Gutter Cleaning Business Insurance
Getting insurance for your gutter cleaning business is essential.
Gutter cleaning businesses need to be protected against things like claims of contractual breach, property damage, and personal injury.
For example, an employee may accidentally damage a customer’s guttering while attempting to clean them, or they may injure the customer themselves.
We’ll help you find the most personalized and affordable coverage for your unique business.
Recommended: Next Insurance is dedicated to matching small businesses with the right policy at the best price.
Best Insurance for a Gutter Cleaning Business
General liability insurance is — generally speaking — one of the most important insurance policies for gutter cleaning businesses.
Some of the risks general liability insurance covers are:
- Bodily injury
- Property damage
- Medical payments
- Legal defense and judgment
- Personal and advertising injury
Although general liability is a great policy, it is unlikely to provide your gutter cleaning business with full protection by itself. For this, a number of further policies are used, such as:
- Professional liability insurance: An invaluable policy for gutter cleaning businesses, it provides coverage in the event that a customer suffers damages because of your business’s advice, maintenance, or cleaning.
- Commercial auto insurance: If one of your business vehicles is involved in a collision while transporting equipment and tools, this policy coverage would cover bodily injury and property damage caused by the collision.
- Workers’ compensation insurance: If an employee injured himself while handling sharp tools used to clean a client’s gutter, this policy would cover his medical expenses and lost wages.
When buying insurance policies for your gutter cleaning business, it is important to be aware of the two distinct types of insurers:
- Traditional brick-and-mortar insurers — These are firms that take advantage of physical storefronts and insurance agents to sell policies to their customers.
- Online insurers — Contrastingly, these firms take advantage of their website and AI in order to sell policies. Due to the lower overheads associated with this approach, they are often able to offer better deals to their customers.
Let’s Find the Coverage You Need
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Cost of General Liability Insurance
On average, gutter cleaning businesses in America spend between $500 – $1,500 per year for $1 million in general liability coverage.
Compare the average cost of general liability insurance for a gutter cleaning business to other professional industries using the graph below.
Several factors will determine the price of your policy. These include your:
- Location
- Deductible
- Number of employees
- Per-occurrence limit
- General aggregate limit
You may be able to acquire general liability insurance at a discounted rate by purchasing it as part of a business owner’s policy (BOP) rather than as a standalone policy.
A BOP is a more comprehensive solution that includes multiple forms of coverage, such as business interruption and property insurance.
Find the Best Rate
Discover the best coverage at the lowest rate in our affordable business insurance review.
Common Situations That General Liability Insurance May Cover for a Gutter Cleaning Business
Example 1: A new employee is cleaning the gutters of a client when he accidentally pulls too hard on the gutter. It rips off, taking a portion of the roof with it. Your general liability insurance covers damage to customer property.
Example 2: A client is talking to you while you are cleaning her gutters. The gutter breaks loose and strikes her on the head, requiring a trip to the hospital. She asks that you pay for her treatment. Your general liability insurance will likely cover this expense.
Example 3: A potential client sees your business’s sign and stops by to talk to you about your services. He makes a trip to the restroom and slips and falls, breaking his arm. He decides to sue your business. Your general liability insurance will pay for your legal defense, including the cost of a settlement if one is necessary.
Other Types of Coverage Gutter Cleaning Businesses Need
While general liability is the most important type of insurance to have, there are several other forms of coverage you should be aware of. Below are some of the most common types of coverage:
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional liability insurance is designed specifically for your business. It protects you against negligence claims due to mistakes or failure to perform. If a client sues you, claiming that a mistake you made caused him or her injury, your policy will pay for your legal defense. It will also pay for a settlement if one is required.
Commercial Auto Insurance
If you have a vehicle that you use for business, you need commercial auto insurance to meet your state’s insurance requirements. It will provide protection for the vehicle, those in the vehicle, and other people on the road. If you are involved in an accident, it will help pay for repair or replacement costs and for medical treatment.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance
If you have employees, your state likely requires that you carry workers’ compensation insurance. It will protect your employees if they are injured performing work-related duties. It will cover medical treatment for work-related injuries and will help to pay for lost wages if they are unable to work while they recover.
Commercial Umbrella Insurance
An umbrella policy is designed to kick in when your general liability insurance limits are exceeded. Your limits may be exceeded in certain circumstances, like if you lose a major lawsuit. Instead of having to pay the remaining damages out of pocket, you can rely on your umbrella policy up until its limits are reached.
Additional Steps To Protect Your Business
Although it’s easy (and essential) to invest in business insurance, it shouldn’t be your only defense.
Here are several things you can do to better protect your gutter cleaning business :
- Use legally robust contracts and other business documents. (We offer free templates for some of the most common legal forms.)
- Set up an LLC or corporation to protect your personal assets. (Visit our step-by-step guides to learn how to form an LLC or corporation in your state.)
- Stay up to date with business licensing.
- Maintain your corporate veil.
Gutter Cleaning Business Insurance FAQ
Yes, absolutely. You will need to first get a quote from an online business insurance provider like Next Insurance. Next allows you to then purchase a policy immediately and your coverage will be active within 48 hours.
A typical business owner’s policy includes general liability, business interruption, and commercial property insurance. However, BOPs are often customizable, so your agent may recommend adding professional liability, commercial auto, or other types of coverage to your package depending on your company’s needs.
“Business insurance” is a generic term used to describe many different types of coverage a business may need. General liability insurance, on the other hand, is a specific type of coverage that business owners need to protect their assets.
Yes. A gutter cleaning business will need business insurance before it gets up and running. This ensures that there is no downtime between when its coverage is in effect and when it will face the many inherent risks of this industry.
It is important to pay attention to whether your gutter cleaning business is legally obligated to hold workers’ compensation or commercial auto insurance.
Not necessarily. Certain exceptions may be written directly into your gutter cleaning business insurance policy, and some perils may be entirely uninsurable.
Yes, an LLC is meant to create a legal barrier between your business and your personal assets and credit. If you haven’t formed an LLC yet, use our Form an LLC guide to get started.
An LLC doesn’t protect your business assets from lawsuits and liability– that’s where business insurance comes in. Business insurance helps protect your business from liability and risk.