ACORD 131 (Garage Supplement)
An ACORD supplemental form for garage liability and garagekeepers insurance applications.
What It Is
The ACORD 131 is the Garage supplemental form that accompanies auto dealer and repair shop insurance applications. It captures information specific to garage operations including the number of vehicles in inventory, customer vehicles on premises, types of services performed, lot security, and fire protection.
The form addresses both garage liability (third-party claims arising from garage operations) and garagekeepers insurance (physical damage to customer vehicles in the insured's care). It also captures data about dealer open lot exposures, including the average and maximum number of vehicles on the lot.
The ACORD 131 is essential for properly underwriting auto dealerships, body shops, mechanical repair facilities, and any business that stores customer vehicles.
Why It Matters for Brokers
Garage risks are highly specialized and misunderstood by many brokers outside of this niche. The ACORD 131 ensures that the unique exposures of auto-related businesses are properly communicated to underwriters. Brokers who complete the ACORD 131 accurately help clients avoid coverage gaps in garagekeepers policies, which are among the most claim-prone coverages in the auto services industry.
Real-World Example
An auto body shop with 30 customer vehicles on-site at any given time applies for garage liability and garagekeepers coverage. The broker completes the ACORD 131 documenting the shop's operations (collision repair, painting, mechanical work), lot capacity, fencing and camera security, fire extinguisher locations, and the maximum number of customer vehicles stored overnight. This detailed submission allows the carrier to quote garagekeepers coverage with appropriate limits.
Common Mistakes
- 1Underestimating the maximum number of customer vehicles on premises, which can result in inadequate garagekeepers limits.
- 2Failing to document lot security measures, which significantly affects garagekeepers premium and coverage availability.
- 3Not distinguishing between garage liability and garagekeepers on the application, leading to gaps in either coverage.
How brokerageaudit.com Handles This
Submission Intake provides garage-specific validation for the ACORD 131, cross-referencing reported vehicle counts against lot capacity and verifying that garagekeepers limits align with the reported exposure.