Summary: http://www.gopherforum.com - Understanding what insurance you need when you are just starting your lawn care business can be quite overwhelming. I have been able to have a few discussions on landscape contractor insurance over the years to help you understand the topic better. In this most recent discussion I had an opportunity to talk with an insurance agent who sold insurance mainly to the lawn care industry. Here are some of the insights he shared on the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum that I hope you find beneficial. What kind of insurance does a lawn care contractor need? �What insurance coverage a contractor needs is dependent on the type of work he or she engages in as well as the risks associated and protection desired. The general purpose of contractor insurance is to provide financial backing for a contractor who is liable to a client who hires the contractor to perform a certain job. The most purchased type of contractors insurance is general liability insurance. As with other types of insurance, contractor general liability offers the widest protection and is most useful to a company or individual engaged any many facets of contract work. There are maximum payouts on the insurance, generally $1 million to $2 million for each type of protection. Contractors protected by a good plan are usually secured against reasonable financial loss due to problems linked to the contractors work. The most complete protection can be found from adding some more specific types of coverage to the general liability protection.� Let�s talk about those some of those more specific types of insurance. How about worker�s compensation. Can you tell us a little about that? �Worker�s compensation is a common contractor insurance purchased by many contracting companies for their employees. Workers comp insurance is a compulsory type of coverage. This protection helps the employer cover the financial burden of an employee who is injured on a job. The workers compensation insurance generally offers income, medical and rehabilitation benefits for injured employees involved in work related accidents. Some plans also include a death benefit payable to survivors. Business owners/principles may choose to exclude their payroll (and coverage) in some states, with coverage rated only on employee payroll.� How about inland marine insurance? This isn�t one we hear about often but it is helpful to know about. �Inland marine insurance is another specialized type of contractor insurance. This contractors insurance protects goods that are in transit over land. Many contractors move materials and goods routinely and this allows them to expect the high costs of those items. Tools, equipment and installation floaters are all considered inland marine insurance and are considered essential types of insurance for contractor.� What about disability insurance? �Disability insurance is another common type of contractors insurance used by contractors and many companies, for that matter. This provides for the income needs of people displaced from work for a period of time due to injury. It is commonly referred to �Accident and Health Protection�. Health and life insurance are other types of coverage purchased by contractors. If you are in need of free lawn care marketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at http://www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts, estimate and proposal forms. Download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and invoice more customers in less time, allowing you more time to grow or enjoy your life. Check out my lawn care business blog at http://www.lawnchat.com and my lawn care business forum at http://www.gopherforum.com
