There is a great deal of demand for gardening services these days. Whether for homeowners who want a beautiful garden but don’t have the time to set it aside or for businesses that like to keep their outdoor spaces attractive and presentable there is scope for gardening businesses to thrive.
One of the most important factors to take account of when setting up a gardening business is that of insurance. Insurance is essential – and some forms are also legally required – especially where you may be dealing with the public and operating expensive and heavy machinery.
However, the world of business insurance is one that needs to be carefully considered if you are to ensure you have the right cover at all times. We have outlined the different types of cover you will need if you are to run your business correctly, so let’s start by talking about public liability insurance, what it is and why you need it.
Public Liability Insurance
A mini excavator is one of the main tools that will be required by a gardening service provider that includes landscaping among its services. A specialist machines and excavator insurance company is the first point of contact when it comes to getting the right insurance for your business, and it’s worth checking out a few to see what they have to offer.
So, public liability insurance: what is it, and why does your business need it? Gardening can make use of heavy plants and potentially dangerous equipment. The mini excavator can cause a lot of damage if things go wrong, and tools such as chainsaws and power tools may also cause damage and injury in some cases.
Even seemingly simple tools such as saws, ladders, and spades can potentially cause injury to the user or others, or perhaps damage to property. Public liability insurance is there to cover you and your business for any damage to property or injury to persons during the course of your work that may result in them bringing a lawsuit.
We cannot stress how important public liability insurance is if you and your team are going to be working on other people’s property whether privately or commercially owned. Make talking to an insurance provider the first thing you do when setting up your business. You will also need to take out an employer’s liability insurance policy so let’s have a quick look at that.
Read More: Help Your Landscaping Business Grow
Employer’s Liability Insurance
Employer’s liability insurance is essential and is also a legal requirement if your business employs one or more persons other than yourself. Just as the above public liability insurance protects you against costs incurred through damage to property or injury to others, so employer’s liability insurance covers your legal costs and compensation should one of your employees be injured or contract illness through working for you.
As with all types of insurance, there are different levels of employer’s liability insurance policies providing a wide range of cover and exclusions. You will need to talk to an insurance provider with experience in this type of cover as they will need to know how many people are working for your gardening business in order to assess the level of risk involved. It should be said that, in fact, gardening – especially where power tools and such as mini excavators are involved – is considered a high-risk area so be prepared to talk in-depth with the insurance provider.
Tools Insurance
You don’t need to be reminded that even the most basic gardening tools can be worth a lot of money. This is exactly the sort of thing that opportunist thieves want to steal as they are easy to sell on. We recommend you store your tools in locked cabinets inside secure premises, and where possible ensure that your company name is embossed on the tools in a way that cannot be removed.
Furthermore, you can talk to the insurance provider about a policy for insuring your tools against theft. This is a sensible move although many businesses forget about it. For a gardening business there is no business without the tools, so consider it an essential insurance policy to secure.
Equipment and Machinery Insurance
If your equipment extends to the likes of a mini-excavator and any other expensive motorized plant, you need to consult an expert in equipment and machinery insurance. It is recommended that rather than taking out one policy to cover all your machinery you insure the more valuable items – such as your excavator – via a separate policy. This may be the more expensive method but when it comes to your excavator being stolen you will find it easier to claim.
Also, ensure that in addition to theft items such as this are insured for damage as they will be subject to plenty of hard work during their lifetime. Talk to an insurance provider with expertise in such machines and they will explain the different options you have for ensuring your expensive items of equipment.
Vehicle Insurance
Our final insurance policy recommendation is that for your vehicles. If you have a van or transport dedicated to your business – even if you have a car towing a trailer – you need to ensure it has insurance that clearly states it is used for business purposes and not solely domestic use. This will ensure that should your vehicle be damaged in an accident while in use for work you are fully covered for all costs.
Final Words
Your business insurance is important if you want to run a gardening business with all potential costs and risks catered for. There are many insurers who deal with policies covering machinery such as mini excavators and we recommend you find a few local examples and get a few quotes for all your insurance requirements.
Once you have all your insurance in place you are ready to enjoy a successful gardening business and help meet the growing demand in what is one of the busiest markets of all.