What to check in a landscaping business owner's policy

A business owner's policy, or BOP, combines business property and general liability coverage in a package. It may also include business income coverage. For a landscaping business, the useful question is what that particular package includes, where it applies and which parts of your work need a separate review.

Start with the property schedule

List your business premises, equipment and inventory. Identify property you own, lease or rent, and explain where it is kept. Ask the agent which items and locations the proposed policy includes.

Commercial property coverage can help after damage from covered causes of loss. Check valuation, limits, deductibles and exclusions. Pay particular attention to equipment that leaves your premises: a package covering property at your yard does not establish that every mower or tool is insured during transport or at a customer's property.

For those questions, use the landscaping equipment guide alongside your equipment list.

Review liability against the services you offer

General liability can help with certain claims involving injury to others or damage to their property. Describe the work accurately, including mowing, installation, irrigation, tree work, chemical application or seasonal services where applicable.

Ask which activities are included and whether exclusions or endorsements affect them. A BOP label does not determine how a chemical-related claim, tree-work incident or snow-removal claim will be treated. Give the agent the actual services rather than assuming every landscaping activity is classified the same way.

Ask about an interruption to your business

Business income coverage may help with income loss and continuing expenses after qualifying property damage. Review its trigger, waiting period, limits, restoration period and exclusions. Extra expense provisions can have separate terms.

For example, ask how the proposed policy would treat a hypothetical covered fire at your storage premises. Do not assume a weather delay, equipment breakdown or loss of a client automatically qualifies as an insured interruption.

Check the questions outside the package

Business driving, employee injuries and mobile equipment can involve other policy terms or separate coverage. Have the agent review actual vehicle use, employee duties and applicable state rules. Ask whether a package is available for your operations and how its terms compare with separate policies.

Bring:

• Your service list and work locations.
• Equipment and property values.
• Vehicle-use details.
• Staffing and payroll estimates.
• Customer contracts and requested insurance wording.
• Existing policies and prior loss information.

Next step

Use Lawn Care Policy's quote form with those details. The quote checklist helps organize the application, while this review helps you compare what a BOP actually includes.