If you run a small business, or even just you and your family making some money out of the house, you are going to need some personal public liability insurance. There are a ton of different variables that come into play when you work out of the house that will put you at risk. Even things that are completely out of your control, and the other person being complete at fault. If you haven’t researched for a good personal public liability insurance provider, or just don’t have any clue how to begin doing it, think about a few things before you start looking.
You have to think about what types of assets you have, and what really belongs to you, or what belongs to your business. Seperate these things completely. If there is a car for business, think about picking up another vehicle, so you can devote that one entirely to your business. This will keep things clear if a claim should ever need to be filed. Your computer systems, phone systems, cell phones, land lines, anything that your business uses, make sure it has it’s own entity, devoted entirely to your business.
Not only are those practices going to help you if you should ever need to file a claim, but they are going to greatly increase your productivity, and how much you are truly putting into your business. If your profitable enough to be looking for public liability insurance, then you are at risk of losing it all. But, that risk can greatly be diverted with a complete policy from a good broker or company. Negating this risk, by putting it onto an insurance company, you are allowing yourself to take risks elsewhere — risks that will grow your business.
When I was saying that anything could happen to cause you to need to file a claim, I mean anything. If you can think of a situation that could possibly happen in your business, dramatize it by about 10 fold. Make it completely unbelievable, and then you will have something that you could need to file a claim on. Trust me, people are incredibly greedy now days, and are looking for any way possible to make a quick buck. This just so happens to be at the cost of your business. It makes it easier for them, because you run a business and they don’t.. they automatically assume you have these types of coverage, and your insurance company is going to pay them. Little do they know, you are out of pocket a lot of money, regardless whether you have public liability insurance or not.
You have to still hold a reserve fund account for emergency needs. Even before your insurance company is called out for the claim, the injured are going to be accruing emergency room bills, doctors bills, etc. You are required to pay for these, until your insurance company can take over. This is why it is extremely important to go with a reputable broker, company, or provider, so that if you do need to file a claim, they are going to handle it in a speedy manner. You don’t want to need to file a public liability insurance claim, and have the provider take 6 months to start looking at it. By then, you are bankrupt.