Liability Insurance?

[Brian]

I am starting to do some tree removal part time. I have lost many great paying jobs because I am upfront and tell people that I do not have insurance. I would rather be honest. I need to get some insurance, about $500,000-1,000,000.Does anyone have the name of a good insurance company that deals with this. I live in upstate NY and am having a very hard time finding insurance for tree removal services. Thanks in advance!!

Brian

 

[treeclimber165]

Look for agents that specialize in commercial liability. When I worked for myself, I had an excellent agent. Not sure what company he wrote me with, didn't matter. Ask other tree guys locally who they use. Ask your stump guy, etc.

Unless you are working on Government property or something, $1 mill. is overkill. I'd go with an amount over the total value of the average home you work at. I had $300,000 and never had a problem. Most houses I worked at were worth substancially less than that, although some were a little more. But I explained to the homeowner that my chances of totally wiping out their entire home and property were fairly slim without a lot of dynamite!

In 10+ years I had one claim, for an air conditioning compressor. Was about $1200, and I paid the $500 deductible. Ins coughed up $700. No problems, they didn't even raise my rates the next year.

Oh, if you want to check it out, there is a thread in 'Off Topic' forum about insurance.

 

[DDM]

Brian, I carry 1 Mill in liability my insurance
Carrier is not licensed In NY though. I Agree with what Brian/Tree climber said about $300,000.00 but with my luck the one time i have an oops someone will be sitting in the part of the house i nail. But working without insurance is very dangerous!

 

[treeman82]

I think that last year I used a company called "Indian Harbor" Don't bother with Nationwide or Allstate. The Hartford won't touch you until you have at least 2 full time employees. I don't know who I am using this year, but I know that I am covered for commercial tree work. Call around and make sure that whoever you talk with understands that you are doing "commercial tree work" or "tree removal" then you are covered. Landscaper's insurance does not cover a branch going through a roof. I am covered for $1M, which I think is not enough and I will increase my policy in the next year or two to 2 or more million because of the value of the houses I work at. However lest we not forget, if you are covered for $1M and you take out a $500K house you can still burn up that $1M in the stuff lost inside the house, and any costs involved while the house gets fixed (hotel rooms, emotional damages, etc)

 

[Newfie]

hey Matt,

Don't forget about all the money that the greedy attorney's will eat up!

 

[treeman82]

Husky, I honestly do not know anybody who has less than 1/2 a mil in coverage. The guy I do know who has the 1/2 mil only does lawns and does very light landscaping. I suggest to everybody I talk with that 1 million is the least you should get. I think my guy with the 1/2 mil pays like $700 a year for his policy, or somewhere around that. I pay $2700 for my tree / landscape / lawn / pesticide policy of $1M.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

You need a mil to cover all possibilites, even if you are working over 120,000 houses. Think of injuries.

I payless then $900/year form my coverage with no working hight clauses.