Landscapers Insurance

What Insurance Do I Need as a Landscaper?*

Some of the major types of business insurance covers available to landscapers in Australia are explained below and include:

• Public Liability Insurance
• Business Insurance Pack
• Professional Indemnity Insurance
• Personal Accident Insurance
• General Property and Tools
• Commercial Motor insurance
• Plant and Equipment Insurance

Why do Landscapers need public liability insurance?*

Public Liability Insurance coverage is essential for all self-employed landscaper.

Landscapers need public liability insurance as the physical nature of landscaping, and the need to sometimes use earthmoving equipment, means the possibility of causing damage to someone’s property is a real risk.

People and property on site may be hurt or damaged due to accidents involving landscaping work.

The presence of equipment such as earthmoving equipment , working from heights, and digging holes  and on busy sites , means landscaping work can be a high-risk occupation.

Protections offered to self-employed landscaper by public liability insurance in Australia generally include:

• Injury to other persons due to your landscaping activities –Where a landscaper’s business activity causes harm to a third-party person. For example, a client ignores your warnings to stay away from the site and injure themselves when they trip and fall on your equipment, materials or a hole you have dug.
• Damage to others property due to your landscaping activities – Where a landscaper’s business activity causes damages to a third- party’s property. For example, a landscaper may accidently cause damage in a client’s home while performing work.
• Harm to other persons or other persons property due to your landscaping business’s products – Where a landscaper’s business’s products and goods supplied causes harm to a third party -person or a third- party’s property. For example, products a landscaper has supplied, repaired, or manufactured cause harm, injure someone or cause property damage.

Public liability insurance coverage may protect landscapers from claims that arise when others allege, they are negligent.

A landscaper’s public liability policy may provide a defence against the ensuing lawsuit when needed and may pay the damages sought by the injured party.

Public Liability Insurance may provide landscapers with protection for Slip-and-trip accidents, Accidents that damage client property.

Business insurance pack for landscapers*

Landscapers may be able to combine multiple covers in a single business insurance pack policy.

By ‘packaging’ your business insurance into a ‘business pack’ landscapers can potentially cover many of the risks their business faces in the one policy.

For example, if a landscaper has a commercial premises, a business insurance pack may provide cover for buildings and contents if they are accidentally damaged by a defined event, such as fire, storm, impact damage, accidental damage, vandalism, or malicious damage.

Other typical inclusions for landscapers with a business insurance pack are Public Liability Insurance and Product Liability Insurance.

Optional inclusions for landscapers with a business insurance pack are General Property, Contents, Machinery, Plant and Stock, Glass, Money, Business Interruption and Marine Cover.

Professional Indemnity Insurance for landscape architects and designers  *

Professional indemnity insurance is recommended for qualified landscape architects and designers that prepare landscaping plans and drawing for a fee.

If a landscape architect or designer makes an error, such as providing incorrect information, makes an omission in due diligence, or provides advice that leads to damages or losses for a client, a client may seek damages from the sole trader.

Professional Indemnity Insurance may help these sole traders stay in business by paying for legal defence costs, and for damages if awarded against them.

For example,  a property developer client may claim damages for loss of income as a result of your advice . Professional indemnity may help pay for your legal costs to defend yourself .

Professional Indemnity Insurance may provide protection for landscape designers and architects for errors or advice that cause a client to lose money, claims of negligence.

Personal Accident Insurance for self-employed landscapers *

As a self-employed landscaper or landscape architect, your personal safety is your livelihood.

Personal accident insurance for landscapers may provide cover for 52 or 104 weeks and up to 85%* of weekly income at the time of the injury; depending on the amount of coverage agreed when the policy is taken out.

Time away from work from an accident will have a direct impact on a self-employed landscaper’s income, and a long period away can negatively affect their savings, family, and lifestyle.

Personal Accident Insurance may help self-employed landscapers pay for essential bills and other financial commitments if they have an accident.

General Property and Tools Insurance for landscapers *

As a landscaper, you are likely to have many tools and equipment that allow you to do your job, such as hedge trimmers, chainsaws, edgers, lawn mowers and leaf blowers.

If your property is damaged or stolen, your business cannot operate effectively.

General property insurance can help you keep operating effectively.

It can provide needed funds to replace your tools such as hedge trimmers, chainsaws, edgers, lawn mowers and leaf blowers….and help keep you in business.

Commercial motor insurance for self-employed landscapers *

Commercial motor insurance should be considered for landscapers that drive their vehicle from site to site. Light trucks, vans and Utes may be covered.

Plant & Equipment Insurance for landscaping businesses*

Plant & Equipment Insurance may provide cover for owners of small landscaping businesses that operate equipment such as  bobcats, excavators , brush cutters , lawn tractors, pole saws  , trailers and pressure washers.

Cover may provide landscapers with protection for theft, damage, consequential loss, liability, road risk and machinery breakdown.