Business insurance for lawn mowing contractors
Working as a lawn mowing contractor may not seem like a high risk occupation, but there is still a need for business insurance.
Here at Trade Risk we assist dozens of lawn mowing contractors each month. We know the cover you need and we know how to get it at a great price.
In this guide we’ll give you some helpful information, but if you’d prefer to just speak with someone please call our office on 1800 808 800 and we’ll be happy to help.
Your Risks
There are four main insurable risks that you face when running a lawn mowing business:
- Damaging someone else’s property
- Causing personal injury to another person
- Having your equipment stolen
- Losing your income whilst unable to work
The truth is that these risks are common for virtually all small business owners, but for this guide we’ll be focusing on how they affect lawn mowing businesses.
Insurance Types
Thankfully each of the risks listed above can be protected against with insurance.
We’ll now go into further detail on each of the most common forms of insurance for lawn mowing contractors.
Public Liability
Anyone who mows lawns will know that the most common risk is flicking a stone which chips or breaks a window.
Breaking a standard house window may not be a big deal, but a big tinted sliding glass door or a car windscreen can be quite expensive to replace.
Your public liability policy will cover the cost of causing property damage such as this, but just remember that each policy will have an excess.
The typical excess for a property damage is $400, so if the damage bill is less than this (or even slightly more) then making a claim may not be worthwhile.
A less common, but more serious risk is causing personal injury to another person. An example could be a rock that flicks into someone’s eye, causing permanent damage.
These claims can be extremely costly, but thankfully public liability also covers personal injury in addition to property damage.
General Property
Whilst a lawn mowing contractor may not have the same types of tools as a typical tradie, there is still plenty of gear to be insured.
A general property insurance policy can protect all of your gear including mowers, edge trimmers, hedge trimmers, mulchers and other equipment.
Your gear can be insured against theft from a secure location, fire and lightening, and damage caused in a vehicle collision or rollover.
Income Protection
Income protection is not technically classed as business insurance, but if you run your own lawn mowing business it is still mighty important.
If you cannot work due to an injury or illness, as a contractor you’re not going to get any sick leave or workers compensation, and you’ll be left without an income.
Income protection can replace up to 75% of your income for a period of time whilst you are unable to work, and as an added bonus the premiums are fully tax deductable.
Other Insurance Types
Depending on the size of your business there may be other forms of insurance worth considering.
Insuring your ute or whatever vehicle you use is important, and it’s also important that you let the insurer known that you use the vehicle for a business.
Most lawn mowing contractors operate from home, but if you have your own business premises you’ll need to ensure that the premises are adequately insured.
If you’re unsure whether or not there are any other forms of business insurance you need then it’s worth speaking to an insurance broker who will be able to run through it all with you.
Here at Trade Risk we have a team of insurance professionals who can assist with all forms of lawn mowing insurance.
To get advice on your insurance or just some quotes, please call our office on 1800 808 800 or complete the online quote request via our website.
