When you go into business for yourself, you have numerous things to accomplish including insuring the business against loss. This basic of business continuity requires knowledge of the many policy types though because commercial insurance offers a wide variety of kinds of coverage.

Typically, you obtain a business owner’s policy (BOP) to cover your liability and general damages to your storefront or office environment. You can purchase the components of a BOP separately as property and liability insurance. If you hire employees, you will also need workers’ compensation insurance. Otherwise, you will need specialized policies to cover various aspects of your business.

Here is what each policy type does. 

• Automobile Insurance: provides liability and property damage coverages to the vehicles in your fleet and damages caused by your employees when driving a fleet vehicle.
• Boiler and machinery insurance: also called equipment breakdown insurance, this covers repair or replacement of boilers, business machines, equipment plus pays for the business interruption losses.
• Builder’s risk insurance: also called construction insurance, this covers your structure as it gets built.
• Business interruption insurance: pays for the real property expenses resulting from a named peril as well as lost income.
• Crime insurance: reimburses your business from loss from property crimes including burglary, robbery, and theft.
• Debris removal insurance: this policy pays for removing debris following a named peril such as a fire.
• Directors’ and officers’ liability insurance: Corporations and non-profits obtain this insurance to cover the costs of lawsuits involving their officers and directors.
• Errors and omissions ("E & O") insurance: most common among manufacturing firms, attorneys, and medical practitioners as well as publications, it pays for failures or mistakes causing third party injury. The mistake must be inadvertent, not intentional.
• Glass insurance reimburses you for the replacement of broken windows and plate glass on your commercial buildings.
• Inland marine insurance: a typical insurance type for dry cleaners and shipping services, it pays for damage to property in transit and third party property at your business.
• Liability insurance: pays for injury or damages to third parties. 
• Malpractice insurance: also called professional liability insurance, covers losses stemming from third party injury due to a professional not meeting the appropriate standard of care. Also, it covers attorney fees.
• Ordinance or law insurance pays to have a building demolished and rebuilt to code when the structure has been partially destroyed. 
• Property insurance: reimburses you for damage to real or personal property.
• Tenant’s insurance: a requirement of many landlords as a stipulation of a commercial lease, this policy covers repairing damages to the lessee’s improvements and building damages caused by the lessee’s employee negligence. This differs from renter’s insurance which covers your property and belongings.
• Workers’ compensation insurance: this policy pays for medical care and time off from work due to injury or illness from the workplace.

Avoid the confusion by speaking with an insurance agent from JC Demo Insurance Group today. We serve the Matthews, NC area.