Commercial Insurance for Chimney Cleaning and Repair Companies
General liability, property insurance, and workers' compensation
General liability, property insurance, and workers' compensation
General liability, property insurance, and workers' compensation
General liability, property insurance, and workers' compensation
It may seem like chimney cleaning and chimney repair businesses are old-world professions that aren't really relevant to today's world but that's simply not the case. Many people still use a chimney in their home to provide warmth and comfort throughout the cooler months. This leads to a build-up of creosote and other materials that can pose a serious threat to the home and its inhabitants.
Likewise, a chimney with cracks, missing bricks, or other issues can become a major issue. Chimney sweep companies take on these specialty services. As a skilled trade professional, you must protect yourself and your clients from both physical harm and property damage. How? With the right business insurance policies.
Whenever a chimney sweep climbs on a roof to clean or fix a chimney, they're exposing themselves and the home owner to potential liability. A misplaced ladder can damage the exterior of the home. A missed step could mean slipping and falling off the roof. The chimney could topple over when touched—the list of potential accidents and incidents goes on and on. To protect yourself and your clients, it's wise for chimney sweeps to make sure you have adequate commercial insurance coverage.
Chimney sweep insurance should be tailored to your specific business. It is the best way to eliminate gaps in coverage. There are many different types of insurance coverages available to help customize your commercial insurance for your business. We've put together a list of a few insurance options that would fit your unique business.
If you cause any damage to a customer's roof, chimney, or other property or if you cause bodily harm to anyone, you can be held liable for any damages—and you may even be sued. Commercial general liability insurance (CGL) will help protect you and your business from such claims. It's a basic form of insurance and every business—regardless of the industry—should have it. Keep in mind, however, that general liability coverage excludes your company vehicles, employee injuries, professional mistakes, or punitive damages if you are sued.
If your small business isn't a one-man show and employs other chimney sweeps, you may need to provide them with worker's compensation insurance. It's legally required in almost every state. Even if you're not required to have this coverage, it's a very good idea. Workers' compensation protects employees if they have a work-related injury on the job or their health is impacted by illness. Workers' comp steps in to cover the cost of their medical care and a portion of their lost wages. It also benefits you as an employer by limiting the amount that you can be sued for if a worker is injured, dismembered, or dies on the job.
A Business Owners Policy (BOP) usually includes general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, and business interruption insurance. So if you're injured on the job or your office location is damaged, it can help cover lost profits or the cost of a temporary location. A BOP is often a more affordable policy instead of purchasing each of these coverages separately.
Why would a chimney sweep need commercial auto insurance? Your small business requires a vehicle to go to the customer's home or commercial business. That exposes you and your company to a myriad of dangers, potential accidents, and liability. If you're in an accident and damage someone's car or inflict bodily harm it could cost you thousands of dollars if you're not insured properly. Do not rely on your personal auto insurance for your company vehicles—it's not enough. A commercial auto insurance policy will cover repairs, vehicle replacement, legal costs, and other expenses.
Even if you have all of your bases covered with a general liability insurance policy, a business owner's policy, and commercial auto insurance, it may not be enough. This policy provides additional coverage that goes above and beyond your current policies. It will provide you with coverage that exceeds your current policy limits so you can rest assured that you won't get stuck with a huge bill that can financially ruin your business in case of an accident, property damage, or bodily injury.
While those are the primary policies that we believe every business can't operate without, there are. few others insurance options chimney sweeps may need:
Employment Practices Liability Insurance: If an employee sues you for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, etc. this policy can help cover legal costs.
Inland Marine Insurance: You need to protect your cleaning tools and equipment. Given the high cost of replacing stolen, lost, or damaged equipment inland marine insurance is highly recommended, especially for newly started and small businesses.
Commercial Property Insurance: If you rent or own an office location where you store supplies, equipment, and client records, commercial property insurance helps cover costs to rebuild or replace your property if it is damaged or destroyed—including its contents.
Cyber liability insurance: If your business experiences a data breach, your client's personal information could be compromised. Cyber liability helps cover the cost to inform your clients, pays for credit-monitoring, ongoing investigation, public relation costs and more.
Professional Liability Insurance: Professional liability insurance helps cover you if you make errors and omissions in judgment or are accused of being negligent.
Business insurance for professional chimney sweeps is affordable. The average price of general liability insurance for chimney sweeps ranges from $67 to $79 for $1,000,000/$2,000,000 in coverage. But the cost varies depending on numerous factors, which can include:
Commercial insurance isn't a glamorous topic, but it's an important aspect of being a responsible business owner. You simply cannot afford to take the risk of not having commercial Insurance and you certainly don't want to be under-insured if you do have coverage. At Tivly, we know how important it is to you and your business to have the right coverage.
You have a lot on your mind already with running your business on a day-to-day basis and the last thing you need is to worry about is a potentially disastrous incident. Find out more about insuring your chimney cleaning or repair business by getting a free quote. To get a quote, complete the form at the top of the page or contact us at 1-877-907-5267.
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