Landscaping Insurance For Your Business

1. Landscaping Insurance Your business needs care too!

2. Risks that you may face as a landscaper • While you are busy helping your clients clean their lawn or treat a tree, risks follow your business. Some common risks include:    • An employee sues you after getting hurt during the job.    • Your client gets sick because of herbicides and pesticides you use.    • Because of your business there is a Property damage to your client.  • Your employee steals something from the client. In return client sues your company.  

3. What is landscaping insurance?  Landscaping is a broad category that includes: • Mowing and lawn care • Groundskeeping • Landscape design • Irrigation system installation • Arboriculture • Hardscaping  • Trimming All businesses that provide such services need insurance to protect themselves against lawsuits and damage to physical assets.

4. Who needs landscaping insurance? Professionals or business who need landscaping insurance include: • Lawncare service providers • Grading and excavation service providers  • Tree pruning business

5. What coverages do landscaping professionals need?​ The insurance needs of the landscape professionals vary from individual to individual. ​​ We will walk you through policies that you need in order to cover your business​.

6. Business Owner’s Policy • Business owner’s policy (BOP) combines general liability, commercial property and business interruption insurance policies into one package. BOP is a must for any small business owners as they can get a tailored fit solution to manage the risks. • The following claims are covered under the business owner policy:    • Bodily Injury • Property Damage • Employee Dishonesty

7. Commercial General Liability Insurance • Commercial general liability insurance (CGL) covers third party bodily injury and property damage. • CGL protects from:   • Client Injury    • Property Damage   • Advertising Injuries   • For instance: You are digging a hole, and suddenly you hit a gas line, causing the house to burn. Your client may sue you for this. With the help of general liability insurance, you can protect your business against lawsuits that will probably bankrupt your business.

8. Employment Practices Liability Insurance • Employment practices liability insurance or EPLI protects your company from covering legal expenses against lawsuit filed by your clients. • Some of the issues that your contracting business can face are:   • Harassment    • Wrongful Termination  

9. Inland Marine Insurance • Inland marine insurance helps protect all the tools and equipment that you transport from your warehouse to the job site. It also helps cover for the losses if your supplies get stolen from the workplace. • Example: If your tools get stolen from your van while transporting them, inland marine insurance for landscaping will help you cover the losses.   

10. Business Interruption Insurance • Business interruption insurance covers the loss of income in situations where you cannot run your business because of covered loss. This policy will cover for employee pay as well as any ongoing projects.    • Factors affecting the eligibility for business income policy are:    • The industry of the business    • Location    • Previous claims   

11. Commercial Umbrella Insurance • Commercial umbrella insurance provides coverages above the liability limit of primary policies. • Example: you incur a loss of $4 million; your general liability covers only $2 million, then umbrella insurance helps you pay for the remaining $2 million.   

12. Workers Compensation Insurance • Workers compensation insurance helps your business cover any financial loss for work-related injury or illness. • Following claims can be covered under workers compensation insurance:   • Bodily injury • Wage replacement    • Employee death benefits   • Most states require workers' comp if you have any employees.

13. Commercial Auto Insurance • Commercial auto insurance helps cover for damage to any vehicle that you or your employees use on the job. • Claims that are covered in commercial auto insurance are:   • Property Damage • Bodily Injury • Vehicle damage Note: A lawnmower is not a vehicle and therefore isn’t insured under commercial auto insurance. It is considered personal property, but business property insurance can help cover the losses.  

14. Commercial Property Insurance • Commercial property insurance covers business assets, such as building, tools, and equipment. • Commercial property insurance helps to:   • Repair or replace any tools and equipment.    • Cover damages caused by fire, theft.    • Note: Lawnmowers are considered as business property and not as commercial auto. If someone steals a lawnmower while you are moving it from your warehouse to the site, then commercial insurance most likely won't pay the cost.

15. Contractual Liability Insurance • Any mistakes while doing your contractual work might put your business into risk and result in financial loss.  • Contractual liability insurance will help you cover the losses while doing your contractual work as a third party.  

16. Some of the endorsement and exclusion • Herbicide and pesticide application coverage  • Workmanship Error coverage  • Crime 

17. How much does tree and landscaping insurance cost? • Multiple factors influence the landscaping and arborist insurance cost. However, an estimate for coverages can be determined based on:   • Location • Payroll • Revenue Receipts • Property Value • Vehicle Type