As a professional gardener, you are experienced in prepping gardens for any weather, be it mowing lawns in summer or pruning trees just before winter. Gardening and landscaping come with many risks, and it is important to protect your business against them.
The best way to do so is by getting comprehensive landscaping or gardening insurance. Landscaping insurance is a crucial policy that covers your business in case of property damage or injuries. Facing such cases could result in significant losses, especially when the victims file a claim against you.
To enlighten you on the importance of landscaping business insurance, this guide discusses it in detail and highlights what it covers. We will also mention its cost and the factors that influence it.
Landscaping Liability Insurance
Landscaping general liability insurance covers a wide range of basic risks and landscaping accidents. Your landscaping business will be covered if a third party sustains injuries as a result of your services. It also covers property damage caused by your landscaping or gardening services.
Liability insurance is very important for your landscaping business and often requires individual clients, project owners, and licensing agencies. Being the best insurance for landscapers, liability insurance includes professional liability insurance or errors and omissions coverage. This helps cover costs in case you don’t agree with your clients.
Errors and omissions coverage is crucial for your landscaping business due to the high number of risks involved. You could easily make a mistake when working as a gardener. If you cause property damage due to unprofessional gardening methods, you could be held liable. For example, when you plant the wrong species that affect wildlife, you could be sued for causing damage. Landscaping insurance helps protect against such claims.
Worker’s compensation insurance is another important policy under liability insurance. This policy covers all the expenses when one of your employees sustains injuries while at work. Most states need you to have a worker’s compensation policy, especially if you have a large team of employees.
This is a requirement when getting your landscaper license. Worker’s compensation insurance policy covers the medical expenses in case your employee sustains injuries. It also covers their wages in case they can no longer work.
Landscaping Insurance Cost
The average cost of landscaping insurance is $30 per month. You can also choose to pay an annual average of $450. It is important to note that several factors affect the total cost of landscaping insurance. For instance, the type of insurance policy you choose could increase or lower the total cost.
Similarly, a landscaping business that only does edging and mowing will pay a different policy than a business specialized in working on hardscapes. Other factors like the size of your business and whether you offer tree removal services also determine the cost of landscaping insurance. To give you an accurate estimate of landscaping insurance costs, here is a summary of how top insurance companies charge per month and annually.
Landscaping Business Insurance Cost
The cost of landscaping business insurance is slightly higher than that of standard landscaping services. The average cost is $45 per month. Alternatively, you can pay an annual fee of $530. Keep in mind that several factors influence the cost of landscaping business insurance.
For instance, the risks your business faces could increase garden design insurance costs. The size of your business also plays an important role in determining the total cost. Other factors include the type of policy you choose and what your business specializes in.
Best Landscaping Insurance Companies
Having known the importance and cost of landscape insurance, you might want to purchase this insurance policy. While many insurance companies offer landscaping insurance, not all of them are ideal for your business. This is why we have sampled some of the best companies offering this policy. They include;
Geico Landscaping Insurance
Geico is one of the top insurance companies in the US. It is known for its robust insurance policies and comprehensive coverage. As a landscaping business, this company has a lot to offer.
Geico Policy Details
Geico offers comprehensive landscaping insurance cover. With their policy, your landscaping business is protected against property damage, physical injury, as well as defence costs.
Pros
- Fast claim responsiveness
- Available in most countries
- Comprehensive insurance cover
Cons
- Could be expensive
Average cost: $55 per month
Best for: Established gardening businesses.
State Farm Landscaping Insurance
This is a mutual insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage to its policyholders. State Farm has over 60,000 employees and around 20,000 independent contractor agents that give quality services. The company has tailored landscape gardener insurance policies that are vital for any business. Based in the US, this company has offices in every state, making it easy to access.
State Farm Policy Details
State Farm offers comprehensive gardening business insurance. Its policies protect your landscaping business against a wide range of risks and claims. Thanks to its landscape contractors insurance, claims arising from professional liability and property damage are covered. They also offer landscaping and snow removal insurance that comes in handy, especially in adverse climatic conditions.
Pros
- Affordable
- Offers tailored landscaping insurance
- 24/7 customer support
Cons
- Claim responsiveness could be slow
Average cost: $40 per month
Best for: Start-up landscaping businesses.
Do Gardeners & Landscapers Need Insurance?
Insurance is very important for gardeners and landscapers. In your landscaping or gardening business, you face many risks that landscaping and tree service insurance can cover. Therefore, it is important to get insurance for small landscaping businesses that helps prevent unnecessary losses due to lawsuits. Your landscaping business could suffer severe financial losses when you lose a lawsuit case.
Such cases are very costly and need legal expertise. Stand-alone garden insurance is also vital for gardeners providing services on their own. For instance, if you don’t have a team and offer gardening services as an individual, this insurance policy covers you. Sole trader gardener insurance also covers the same. Having known the importance of insurance cover for gardening and landscaping, you should get your landscaping insurance quotes!
