We’re here to help you understand what business liability insurance coverages your company may need. Whether it’s learning what general liability insurance covers or getting a
general liability insurance quote, we’re here to help.
What Does General Liability Insurance Cover?
General liability insurance helps cover costly claims that can come up during normal business operations. If you don’t have coverage, you’d have to pay for these
general liability insurance costs out of pocket.
A general liability insurance policy can help cover claims that your business caused:
- Third-party bodily injury: If a customer gets hurt after slipping and falling in your store, they can sue your business. Your insurance policy includes bodily injury liability coverage, so it can help pay for their medical bills.
- Third-party property damage: If you or your employees work at a client’s house, your business faces a risk of causing property damage. Property damage liability coverage can help pay for repair or replacement costs if your business damages someone else’s belongings.
- Reputational harm: Someone can sue your business for libel or slander because of something you or your employees said. If this happens, general liability insurance can help cover your legal costs to defend your business.
- Advertising injury: Your business can get sued for copyright infringement. For example, a photographer can sue you if you use their photo in your ads without permission.
Be aware that general liability insurance doesn’t cover every kind of claim. For example, it doesn’t help your business with claims of:
What Are the Types of Liability Insurance?
In addition to GLI, there are other types of liability insurance that most insurance companies recommend:
Why Do You Need General Liability Insurance?
Liability claims aren’t uncommon and can get expensive. In fact, 4 out of 10 small businesses will likely experience a liability claim in the next 10 years.** Slips and falls are the leading cause of emergency room visits.1 The average cost of this kind of claim is $35,000. If a claim leads to a lawsuit, it can increase its average cost to more than $75,000 to defend and settle.** Without general liability insurance, your business would have to pay for these costs out of pocket and it can put you out of business.
You may also need general liability insurance before you can work with other businesses. Some companies may ask you to provide proof of insurance, also known as a
certificate of insurance.
What Is the General Liability Coverage That’s Right for My Business?
Even though every business is unique, each one can benefit from having general liability coverage. We can work with you to customize your policy so you get the coverage amounts that are right for your business.
We’re backed by more than 200 years of experience and have helped over 1 million small business owners. We’re here to do the same for yours. We can help answer the question of “what is general liability coverage?” If you’re looking for a quote, trying to find out what your
business’ general liability class code is or need help going through the claims process, our specialists are here for you. Our team consistently receives top scores for customer satisfaction in
general liability insurance reviews, so you can have peace of mind knowing we’ve got your back.*
Last Updated: August 14, 2023
** Based on an analysis of five years of claims data (2010-2014) from more than 1 million Hartford Business Owner’s Policies.
1 National Fall Safety Institute, “Slip & Fall Quick Facts”
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