What protections does lawn care insurance provide?
The precise coverages provided by lawn care insurance policies can vary from one policy to another, but there are common coverages that most policies offer. Some common protections are:
- Commercial Property Coverage: Typically covers facilities owned by a landscaper and equipment stored at those facilities.
- Inland Marine Coverage: Typically covers mowers, trimmers and other equipment while it's transported between locations.
- General Liability Coverage: Typically covers common accidents for which a business is responsible.
- Errors and Omissions Coverage: Typically covers errors made when landscapers provide advice to customers. Frequently called “E&O coverage.”
- Product Liability Coverage: Typically covers injuries and damage caused by sold or used products.
- Pollution Liability Coverage: Typically covers environmental harm resulting from chemicals used by a landscaper.
- Commercial Auto Coverage: Typically covers a landscaper's trucks and vans that the business owns.
- Commercial Umbrella Coverage: Typically provides supplemental protection for expensive liability lawsuits.
In addition to these protections, businesses might also look for business interruption coverage, cyber liability coverage and other protections. Insurance agents who specialize in these types of policies can help landscapers explore all coverage options.
How much do lawn care policies cost?
Premiums for lawn care policies vary between policies. Insurance companies consider many factors when determining rates, and not every insurer weighs each factor identically. Insurance companies might be interested in details such as:
- Area served
- Services provided
- Chemicals used
- Vehicles’ year, make and model
- Owned facility’s location and size
- Any recent insurance claims
Businesses can get an accurate idea of how much they’ll need to pay for insurance by consulting with an independent agent. Unlike captive agents who are normally obligated to prioritize a single insurance company, independent agents can present businesses with quotes from multiple different insurers. This makes it easy to determine how much different insurers will charge given a business’s specifics.
Do lawn care policies provide coverage for snowplowing?
Insurance companies recognize that many landscaping businesses also offer snowplowing services for driveways and parking lots during winter. While insurers frequently allow landscapers to get snowplowing coverage through a landscaping policy, not every policy is suitable for both types of work.
Businesses needing coverage for both lawn care and snowplowing should review policy options with an experienced agent. A knowledgeable insurance agent can check how well a policy covers landscaping and snowplowing services.
