Gardening Business Insurance: Cost, Companies & Quotes From $15/month

A lot of perils are associated with running a gardening business or working as a gardener. You or an employee can sustain cuts, chemical burns, and allergies. Commercial property can get lost or damaged. Most importantly, accidents at work can’t only affect you but clients too, who might sue if they sustained injuries or property damage. 

Insurance companies underwrite specialized gardening insurance for gardeners and gardening contractors. Also called gardeners insurance or simply garden insurance, this is composed of the many types of gardening business insurance policies such as general liability, public liability, and others. Read this guide to know how much this insurance costs, the best companies, and more. 

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General Liability Insurance for Gardeners

General liability insurance is a common inclusion is specialized gardener insurance plans. It provides protection against personal injury claims and property damage claims. Many situations in gardening can result in either of the two. Here are some examples:

• A tree, situated at a garden near a client’s building, is being pruned. A falling branch hit the gutter of the building's roofing. Due to this, the client demands payment for repair expenses

• The grass cutter, while being used, threw debris at the client who was watching nearby. It hit the client’s eye. A lawsuit is filed demanding compensation for the cost of treating the injured eye as well as the associated pain and suffering

So how does this type of gardener insurance work? General liability insurance for gardeners functions to:

• Cover or reimburse the medical expenses of an injured client, which you would’ve paid using personal funds

• Refund the value of the property you destroyed that’s owned by a client

• Provide the money you can use to pay for attorney fees, administrative costs, and other legal expenses associated with a personal injury claim or property damage claim

General liability insurance is scalable if it’s sold by companies that allow you to customize your garden insurance. This is done by:

• Choosing a policy limit that you need

• Adding optional policies

Normally, specialized garden maintenance insurance has a general liability policy offering $1 million-$2 million coverage. However, insurance companies that offer customized garden insurance allow you to purchase a general liability insurance having a $300,000-$2 million custom limit.

Optional gardeners business insurance policies can be added to the terms of general liability insurance. By introducing optional coverages to its terms, general liability insurance will have additional functions. The following are add-ons to this type of gardening liability insurance.

• Products and completed operations coverage-Covers cost if you’re sued for personal injuries or property damage after completing a gardening service

• Advertising injury coverage-Advertising injury coverage takes care of attorney fees, settlements, administrative costs, and other legal expenses if someone sues you for slander, libel, or copyright infringement in relation to being a gardener or gardening contractor

• Rented premises liability coverage-Rented premises liability coverage is useful if you’re renting or leasing a building as an office space or equipment storage. If the rented building sustains damage or becomes destroyed because of a fire, then rented premises liability coverage will refund the owner if he or she files a claim

By the way, general liability insurance is also available as a short-term coverage included in the garden insurance for one day.

Public Liability Insurance for Gardeners

Public liability insurance for gardeners works the same way as general liability insurance. And so, you can use it to cover the cost of personal injury claims and property damage claims filed by third parties.

Public liability insurance for most businesses and professions can’t be added with optional policies. However, a gardening contractor and gardeners public liability insurance can be added with products and completed operations coverage and employer’s liability insurance. Equipment and tools coverage can be an inclusion too.

The amount of coverage you get from public liability insurance for gardening business is $1 million-$2 million. But still, it’s possible for you to find a carrier selling a public liability insurance gardener having a minimum $500,000 limit.

You don’t have to get general liability and public liability insurance garden maintenance at the same time. It’s obsolete to do so. And another thing you should know is that insurance companies rarely sell public liability when they already underwrite general liability and vice versa. Also, instead of general liability, know that public liability insurance can be an inclusion in garden insurance for a day.

Gardener Property Coverage

Gardener property coverage is what insurance companies officially call commercial property insurance for gardeners and gardening contractors.  The primary function of commercial property insurance is to cover the building you’re using for commercial purposes. It helps by:

• Reimbursing the value of affected structures or paying for repair expenses if the commercial building is damaged 

• Providing a refund if the building is destroyed. The amount of money you’ll receive will be equal to the depreciated or original sales price of the damaged building covered by commercial property insurance

Note that this type of garden business insurance only provides coverage if the commercial building you’re using as a gardener or gardening contractor is damaged or destroyed due to the following perils:

• Winds

• Hail

• Storm

• Fire

• Theft

• Vandalism

• Impact

• Malicious damage

• Accidental damage

Depending on which insurance company you decide to work with, stocks and contents coverage and business equipment and tools coverage can be added to the terms of gardener commercial property insurance:

• Stocks and contents coverage-Stocks and contents coverage will cover expenses if the furniture, CCTV cameras, installations, and other valuables inside the building is damaged or destroyed due to the perils we mentioned above 

• Business equipment and tools coverage-Business equipment and tools coverage will reimburse the value of lawn mowers, grass cutters, saws, etc. that become lost or damage while in the premises of the commercial building because of the aforementioned perils 

Let’s talk about the insurance money you can get from commercial property insurance for gardening business. This insurance doesn’t have set limits. Another way to explain it is that it’s up to you how much coverage to get. That said, your business property can be insured for as little as $25,000 or as hefty as $100,000 or more. 

Is commercial property insurance available as a short-term coverage? The answer is no. Carriers that underwrite garden insurance by the day don't sell commercial property insurance as an inclusion. 

Workers Compensation Insurance for Gardening Contractors 

Get worker's compensation insurance and add it to your commercial gardeners insurance plan to take care of employees. Failing to get this when people are working for you will result in hefty fines imposed by authorities.  Also, it’s smart to get workers' compensation insurance because it will pay for the resulting expenses if an employee sustains a work-related injury or disease. Particular costs covered are:

• Medical expenses-You can use this insurance to pay for ambulance fees, emergency room fees, and other expenses if an employee gets injured due to a work-related accident 

• Hospitalization-Workers compensation insurance will cover hospital bills on behalf of your gardening business if an employee needs to be admitted after sustaining a work-related injury or disease

• Medication-With workers compensation insurance, your gardening business can help an employee purchase prescription medicines without incurring losses

• Rehabilitation-Workers compensation covers rehab expenses if an employee of your gardening business sustains a permanent or temporary impairment

• Lost income compensation-Workers compensation insurance will cover lost wages if an employee of your gardening business needs to take a leave to heal from a work-related injury or disease. This is a weekly allowance equal to two-thirds or 67% of the average weekly wage 

• Death benefits-An employee can die from a work-related injury or disease. If this really happens, workers' compensation insurance will help your gardening business pay for the dead employee’s funeral. An allowance will be also provided to dependents 

Commercial Auto Insurance for Gardening Businesses

You can add commercial auto insurance to your commercial gardening insurance plan if you’re using a cargo van, pickup, or any other vehicle to haul equipment, labor,  and materials. Commercial auto insurance consists of different policies that function to cover specific perils that can happen while utilizing a commercial vehicle, namely:

• Auto liability coverage-Auto liability coverage will pay for the medical expenses or financial losses of third parties who got involved in an accident your gardening business’s commercial vehicle caused

• Physical damage coverage-This is sold as a comprehensive or collision policy. Collision physical damage coverage will cover repair or replacement expenses if your gardening business's vehicle got damaged or totaled due to a vehicular accident. Comprehensive physical damage coverage, on the other hand, covers costs if the commercial vehicle was damaged by fire, theft, vandalism, and other covered perils 

• Medical payments coverage-This is included in commercial auto insurance if you’re in “fault’ state. Medical payments coverage will cover the driver’s medical expenses after he or she got injured due to a vehicular accident

• Personal injury protection-Commercial auto insurance has this if you’re in a “no fault” state. Personal injury protection pays for the medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation of a driver who got injured in a vehicular accident 

Business Interruption Insurance for Gardening Contractors 

Business interruption insurance will supplement lost income if your gardening business needs to close to relocate, renovate, or wait for an economic crisis to end. In practice, your gardening business receives money from this insurance, which can be used to pay for operational costs such as employee wages, loans, taxes, etc. 

Garden Equipment Insurance

Garden equipment insurance is a common inclusion in the specialized annual, monthly, or one day garden insurance for gardeners and garden contractors. This can be bought as an all-risk or named perils coverage. 

So what does garden equipment insurance do? The primary function of garden equipment insurance is to refund financial losses if theft, fire, vandalism, and other covered perils cause the loss or damage of a covered equipment. Its second function is to provide replacements or refund the value of the covered equipment, which was declared as a total loss. 

Garden Tractor Insurance

This is a specialized type of equipment insurance for gardeners and gardening contractors. Purchase this policy if a carrier’s equipment insurance doesn’t provide coverage for compact farm tractors, lawn tractors, gardening excavators, and other related machineries. Inclusions in garden tractor insurance are:

• Theft coverage-Covers parts replacement or repair cost if theft causes the loss or damage of a garden tractor 

• Physical damage coverage-Takes care or replacement or repair expenses if a covered tractor is damaged due fire, impact, weather, rollovers, and other covered perils

Many say that a homeowner’s policy can be used as a garden tractor insurance. This is true. However, the coverage is very limited because:

• A homeowner’s policy only covers garden tractors for personal use

• A homeowner’s policy doesn’t provide help if a covered tractor got damaged or lost outside of the home’s premises

• A homeowner’s policy only covers small garden tractors not large ones 

Garden Design Insurance

A garden designer is a professional who lays out the plan of a gardening project that gardeners or gardening contractors will realize. Garden designers can’t be covered under a gardener insurance or garden contractor insurance plan. If you’re a garden designer, then the tailored coverage for you is garden design insurance. 

Garden design insurance covers the unique exposures garden designers face. Its primary inclusion is professional indemnity insurance. Let’s discuss what this is. 

Professional Indemnity Insurance for Garden Designers 

Garden designers like you need to provide the utmost service to every client. The problem is that the work process isn’t smooth all the time. Uncontrollable factors will result to any of the following:

• Loss of important documents to be submitted to the client

• Delays in the completion of a garden design 

• Significant errors in the garden design, resulting in significant losses or even injuries 

Clients can sue if they sustain economic or financial losses because the garden design service you provided has substantial issues. And to protect yourself against this exposure, get professional indemnity insurance. 

Professional indemnity insurance for garden designers will indemnify the losses of the aggrieved client and pay for legal fees if you’re sued for committing or allegedly committing:

• Negligence

• Misrepresentation

• Violation of fair dealing

• Violation of good faith

• Breach of confidentiality

• Other covered acts considered errors and omissions

Note that errors and omissions insurance or professional liability insurance are terms used interchangeably with professional indemnity insurance for garden designers. 

Professional indemnity insurance is sold as a claims-made policy. This means that you have to report a covered incident at the time it happened. Do otherwise and the insurance company will not approve your claim. 

The amount of coverage you can get from this policy is $1 million-$2 million. But note that this is just the minimum coverage. You can ask the insurance company to alter the terms of the policy so that you get more than $2 million insurance money from professional indemnity insurance. 

Note that professional indemnity insurance can be an inclusion in the specialized hourly, monthly, or daily garden insurance sold by some insurance companies. 

Sole Proprietor Gardener Insurance

Sole proprietor gardener insurance is a tailored insurance plan for gardeners working on their own.  Also called sole trader gardener insurance, this consists of general liability insurance, commercial auto insurance, and equipment insurance. 

Related Insurance Plans To Gardener and Gardening Contractor Insurance 

Insurance companies sell specialized insurance plans that are related to gardener and gardening contractor insurance. You must know about them because such products can be used as an alternative if you can’t get covered through a gardening or gardening contractor insurance plan. 

Landscape Gardeners Insurance

Landscape gardeners insurance, officially called by carriers as landscape and gardener business insurance, is a specialized coverage for independent professionals and contractors providing landscaping and gardening services. This is also called landscape gardening insurance by some customers. 

The first inclusion in all landscape gardener insurance plans is public liability insurance. Landscape gardener public liability insurance covers the cost if a landscaping and gardening contractor or independent professional causes an accident that results in injuries or property damage to clients, passerbys, and other third parties. 

The second inclusion is personal accident insurance for landscape gardeners. Personal accident insurance will cover the medical expenses of the policyholder if he or she sustains an accident or disease due to a work-related accident. 

Another business insurance for landscape gardeners you can avail is equipment in transit insurance. This provides replacements or reimbursements for financial losses if landscaping and gardening equipment becomes lost or damaged due to theft, fire, malicious mischief, and other covered perils during transport. 

Community Garden Insurance

Community garden insurance is a specialized coverage available for clubs and non-profits who own and manage a community garden. Generic business insurance plans for clubs and non-profits don't include community gardens on their terms. This is why community garden insurance is useful. Inclusions in this tailored coverage are directors and officers liability insurance, general liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, and product liability insurance. 

Garden Centre Insurance 

Do you run a garden centre selling a wide range of gardening supplies? Know that garden centre insurance is available. Policies you can avail from this insurance plan are business interruption insurance, public liability insurance, product liability insurance, employer’s liability insurance, stand-alone contents coverage, terrorism coverage, credit insurance, employment practices liability insurance, workers compensation insurance,  and equipment breakdown insurance.

How To Get Insured Temporarily?

Not all need an annual coverage. Temporary coverage is what’s needed if you’re just a gardener or landscaper that needs it because:

• You only need to satisfy the terms of a project

• You only provide a service as a side gig

• Business operations are slow and a full-blown coverage is obsolete

So how do you get covered temporarily? We recommend you look for carriers selling garden insurance by the hour, month, or day. Examples of these are Thimble and Putty. Let's quickly discuss what is daily, hourly, and monthly garden insurance. 

Garden Insurance for A Day 

Garden insurance for a day is sold as an insurance plan that offers general liability or public liability insurance. Garden insurance daily basis premiums are calculated based on how many days you want to get covered. Some carriers also implement a fixed rate corresponding to how many days the coverage will take effect. Note that 24 hour garden insurance can also have equipment coverage and other business insurance policies, depending on the carrier underwriting it. Policy limits are $1 million-$2 million. 

Hourly Garden Insurance 

Go for hourly garden insurance if you need coverage for one day or less. This is usually sold as a general liability insurance that lasts for one hour, two hours, or three hours. Equipment and professional liability insurance might be offered, depending on the underwriter. Garden insurance hourly basis premiums are calculated based on many hours you want to get covered. The amount of coverage you get is $300,000-$1 million. Consider buying this insurance if you’re a skilled gardening DIYer hired by a friend, family, or neighbor for small projects. 

Garden Insurance by The Month 

Garden insurance by the month, as the name implies, lasts for one to six months. General liability or public liability insurance is included with the option of adding professional liability insurance for more protection. The availability of professional liability insurance depends on the carrier though. Garden insurance monthly basis premiums are calculated on a fixed rate that corresponds to how many months the policy will last. 

Gardening Insurance Cost 

Gardening insurance costs vary from one customer to the next as determined by location, number of employees, revenues, payroll, claims history, and more. Nonetheless, expect your premiums as a gardener to be somewhere near $38 per month or $456 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance. If you’re a gardening contractor, expect your $1 million general liability coverage to be at $43 per month or $516 per year. Take a look at this table that shows the rates of the best gardening insurance companies. 

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