What is landscaping insurance?
Operating mowers, trimmers, and similar equipment comes with the risk of injury, and there are plenty of other things that can happen when running a landscaping business. Insurance won’t do anything to prevent an accident or burglary from happening, but it could provide Vermont businesses with important financial protection when an incident occurs though.
Landscaping insurance provides tailored coverages for landscaping and lawn care businesses. Policies can protect against a variety of risks, including both liability and property exposures.
What businesses in Vermont should consider lawn care insurance?
All Vermont businesses offering mowing or landscaping should consider lawn care insurance. Not insuring can have disastrous consequences, and virtually no business is immune from risk.
A few specific examples of the businesses that commonly buy lawn care policies include:
- Sole proprietors mowing lawns in nearby neighborhoods
- Local lawn care businesses serving a town or city
- Local landscapers working in a town or city
- Large landscaping companies throughout the state
- Seasonal lawn care and landscaping businesses
What coverages should landscapers and lawn care businesses look for?
Lawn care insurance policies can come with liability and property protections. Liability protections guard against various situations where a landscaper or lawn care business might be sued. Property coverages normally insure physical assets.
Liability coverages that may be important to have include:
- General Liability Coverage: Can apply to common accidents resulting in customer or other third-party injury, or in damage to a customer’s property.
- Errors and Omissions Coverage: Can apply to errant advice resulting in injury or property damage; often referred to as E&O coverage.
- Product Liability Coverage: Can apply to products that cause injury or property damage, including pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides that cause harm.
- Commercial Auto Coverage: Can insure commercial trucks, vans and trailers used in the business.
- Commercial Umbrella Coverage: Can give additional insurance for lawsuits that exceed another liability coverage.
A few property coverages that landscape and lawn care businesses may want are:
- Commercial Property Coverage: Can protect owned buildings and their contents, which could include lawnmowers, trimmers, spreaders, chainsaws, wood chippers, seeds, plants, chemical treatments, and more.
- Inland Marine Coverage: Can protect equipment and inventory during transport to and from customer locations. Most items listed above could be covered when in transit.
- Equipment Breakdown Coverage: Can protect crucial equipment in the event of a malfunction, often covering the cost of repairs. This is typically reserved for larger and essential machinery only.
Do landscapers need workers compensation coverage?
In Vermont, businesses with employees are generally required to have workers compensation coverage. This is to protect against injuries or illnesses that workers may sustain on the job.
Thus, landscape and lawn care businesses that hire employees should expect to buy workers compensation insurance. Self-employed individuals with no employees aren’t required to buy it, but doing so would cover their own job-related injuries and lost wages.
When a business needs workers compensation, it can be purchased separately from a lawn care insurance policy.
Are landscaping policies able to also cover snow plowing?
Many insurance companies offer landscaping policies that can double as snowplowing policies. An insurance agent knowledgeable in landscaping coverages can help make sure that a specific policy provides protection for both landscaping and snow removal.
Are landscaping policies able to cover landscape architectural services?
Some landscaping policies are able to cover landscape architectural services, but may not provide all necessary protections. One of the most important protections for landscape architects to check for is errors and omissions coverage. An independent insurance agent can help you find this coverage.
Where can landscapers and lawn care businesses get landscaping insurance?
For landscaping insurance in Vermont, contact the independent insurance agents at Burlington Insurance Agency. Our agents will work closely with you to help find a plan to protect your assets in an affordable way.
