Understanding how to get large lawn care business insurance can protect you from lawsuits and other monetary damages if you work with several workers or are a self-employed landscaper. Since lawn care businesses deal with a variety of industry-specific risks, you’ll probably require a variety of insurance coverage.
In addition, these industry-specific risks include operating heavy machinery, heavy equipment, hazardous chemicals, etc. Furthermore, it’s crucial to consider the kinds of lawn care business insurance and know how to get the best lawn care business insurance.
How to Get Lawn Care Business Insurance
Obtaining business insurance for your lawn care service is crucial. The company must be protected from lawsuits arising from negligence, careless actions, trip hazards, or poor commercial landscaping. Moreover, insurance disputes may also give rise to claims about the replacement or repair of commercial equipment (such as lawn tractors).
Evaluate your risks
Common risks in lawn care and landscaping businesses include property damage, employee injury, and industry-specific hazards like broken equipment, chemical exposure, and lawn mower injuries. Evaluating these risks involves considering factors like company size, location, number of employees, assets, and work nature.
Choose your policy
Choosing the right insurance coverage is crucial for protecting your lawn care and landscaping company from various risks. Also, bundling multiple insurance types into a business owner’s policy (BOP) can provide tailored coverage for general liability, commercial property, and business interruption insurance.
Shop around
To find the best insurance for your lawn care business, contact providers directly, connect with local agents, use commercial insurance brokers, and use online marketplaces for a personalized experience, compare quotes, and obtain customer support.
Choose your insurer
When comparing insurance providers, you should consider coverage, liability limits, cost, reviews, and customer experience. For example, Next Insurance offers three protection plans for lawn care businesses, with varying limits. The cost depends on the policy’s coverage and deductible. A well-reviewed provider with fewer complaints is also important. Additionally, consider the process for filing claims, paying bills, and managing accounts online or using a mobile app.
Purchase your coverage
Purchase lawn care business insurance after choosing the best provider and understanding payment due dates, claim filing procedures, and coverage management. Moreover, to validate business contracts or project work, obtain a certificate of insurance (COI) as proof of policy and handle additional insured clients as required.
Update your coverage
Regularly review and update your lawn care business insurance coverage, particularly for projects or contracts, to ensure they are adequately protected. During policy renewal, evaluate your business’s risks, coverage, and current insurance provider experience to decide if you want to change your policy.
Furthermore, before policy renewal, businesses with significant changes, like hiring employees or purchasing new equipment, should reevaluate their coverage to address new risks.
Types of Lawn Care Business Insurance
To determine which coverage you’ll need, you should speak with an insurance agent with experience in the lawn care sector. They can provide you with guidance based on their experience working with companies that are comparable to yours. Depending on your particular needs and risks, your agent will assist you in selecting the lawn care insurance policies that are the best match for your small company.
Let’s examine every kind of company insurance plan you may want to think about:
General liability
Basic hazards and a wide range of lawn care and mowing incidents are covered by general liability insurance. If someone is harmed who isn’t an employee or if you are blamed for harming property that isn’t yours, you will be financially protected. Both project managers and individual clients frequently need it. Contractors’ E&O insurance is a liability policy designed to provide cost reimbursement in business disputes for lawn care companies.
Professional liability
Errors and omissions, or professional liability insurance, aid in your defense if you are charged with committing a mistake that results in financial loss for another party. For instance, it might assist in paying for the costs associated with defending yourself or having the work redone if you are charged with using fertilizers that burn the grass in a client’s yard.
Commercial auto
For business-owned automobiles, the majority of states mandate commercial auto insurance to help cover medical costs and property damage. When you unload equipment from your work truck and damage a nearby car, your auto insurance normally won’t cover you. Commercial Auto offers assistance in covering medical expenses, collision repairs, and rental reimbursement.
Workers’ compensation
Workers’ compensation insurance can assist you and your employees following a working injury. Most states need it the moment you recruit your first employee. It can help cover medical expenses and missed earnings following an accident. Workers’ Compensation covers medical expenses, lost wages, and employer liability, providing financial support for those affected by these issues.
Tools and equipment
Whether you store your equipment in a trailer, your car, or on a job site, tools and equipment coverage ensures that it is safe. If you don’t own or rent real estate and frequently bring pricey lawn care equipment to a job site, tools, and equipment insurance provide security against loss or theft. We provide this coverage as a supplement to our general liability insurance.
Commercial property
Commercial property insurance may help safeguard your structure, merchandise, and lawn care equipment if you own a facility. It covers both the structure and your equipment while they are on your owned property, which is where you store your equipment. Commercial property can assist in covering damaged equipment and inventory, lost income, and operating expenses.
To fully cover all risks and liabilities, lawn care professionals may require additional insurance policies with general liability and workers’ compensation coverage. Furthermore, the following lawn care professionals include small enterprises, LLCs, and independent contractors.
How Much Does Lawn Care Business Insurance Cost
The following are some of the variables that affect your insurance expenses for a landscaping or lawn care business:
- The magnitude of your business.
- The number of workers.
- Years of activity in business.
The typical cost of general liability insurance for a landscaping company for most clients is around $45 per month, or $530 annually.
Who Needs Lawn Care Business Insurance
Insurance is a must for all types of lawn care businesses, from one-man operations to major enterprises employing many people. The kind of lawn maintenance you conduct and the risks involved are more crucial. Your organization, particularly those offering services like irrigation, weeding, trimming, and lawn mowing, may benefit from more comprehensive coverage if it performs more sophisticated operations. You may add on services like snow removal and blowing with landscape insurance coverage.