What is Trella Insurance?

Trella Insurance is an independent insurance brokerage based in Bellevue, Washington. We serve high-asset households and real estate investors by conducting comprehensive risk reviews and designing personal lines coverage — home, auto, umbrella, and rental property.

How does an independent insurance broker differ from a captive agent?

A captive agent works for one insurance company and can only offer that company's products. An independent broker like Trella Insurance works with multiple carriers and shops the market on your behalf to find coverage that fits your actual situation — not just what one insurer sells.

What does a risk review cost?

Trella Insurance's initial risk review is complimentary. There is no charge for us to audit your current policies, identify coverage gaps or redundancies, and present our findings.

What types of insurance does Trella Insurance offer?

Trella Insurance offers personal lines insurance (home, dwelling, contents, liability, loss of use), auto insurance for daily drivers and collector vehicles, umbrella liability policies, and landlord coverage for rental properties.

What is an umbrella insurance policy and how much do I need?

An umbrella policy provides liability coverage beyond the limits of your home, auto, or commercial policies — it activates when a claim exceeds your underlying policy limit. Most high-asset households and property owners need significantly more umbrella coverage than a standard $1 million policy provides, especially if they own rental properties or operate a business.

Does Trella Insurance work with business owners?

Yes. Business owners often have more complex personal insurance needs — higher-value homes, rental properties, and greater liability exposure. Trella focuses on personal lines: home, umbrella, auto, and rental property. Commercial lines are coming soon.

What areas does Trella Insurance serve?

Trella Insurance is based in Bellevue, WA and licensed in Washington, WAOIC #1356476. We are expanding state licensing to serve clients nationally.

How does Trella Insurance get paid?

Like most independent brokers, Trella Insurance is compensated through commissions paid by the insurance carriers when a policy is placed. The initial risk review and brokerage service carry no direct fee to clients.

What is replacement cost coverage and why does it matter?

Replacement cost coverage pays to rebuild or replace your property at current construction costs, regardless of depreciation. Actual cash value coverage — common in standard policies — pays only the depreciated value, which is often far less than what it actually costs to rebuild. Many homeowners discover this gap only after a significant loss.

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Umbrella InsuranceAugust 31, 2025

The Underlying Limits Your Umbrella Requires

An umbrella policy doesn't stand alone — it sits on top of your home and auto policies and only activates once their limits are exhausted. For that to work, those underlying policies have to meet the umbrella carrier's minimum requirements. Miss this, and you've left a gap directly beneath your umbrella.

The typical minimums

Most umbrella carriers require:

Auto liability: $250,000 per person / $500,000 per accident (often written 250/500).
Home liability: $300,000.
Watercraft/other: specified minimums if you own them.

Why it matters

Say you carry $100,000 of auto liability and a $1M umbrella. In a serious accident, your auto pays its $100K, but the umbrella may not attach until the required $250K/$500K is met — leaving you personally responsible for the gap between $100K and where the umbrella kicks in. Raising the underlying limit closes that hole, and it's inexpensive.

What to do

Check your current auto and home liability limits.
Raise them to the umbrella's minimums if they're short — usually a small premium increase.
Then add (or confirm) the umbrella on top.

Frequently asked questions

What underlying limits does an umbrella policy require? Commonly $250K/$500K auto liability and $300K home liability, plus minimums for watercraft or other exposures. Requirements vary slightly by carrier.

What happens if my underlying limits are too low? There can be a gap between where your underlying policy ends and where the umbrella attaches — leaving you personally responsible for that amount. Raising underlying limits fixes it.

Is it expensive to raise underlying limits? Usually no — increasing auto and home liability to umbrella minimums is typically a modest premium increase.

More in this series: Umbrella Insurance When You Own Rentals · Does Umbrella Insurance Cover Lawsuits and Legal Defense?

An umbrella only does its job when the layers beneath it hold up, so pair this with The Insurance Gaps High-Income Tech Employees Miss and Landlord vs Homeowners Insurance: Know the Difference.

Trella Insurance is an independent brokerage in Bellevue, WA. Request a free review or try the coverage gap calculator.

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