General Liability for Handyman Businesses
According to the Department of Labor, there are more than 90,000 handyman service businesses in the U.S. While many of those companies are independently operated, others have a roster of handyman professionals on staff. Anyone working as a handyman has continuous contact with the general public, and they usually work in a wide variety of locations as well. Being unable to control the work environment and foot traffic around or through it can put the business at higher risk for accidents.
General liability insurance for handymen is the best way to protect the business owner from financial and legal complications that can arise when accidents happen. This inexpensive source of business protection helps independent contractors as well as small business owners who employ multiple handymen. It provides protection from bodily injuries, property damages, advertising complaints, completed operations and products, and damage to leased business property.
Bodily injuries can occur at any time, for any reason. And whether your company caused the injuries or not, it can still be sued for them. When customers hurt themselves on or near your worksite, they often require medical attention. If the injuries are severe, they may require emergency care, hospitalization, and rehabilitation services. They might lose income because they must take time off work for recovery. Each of these are expenses that the customer will expect your handyman company to pay for. They may also expect compensation for general pain and suffering or emotional trauma. Handyman general liability insurance will pay for these things so that your company does not have to. This policy also pays for your legal defense costs so that you will not have these expenses directly.
Property damages also occur when accidents happen, and this risk also increases as you move from one jobsite to another. You or one of your employees might brush against a customer’s car with your toolbelt while walking by and scratch or gouge it. The customer will expect you to pay for repairs or complete replacement when the damage is severe enough. Without general liability insurance for handyman companies, you would have to pay for those repairs yourself. If the customer also sued you for additional losses, you would have to take time away from work to defend yourself in addition to paying all of the associated legal fees.
General liability insurance also provides your company with protection for completed operations and products. You might use materials to repair a hole in a wall, for instance, only to discover later that those materials did not last as long as they were supposed to. They may have been manufactured badly, or there may have been a defect. Regardless of why they didn’t last, the customer will want the materials replaced and the work redone. General liability insurance protects you from this type of risk so that you’re not losing time and money if the problem arises.
Advertising complaints can sometimes arise against any business, from any source. Common advertising complaints usually involve someone claiming liable, slander, or copyright violations. If your handyman company runs a Facebook advertisement that uses a picture of a customer’s house, that customer might sue you because they don’t think you have permission to use that image. A competitor might hear your ad on the radio and claim that your comments implied something bad about their company, and they want to sue you for slandering them.
Whether you operate your handyman business as a sole proprietor or you have staff on the payroll, you will eventually grow to the point that you’ll need business space. Some handyman companies lease storage space for their tools and equipment while others have retail storefronts and offices. Regardless of what type of property you want to use for business purposes, you’ll need adequate insurance coverage for it before you’re allowed to lease it. Business premises protection is part of a general liability policy that protects the owner of the property your business leases. If your company does something that causes damages to that property, the general liability insurance will pay for repairs so that the property owner does not have to. An employee might overload a circuit in the workshop, for example, and damage the wiring. Without the proper insurance coverage, the property owner would be left to pay for those repairs themselves. The leased business premises coverage portion of a general liability insurance policy will cover the cost of these repairs instead.
General liability insurance for handyman companies is a smart decision regardless of how big or small your company might be. Contact a business insurance specialist today to get your coverage started so that you can concentrate on growing a successful business regardless of what mishaps might come along.