Business owners usually face a myriad of challenges every single day. Some of these challenges are expected and can be easily handled, while others are unexpected and can destroy the business. For instance, if a business gets less customers than normal for several consecutive days, the business owner can do more to advertise products and services or even run a special sale.
If a client files an injury lawsuit against the business, however, the outcomes can be devastating for the business. After all, if you are found to be liable for the injuries sustained by the plaintiff, you may have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for the injuries claimed.
Since you are a small business owner, you may not be able to pay the damages awarded by the court, so the only option may be to file for bankruptcy to get legal protection. Consequently, you may have to shut down your business operations. To ensure your business is not adversely affected by lawsuits, consider buying insurance for tradies from SmartBusinessInsurance.
Public Liability Insurance for Gardeners
If you run a landscaping or gardening business, you will need to have public liability insurance before you can offer services to the public. This is because there are several liabilities that may arise during your normal operations. For instance, you can cause injury to a pedestrian if the blades of the lawn mower you are using hit a rock and propels it in the direction of the pedestrian, causing injury on impact.
The object can also hit the windowpane on the client’s property or the neighbor’s new car. Gardeners can also cause damage to underground electrical and plumbing connections when working on the garden. Whatever the case, any liability that may arise in the course of your duties will be sorted out by your insurance provider if you have a suitable public liability insurance policy.
What Does Public Liability Insurance for Gardeners Cover?
This insurance policy protects gardeners from claims of negligence from third parties when property is damaged, and injuries sustained in an accident deemed to be the fault of the gardener. Public liability insurance offers three forms of coverage:
1. Legal Fees Cover:
The first liability coverage offered by this policy is legal fees cover. When an injury lawsuit is filed against you and your gardening business, you will need a strong legal defense to fight the claims. This can cost you a lot of money if you are paying out of pocket. Fortunately, public liability insurance covers all legal fees that may be incurred when defending your business against the claims of negligence.
2. Third Party Property Damage Cover:
In addition to paying legal fees, your insurer will also pay for any property that may be damaged during the accident if the court rules that you are responsible for the accident.
3. Physical Injuries:
If the incident caused physical injuries to third parties, your insurer would pay the resulting medical bills and settle any compensation that may be awarded by the court. This is usually the most expensive part of an injury lawsuit as the compensation can be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Therefore, every gardener needs to carry sufficient liability protection.
Choosing the Right Cover
There are many insurers in the market, and they all offer similar types of policies. That is why consumers usually make the mistake of assuming that all insurers are the same. The truth is that the terms and conditions of the insurance policies offered by different insurers usually differ greatly. Therefore, there is need to conduct some background research before making a decision. Below are key factors to consider when comparing public liability insurance for gardeners and landscapers:
1. Liabilities Covered
Before you can even shortlist an insurance company, you first need to check if their liability insurance policies are suitable for gardeners and landscapers. You will also need to check the types of liabilities that are covered by the policy. There should be coverage for legal fees, property damage and physical injuries. You want a policy that caters specifically for the needs of landscapers and gardeners.
2. Coverage Limits
It is crucial you check the coverage limits offered by different policies. This is because you want a policy that covers all the liabilities in question sufficiently. If on average injury lawsuits usually come with $50,000 in legal fees, the ideal policy should provide well-over $50,000 in legal fee protection.
Similarly, if on average injury suits involving gardeners usually cost $1 million dollars, you should carry liability protection that exceeds this amount. This will help to ensure that you and your business are sufficiently protected against the risks associated with running a gardening business.
3. Premiums
The wider the extent of liability coverage, the higher the premiums for that policy will be. Therefore, it is crucial you compare premiums hand in hand with the level of liability coverage offered by the policy. This will help to ensure you get the best possible deal on the market. Fortunately, there is plenty of competition in the insurance industry, so rates are competitive. It may be a great idea to consult an insurance broker during your search for the best liability insurance cover.
4. Exclusions
It is crucial you read the terms and conditions of a policy to learn about the exclusion clauses. This is important because you do not want to be disappointed in the future when you find out that some liabilities are listed in the policy but excluded from coverage. Therefore, reading both the inclusion and exclusion clauses is crucial before you commit yourself to a particular policy.
Public liability insurance is a basic requirement for tradies, gardeners included. If you are a tradie running a gardening business, it is crucial you look for a suitable insurance policy early on. This will help to ensure your gardening business thrives regardless of lawsuits. The policy will give both you and your clients peace of mind knowing that in case of any liability, the insurance company will sort out everything.
Nicola Holder 
Rhydian Choi