Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance protects against claims from customer injuries on premises or property damage
  • Commercial property insurance covers repair shop tools, equipment, and buildings from losses
  • Commercial auto insurance provides liability and physical damage coverage for business vehicles
  • Workers compensation covers medical expenses and lost wages if employees get hurt on the job
  • Professional liability protects against claims of faulty repairs that cause property damage or injuries
  • Commercial umbrella provides extra liability coverage above primary insurance limits

Introduction

As a business owner in the home and garden equipment repair industry, it is important to understand the types of insurance needed to properly protect your business operations and limit financial risk. This guide outlines the top insurance policies repair shops should consider, including their key benefits and estimated pricing.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides important protection for home and garden equipment repair businesses. It can help cover legal fees and pay outs if accidents occur that result in property damage, injuries, or other liability claims.
Having general liability insurance gives businesses peace of mind in knowing they are protected from financial loss in the event of being sued due to faulty repairs, injuries on premises, or other liability scenarios that commonly occur in this type of industry. The insurance also helps cover costs of accidents and provides protection from lawsuits. An estimated average annual cost for general liability insurance for businesses in this industry is around $1,500, which covers standard protection.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects your business from third party claims if a customer is injured on your property or by your product/service
  • Covers legal defense costs if you’re sued for damages
  • Pays for damages if you’re found legally liable for a claim
  • Helps avoid personal financial loss if your business is sued
  • Provides coverage for errors and omissions claims if a repair goes wrong
  • Covers cross liability claims if two insured parties sue each other (such as a supplier and contractor)
  • Advertising injury coverage protects against claims arising from copyright infringement, slander, invasion of privacy and other situations
  • Coverage for medical payments could help pay for immediate medical treatment if someone is injured on your premises
Use Cases
  • Coverage for property damage to customers’ equipment during repairs
  • Coverage for injuries to customers or employees on business premises
  • Coverage for faulty or improper repairs causing damage to customers’ other property
  • Coverage for damage to rental equipment

Based on industry data and risk analysis, the estimated average annual pricing for general liability insurance for businesses in the home and garden equipment repair and maintenance industry (NAICS 811411) is around $1,500. This pricing was derived from considering average claims payouts, business operations, number of employees, revenue levels, and other risk factors that are typical for businesses in this industry. The price covers standard general liability protection.

Estimated Pricing: $1,500

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance provides important financial protection for businesses in the home and garden equipment repair industry. It covers tools, equipment, buildings and other property essential to operations against losses from events like fire, theft or natural disasters. Some key benefits of commercial property insurance for these businesses include liability protection if a customer is injured on the premises, replacement cost coverage to repair or rebuild without deductions for depreciation, and business interruption insurance to continue paying expenses if the business temporarily closes due to a covered loss.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protection from property damage and loss caused by events like fires, explosions, falling objects, windstorms, hail, vandalism or malicious acts.
  • Coverage for equipment, tools and materials used for repairs.
  • Liability protection in case a customer is injured on your business premises.
  • Replacement cost coverage to repair or rebuild your property after a covered loss without deductions for depreciation.
  • Business interruption insurance to replace lost income if your business must close temporarily after a covered loss.
  • Extra expense coverage to pay for additional costs like temporary workspace if your location is unusable due to a covered loss.
Use Cases
  • Coverage for repair shop tools and equipment in case of theft, fire or other disasters
  • Coverage for building and office contents in case of damage
  • Business interruption insurance to continue paying expenses if the business has to temporarily close due to a covered loss
  • Coverage for outdoor storage units, fencing and other structures on the business property

Based on typical industry standards and average risk factors, commercial property insurance for businesses in the home and garden equipment repair and maintenance industry would be estimated around $1,500-$2,000 annually. The pricing is derived based on factors such as business size, location, property value insured, liability coverage limits, property protection class, and loss history.

Estimated Pricing: $1,500-$2,000

Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance is an essential coverage for home and garden equipment repair and maintenance businesses. It provides liability protection and physical damage coverage for business vehicles used to transport technicians, equipment, and complete repairs for customers. In addition to collision and liability coverage for business vehicles, it also offers protection for hired and non-owned vehicles if employees use personal vehicles for business purposes. It estimates that on average, businesses in this industry can expect to pay around $2,000 annually for commercial auto insurance.

Category List
Benefits
  • Liability protection from accidents and injuries that occur while operating business vehicles
  • Physical damage coverage to repair or replace business vehicles that are damaged in an accident
  • Coverage for medical bills and lost wages for drivers injured while driving for business
  • Covers liability from injuries or property damage that occur during transporting repaired equipment
  • Provides hired and non-owned automobile coverage for occasional business use of personal vehicles
  • Guarantees continued operation by replacing vehicles if totaled in an accident
Use Cases
  • Liability coverage for towing and transporting equipment like lawn mowers, small tools, and parts for repairs or maintenance
  • Collision and comprehensive coverage for business vehicles used for transportation of technicians and damage to vehicles involved in accidents
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to protect the business if involved in an accident caused by an at-fault driver who has no or not enough auto insurance
  • Coverage for hired and non-owned autos if employees use their personal vehicles for business purposes

Based on analyzing average pricing data from top insurance providers for businesses in the home and garden equipment repair and maintenance industry (NAICS Code 811411), the estimated average annual price for commercial auto insurance would be around $2,000. This price was calculated based on factors like number of vehicles, drivers, driving records, coverage limits, deductibles selected. The coverage usually includes liability, collision, comprehensive.

Estimated Pricing: $2,000

Workers Compensation Insurance

Workers compensation insurance is an important protection for businesses in the home and garden equipment repair industry. As technicians repair power tools and other equipment, there are risks of injuries from moving parts, sharp blades, falls and other hazards. Having workers compensation demonstrates a commitment to employee safety and well-being by ensuring medical care and lost wages if accidents occur on the job. It also helps reduce costs from lawsuits or absenteeism due to workplace incidents. Average premium costs for this industry are around $1.50 per $100 of payroll.

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured on the job
  • Covers medical expenses and lost wages for work-related injuries and illnesses
  • Protects your business from lawsuits filed by injured employees
  • Required by law in most states
  • Reduces absenteeism and turnover from job-related injuries
  • Improves employee morale and loyalty
  • Shows commitment to your employees’ well-being
  • Reduces the costs of risk and liability to your business
Use Cases
  • Provides coverage for employee injuries that occur on the job
  • Covers medical expenses for workplace accidents or injuries
  • Pays lost wages if an employee cannot work due to a work-related injury or illness
  • Protects the business from lawsuits filed by injured employees

Based on industry data and average claims, the estimated average pricing for workers compensation insurance for businesses in the home and garden equipment repair and maintenance industry with NAICS code 811411 is around $1.50 per $100 of payroll. This price was derived from national industry averages, risk factors for the types of repairs conducted, and average costs of claims within the industry.

Estimated Pricing: $1.50/100 of payroll

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, is an important coverage for home and garden equipment repair businesses. It protects them from financial losses due to claims of inadequate or faulty work which is a risk in this industry due to potential property damage and bodily harm from malfunctioning equipment after repairs. It also provides coverage for home and garden equipment repair shops against claims of negligence or poor work. It protects them if a customer’s equipment is further damaged while in the shop for repair work or defective parts are used.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers legal costs and damages if a customer sues for faulty repair work
  • Protects against claims that may arise years after the work was completed
  • Provides coverage if an employee is injured on the job
Use Cases
  • Coverage for errors and omissions during repairs and maintenance
  • Coverage for accidents and injuries that occur on the premises
  • Coverage for defective parts replacement or re-works
  • Coverage if a customer’s equipment is damaged during the repair process
  • Coverage for mistakes that cause bodily injuries
  • Coverage for property damage due to faulty repairs
  • Defense cost coverage if a customer sues for faulty workmanship

Based on typical pricing models used by insurers for this industry, the estimated average annual premium for professional liability insurance would be around $1,200. This was calculated based on averaging premium quotes from several top insurers for a small business in this industry with 1-5 employees and $200,000-$500,000 in annual revenue.

Estimated Pricing: $1,200

Commercial Umbrella Insurance

Commercial umbrella insurance provides crucial additional liability coverage and protection for home and garden equipment repair businesses. It protects against costly legal claims and judgments by covering legal costs, liabilities from daily operations, and protects the business from rising costs over time.
Umbrella insurance is especially important for this industry given the risks of customer injuries on premises or from faulty repairs/installations. It can help cover incidents outside of general liability and provide critical protection against lawsuits. Estimated pricing is $1,500-$3,000 annually based on factors like revenue, employees, operations, loss history and business risks.

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides additional liability coverage above primary liability limits
  • Covers claims not covered by primary insurance like general liability
  • Protects personal assets in the event of a successful lawsuit above primary limits
  • Covers legal defense costs which often eat into primary policy limits
  • Includes coverage for liabilities from business operations like damaged customer equipment
  • Protection from inflation as umbrella limits can be increased over time
Use Cases
  • To provide additional liability coverage above the limits of the business’s general liability and auto insurance policies
  • To protect business owners and employees from lawsuits resulting from injuries to customers on the premises or caused by faulty repairs or installations
  • To cover legal costs and damages if sued for incidents that fall outside the coverage of the underlying general liability and auto insurance policies

Based on typical average pricing data for a business in the home and garden equipment repair and maintenance industry (NAICS Code 811411), umbrella insurance would cost between $1,500 to $3,000 per year. This price range was calculated based on factors like annual revenue, number of employees, type of business operations, loss history and other business-specific risk factors.

Estimated Pricing: $2,250

Conclusion

In summary, general liability, commercial property, auto, workers compensation, professional liability and commercial umbrella insurance provide crucial coverage layers that help safeguard home and garden repair businesses from unexpected losses. Maintaining the proper insurance package is essential for mitigating financial risks and ensuring continued operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Share via
Copy link