often grouped, so we push for a date and tell you honestly what it is likely to be.
- You do
- Be there if you can, and keep damaged items until released.
- We do
- Chase scheduling and sit in on the inspection where it helps.
-
Settlement and review
We read the settlement against your policy line by line. If something covered has been left out, we take that up with the carrier rather than asking you to argue it.
- You do
- Approve the scope once it reflects the damage.
- We do
- Query shortfalls, then review the policy before renewal.
Before storm season
An hour of documentation is worth weeks of argument
Nearly every disputed claim comes down to proving what existed before. Do this once, keep a copy off the island, and update it each autumn.
The building
- Every elevation photographed in daylight, including the roof from ground level.
- Dated close-ups of flashing, gutters, decking and any existing cracks.
- Serial numbers for the boiler, heat pump, generator and well pump.
- Receipts for upgrades such as a new roof, storm shutters or rewiring, which can also reduce premium.
- Shut-off locations for water, power and gas, photographed and shared with whoever checks the house when you are away.
Contents, boat and paperwork
- A slow walkthrough video of each room with drawers and cupboards open.
- Valuations for anything over your policy's single-item limit, such as jewellery or art.
- Boat condition shots above and below the waterline, plus the mooring tackle and its last service date.
- Declarations pages for every policy, stored in the cloud rather than a desk drawer.
- Your agent's details saved somewhere that works when the power is out.
Your agent
Marin Keltie
I grew up two streets from the slipway, so I have seen which roofs come off and which hold. I would rather spend an hour reading your current policy than fifteen minutes selling you a new one.
Yarrow Isle Insurance is independent, which means I place your cover with whichever carrier underwrites your risk sensibly, and I will tell you when staying where you are is the better answer. Every file stays with me from quote to claim — there is no call centre behind this page.
- Licensed lines Property, casualty, flood, marine, commercial
- How I work Independent agent placing cover with multiple carriers
- Reviews Declarations-page reviews at no charge, quote or not
- Claims Reported, tracked and checked against your policy by me
Questions
The seven things clients ask first
Why do I have two deductibles on my home policy?
Coastal policies usually carry a flat deductible for everyday losses and a separate percentage deductible that applies only to named storms. The percentage is calculated from the dwelling limit, not the claim, so a 2% named-storm deductible on a large dwelling limit can be a substantial figure.
We work out both numbers in cash terms during a review so the amount is never a surprise on the day you need it.
Does my homeowners policy cover flooding?
No. Rising water is excluded from standard homeowners cover and needs a separate flood policy. Wind-driven rain entering through storm damage is usually a homeowners claim, while water that arrives across the ground is a flood claim.
Because that boundary decides who pays, we prefer to have both policies in place and documented before storm season rather than argue the distinction afterwards.
How long before a new flood policy takes effect?
Flood cover commonly carries a waiting period of about thirty days from the date it is bound, with limited exceptions such as a policy required as a condition of closing on a purchase. It is not a policy you can buy with a storm already named.
If you are thinking about flood cover, the useful time to ask is now, not in the week a system forms.
What is the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value?
Replacement cost pays what it costs to rebuild or replace today. Actual cash value subtracts depreciation for age and wear, which on a fifteen-year-old roof can mean a materially smaller settlement.
Many coastal policies quietly settle roofs on actual cash value even when the rest of the dwelling is replacement cost. That line is one of the first things we check in a review.
Is my boat covered when it is ashore for the winter?
Usually yes, under the lay-up portion of a marine policy, and most carriers give a premium credit for the months the hull is out of the water. The gap to watch is the haul-out and launch itself, plus any period the boat sits on a trailer off the yard.
We set lay-up dates against when you actually stop using the boat, and confirm in writing who carries the risk during lifting.
I run a small business from home. Is that a problem?
It can be. Homeowners policies limit or exclude business property and business liability, so stock in the spare room, tools in the shed and a client who visits may all fall outside cover.
The fix is usually small: an endorsement for modest home-based trades, or a separate business policy once stock, equipment or visitors become significant.
Can I change a policy mid-term, or must I wait for renewal?
Most changes can be made mid-term by endorsement, with the premium adjusted for the remaining period. Adding a newly bought boat, raising a dwelling limit after building work or increasing liability rarely needs to wait.
Changes that reduce cover or move carriers are usually better timed at renewal, and we will flag which of the two your request is.
Policy review
Send your renewal date, we will read the policy
Tell us roughly what you have and what you are unsure about. There is no charge for a review and no requirement to move your cover.
- We read your current declarations pages line by line
- You get a plain written summary of gaps and overlaps
- We quote only where a different carrier genuinely fits better
- Reviews for the November tide window close on 21 November