If one is trying to do something nice for your significant other, what can beat a bottle of champagne from a fancy liquor store and a new piece of jewelry? But no romantic gift would be complete without flowers. And speaking of flowers, the best pieces can only be bought from the flower shops of florists.
Are you a florist or someone who runs a flower shop? If this is the case, don’t leave yourself vulnerable to exposure by not getting business insurance for florists and flower shops.
This guide provides all the information about florist insurance and flower shop insurance. Read on to learn how it works, how much does it cost, and the best companies that provide it. Before proceeding, know that getting insured is important as it can ensure longevity, especially when you recently started a flower shop business.
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So do florists need insurance? Whether employed or working alone, all florists need insurance. There are specific insurance policies that florists need to have to comply with legal requirements and satisfy the terms of contracts entered into with clients. For starters, liability insurance is the first type of policy all florists should get. Let’s proceed to the next section and discuss what this is.
Liability insurance is a primary inclusion in the tailored coverage for florists. Florist liability insurance is either a general liability or professional liability insurance. Let’s discuss how these two insurance for florists works.
You can hurt someone while working. For example, you might be careless with a knife and cut a customer while packing flowers or making a bouquet. Accidents can also happen under your watch and the aggrieved person will put the blame on you. These exposures are what general liability insurance covers.
Specifically, this type of florist business insurance mainly covers personal injury claims and property damage claims against you. Here’s how general liability insurance works:
In personal injury claims, general liability insurance will help you cover or reimburse the medical expenses of a third party whom you inflicted with personal injuries
In property damage claims, general liability insurance will enable you to refund the losses of the person whose property got damaged because of your fault
General liability insurance covers defense costs such as attorney fees, settlements, administrative costs, etc.
Carriers add optional products and completed operations coverage to the general liability insurance of florists. Products and completed operations coverage will cover expenses if a service you delivered caused personal injuries or property damage.
Flower shops are very colorful and bright with the kaleidoscopic petals of flowers on their premises and many think that flower shop businesses are free from risks. Nonetheless, florists worry about possible dangers. Not only to them but the customers as well.
Many don't realize this but florists sell flowers that could harm people if not handled correctly. The table below outlines some flowers that might injure customers.
| Possible Injuries to Customers | |
|---|---|
| Baby’s Breath | Skin irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea |
| Daffodils | Skin burns, diarrhea, and vomiting |
| Foxgloves | Seizures, dilated pupils, and sometimes death |
| Hydrangeas | Fever and diarrhea |
| Larkspurs | Paralysis, abdominal pain, and death |
| Marigolds | Eye and ear irritation |
| Tulips | Vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea |
Customers can file a personal injury claim the moment they become injured by the flowers. Personal injury lawsuits, by the way, can be very problematic. You might be forced to spend $30,000 to settle minor injuries and more than $100,000 for severe injuries. The legal fee of the attorney adds $2,400 to the expense.
Public liability insurance is an alternative to general liability insurance. Just like the policy above, it covers personal injury claims and property damage claims filed against you. Recognize that florist public liability insurance isn’t as comprehensive as general liability insurance because you can’t add optional policies to it.
Professional liability insurance will help if you’re accused of causing economic or financial harm to a client. In practice, this will cover settlements, attorney fees, administrative costs, and other legal expenses if you committed or allegedly committed negligence. Therefore, professional liability insurance provides protection when you:
Failed to warn a customer about the potential hazards associated with a particular flower
Made bouquets and other products haphazardly
Failed to observe safety protocols while working with flowers when there are people around
Note that negligence is just one of the many perils professional liability insurance covers. Other exposures included in the terms of this insurance are:
Violation of good faith
Violation of fair dealing
Breach of confidentiality
Misrepresentation
You have two options when buying professional liability insurance - purchase it as a claims-made policy or occurrence policy. Here’s the difference between the two:
Claims-made professional liability insurance - A claims-made professional liability insurance only provides coverage if you report a covered incident during the time it happened
Occurrence professional liability insurance - An occurrence professional liability insurance kicks in whether or not you report a covered incident on the time that it happened. What’s important is that the covered incident occurred within the effective duration of the policy
Florist van insurance is what’s commonly known as commercial auto insurance. For florists, this only covers liability for auto accidents and damage to one's own vehicle. Protection against uninsured/underinsured motorists is also offered.
Personal auto insurance can also function as a florist van insurance. However, this is only helpful if you only use a vehicle casually for business purposes.
Temporary car insurance can be considered as florist van insurance. This is useful if you’re renting or borrowing a vehicle. Similar to long-term personal auto or commercial auto insurance, temporary car insurance provides protection against the liability for auto accidents, hefty expenses for vehicle repairs, and uninsured/underinsured motorists.
Wedding florist insurance is a specialty coverage a few insurance companies offer. This perfectly suits the needs of florists who contract work with wedding venues. Inclusions are general liability insurance with products and completed operations coverage, commercial auto insurance, and professional liability insurance. Business insurance only available to flower shops is also offered such as goods in transit insurance, workers compensation insurance, and tools and equipment insurance.
Freelance florist insurance is a short-term insurance plan for independent florists. This is available as an hourly, daily or weekly policy. Primary inclusions are general liability and professional liability insurance. Optional policies you can add to it are rented/hired auto insurance and equipment theft coverage.
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If you’re someone who is running a flower shop and employing florists, carriers can’t cover you using a florist insurance policy. But still, don’t worry because there’s flower shop insurance that will protect you against exposures.
Flower store insurance is a specialty coverage consisting of numerous business insurance policies available by small and big ventures. While the flower shop insurance of different carriers differ, expect to always find these inclusions:
Commercial property coverage in flower store insurance takes care of business tangible assets. It provides funds for repair and replacement if parts of the building are destroyed because of a natural disaster or an unintentional accident. Parts, commercial property covers, are window panes, roofing, doors, and many more.
Commercial property insurance only covers the building and not the equipment and stocks inside. This is why you should add stocks and contents coverage and business tools and equipment coverage to the terms of commercial property insurance.
Stocks and contents coverage will refund the value of all the flowers in your inventory that got lost or damaged due to fire, theft, vandalism, and other covered perils. This optional policy can do more actually. Reimbursement for losses also applies if the aforementioned perils cause the loss or damage of valuable items of your flower shop such as furniture, fixtures, CCTV cameras, etc.
Business equipment and tools coverage works the same way as stocks and contents coverage. What makes it different is that it covers the loss or damage of flower shop equipment such as trimmers, knives, glue guns, coolers, floral adhesives, etc.
Commercial property insurance has exclusions. This insurance doesn’t protect your business against earthquakes, floods, and mudslides. You need an endorsement for these exposures.
Another important thing you need to know about commercial property insurance is that it doesn’t provide automatic protection for all of your flower shop’s tangible assets. Business properties you want to be covered must be named/scheduled on the policy’s terms.
If contacting the skin on a regular basis, saps and oils in flowers can cause rashes, burns, and boils. Workers comp is an insurance for florists that will take care of the cost for any work-related injury or disease. By choosing to get workers' compensation insurance, your flower shop can easily cover the following:
Medical expenses-Your flower shop can use workers' compensation insurance to pay for ambulance fees, surgeries, therapies, and other resulting medical expenses when your employee experiences a work-related disease or injury such as rashes, burns, cuts, and boils
Hospitalization-If your flower shop’s employee is admitted to the hospital due to a work-related injury or disease, workers compensation insurance provides the money that will cover bills
Medication-With worker's compensation insurance in effect, your flower shop can pay for the prescription medicines an employee needs to fully recover from a work-related injury or disease
Rehabilitation-Workers compensation insurance will pay for rehabilitation if your employee needs it after sustaining bodily impairment due to a work-related injury or disease
Lost wages-Your flower shop can fully cover an employee’s lost wages as long as workers' compensation insurance is in place. The policy compensates lost income by providing a weekly allowance equal to two-thirds or 67% of the average weekly wage
Death benefits-Workers compensation insurance covers funeral expenses if an employee dies due to a work-related injury disease. It will also provide an allowance to dependents
Workers' compensation insurance is underwritten to cover employees. However, you can get this for yourself if you’re in a state where sole proprietors need to purchase workers' compensation insurance even if no individuals are employed.
Not getting workers' compensation insurance for your flower shop is punishable by law. The act is considered a criminal or civil offense. Punishment differs from state to state. However, penalties can be generalized as:
Imprisonment in the county jail
A fine multiplied by the days your flower shop wasn’t covered by workers comp
A fine twice the amount you would’ve paid for workers' compensation insurance premiums
Stop-hold order
Revocation of your business’s exclusive remedy
Having worker's compensation is very important. It’s estimated that 1 in 6 florists experience a work-related injury. But why are injuries so common? Aside from being toxic by themselves, flowers also contain pesticide residues that may cause sicknesses with regular human contact.
Compensation claims made by florists against flower shops can cost up to more than $1 million, provided that the injury resulted in lost income and reduced quality of life. Without worker's compensation coverage, such a compensation fee will deal a huge blow to flower shops.
As with florists, insurance companies sell commercial auto insurance for flower shops. Your business’s commercial auto insurance will also cover liability for vehicular accidents, vehicle repair costs, and resulting expenses from getting involved in an accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. But note that other protections are also available, namely:
Personal injury protection/medical payments coverage-Personal injury protection and medical payments coverage take care of the driver if your flower shop’s vehicle causes an accident or gets involved in an accident. Which of the two to get depends on which state your business is located
Non-owned auto/hired auto coverage-This optional coverage in commercial property insurance will cover your liability over accidents caused by a borrowed vehicle or rented vehicle used for business operations
Rental reimbursement coverage-Rental reimbursement coverage will refund what you spent to hire or rent another vehicle because the one your flower shop owns is being repaired
If your flower shop owns two or more commercial vehicles, we recommend looking for an insurance company that sells fleet insurance. Fleet insurance works the same way as commercial auto insurance. The one thing that makes it the better option is that you can insure multiple vehicles. In fact, it's cheaper than using separate commercial auto insurance policies to cover one vehicle at a time.
Don’t forget that all businesses experience a temporary stop in operations. And so, you should be very wary of the repercussions if your business can’t generate income. Business interruption insurance provides protection against this exposure. While your business isn’t generating income, business interruption insurance will provide the money you can use to cover payroll, loans, mortgage, taxes, and other operational costs.
Get employer’s liability insurance if your flower shop is operating in a state that doesn’t provide an exclusive remedy to employers. If an employee sues for negligence after experiencing a work-related injury or disease, employer’s liability insurance will kick in to cover attorney fees, administrative costs, and other legal expenses.
Stand-alone insurance policies provide protection but not that much. Getting multiple policies will solve this issue though but might be a costly option.
Business owner's policy bundles different kinds of coverage to provide comprehensive and efficient protection. The coverages in business owners' policies differ from carrier to carrier. And so, here’s a table that shows the coverages in the BOP’s of different companies offering florist shop insurance.
| Carrier | Business Owners Policy Features |
|---|---|
| The Hartford | -General liability -Commercial property -Workers compensation -Commercial auto |
| AmTrust Financial | -Business interruption -General liability -Commercial property |
| State Farm | -Commercial property -Liability coverage (general liability, products liability, public liability, and employer’s liability) -Seasonal increase -Accounts receivable -Spoilage coverage -Equipment breakdown -Employee dishonesty -Business interruption *Optional coverages* -Commercial auto -Commercial liability umbrella policy -Workers comp -Data compromise and identity restoration |
Flower shop insurance doesn’t have a universal cost because every client is different, meaning that they bring a different level of risk to the carrier’s table. But generally, flower shop insurance cost $30 per month or $360 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance.
While flower shops aren’t necessarily the riskiest kinds of businesses to insure, there are a couple of aspects that the insurance company will take a look at before they give you a quote. First, they’ll take a look at the history of the policyholder themselves, which is likely going to be you.
They’re going to see how many times you’ve filed a claim in the past to figure out if you’re likely to keep filing claims. In the eyes of an insurance company, filing claims too frequently means that your business likely has more problems than you’re letting on, even if they can’t find an issue themselves.
Another major thing that insurance companies consider when determining the cost of your insurance is the size of your business. A smaller business won’t have as many customers which means that there’s a smaller risk of something going wrong and the insurer needing to pay out on your behalf.
The opposite is true with larger businesses. If you have more clients that you’re dealing with on a daily basis, then it may be pretty likely that you’re going to file a claim at some point or another. We’ve gathered the following numbers using a medium-sized flower shop that has a clean sheet when it comes to its history:
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoverWallet | $17.91 | $214.92 | Florist insurance quotes comparison online |
| Thimble | $23.13 | $277.56 | Short-term florist insurance |
| NEXT | $25.92 | $311.04 | Florists looking for a florist insurance that can be easily managed online |
| State Farm | $28 | $336 | Custom insurance policies |
| The Hartford | $30 | $360 | Flower shop commercial property insurance coverage |
| AmTrust | $33 | $396 | Small flower shops |
Always compare quotes to get an accurate estimate of your rates. Start here by clicking the “Get Quotes” button. Compare the offers and rates of different carriers to find the flower shop or florist insurance that perfectly suits your needs.
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It’s crucial that you pick the right insurance company to work with when you’re getting your flower store insured. You want to be sure that your insurance company has enough financial backing to cover its obligations if something goes wrong, but there’s more to it than just that.
Picking out the right company will also ensure that you get access to the best customer service available and a quicker claims response time. When you’re on the hook for a large sum of cash, every moment you have to wait for your claim to process is likely going to have you sweating bullets, after all. That said, here's a review showing the different best flower and florist insurance company pros, cons, and rate for a $1 million general liability coverage.
Has terrorism coverage
Add landlords or clients as additional insureds for free
Cancel a policy anytime
CoverWallet’s florist insurance is made out of the policies of its partners
CoverWallet’s florist insurance is available in four options - basic, standard, pro, and custom. We suggest you go for the basic plan if you’re a full-time freelance florist as it only offers general liability insurance - the only policy you’ll find useful. Consider getting the pro plan if you're an owner of a flower shop. It’s a business owner’s policy that provides you with general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, and workers compensation insurance.
Best for: Florist insurance quotes comparison online
Average cost: $17.91 per month
Our rating: 5/5
Experienced in the small business insurance industry
Positively reviewed by AM Best
Insurance policies are more catered for starting flower shops
AmTrust is an insurance carrier from New York City that mainly specializes in providing experience to small businesses, and flower shops fall under that umbrella. The company has an rating of A- (Excellent) from AM Best, and the business has been in operation since its founding in 1998.
AmTrust has a somewhat more limited selection of coverage types than the competition but they make up for it in their degree of specialization. The company offers BOPs that combine liability and property coverage and they also have workers’ comp and cyber liability coverage.
Best for :Small flower shops
Average cost: $33 per month
Our rating: 5/5
Has policies exclusively made for florists
Affordable liability policies
Customizable policies
Additional options for insurance policies have hefty costs
State Farm is known for being the single largest provider of auto insurance in America as well as the biggest property and casualty insurance carrier. Since the company’s inception, it has developed a reputation for working with a system of captive agents, helping to keep the carrier’s quality consistently high.
State Farm offers specific insurance policies for florists but they give the customer a good degree of leeway when it comes to customizing their coverage. For example, you can choose between many different kinds of coverage, including liability coverage, property coverage, seasonal increase coverage (useful for florists), and a lot more.
Best for: Custom insurance policies
Average cost: $28 per month
Our rating: 5/5
Exceptional commercial property policy
Transparent quotation
Offers resources to help you make a decision
Quickness of claims processing have to be taken with a grain of salt
The Hartford is one of the oldest insurance companies in America, being founded in the early 1800s in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is known for its distinctive red logo which features a stag, an animal which is also featured on the city’s coat of arms.
The Hartford offers specific insurance policies for flower shops that most commonly include the following types of coverage: general liability, commercial auto, commercial property, and workers’ comp. They also offer BOPs that combine general liability insurance and commercial property coverage.
Best for: Flower shop commercial property insurance coverage
Average cost: $30 per month
Our rating: 5/5
ACORD 25 certificate of insurance
You can choose not to have a deductible
Flexible coverage options
Doesn’t underwrite commercial auto insurance for florists
Thimble’s florist insurance allows you to enjoy a short-term general liability coverage. You can choose to get covered for only hours, days, weeks, or months. If bought as a long-term plan, this company’s florist insurance also offers commercial property insurance, professional liability insurance, business interruption insurance, and equipment breakdown insurance.
Best for: Short-term florist insurance
Average cost: $23.13 per month
Our rating: 4.5/5
Bundle two or more insurance and get a 10% discount
Send your proof of insurance as an email, photo, or text message
File a claim online
NEXT doesn’t provide coverage to high-risk florists
NEXT florist insurance allows you to avail general liability, commercial property, commercial auto, and workers compensation insurance. Note that this company allows you to do whatever you want with your policies quickly online.
Best for: Florists looking for a florist insurance that can be easily managed online
Average cost: $25.92 per month
Our rating: 4.5/5
Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
Not all those who wander are lost.
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