North Carolina Business Insurance

Real estate agents may have to face disappointed clients who may make claims of alleged failures to disclose defects, disclaimers, clear boundary lines, and other issues that arise in the sale of a property.

Reliable professional liability insurance coverage, also called errors and omissions insurance, can offer protection from claims against businesses that provide professional services—particularly in industries like real estate, where large sums of money (and many emotions) are at stake in each transaction.

Real estate agents may need to store sensitive information about their customers and usually have a website. They should consider cyber security insurance to protect against the costs associated with a phishing or ransomware attack, a data breach, or even a lost laptop that contains client data.

Most janitorial and cleaning services should have the protection of general liability insurance, which protects against a third party's claims of bodily injury or property damage. This protection might be needed, for example, if a client trips over an employee's cleaning equipment and breaks a wrist; even if the client's injuries don't seem to be the employee's fault, the janitorial business can still be held liable for the cost of the client's medical care. Similarly, if an employee is cleaning an executive's office and accidentally breaks an antique lamp while dusting it, the customer may demand that the cleaning service pay for the cost of the lamp's repair, and a general liability insurance policy could cover the expense. General liability insurance also protects against claims of personal injury, such as if an employee is overheard gossiping about a client, who then sues the business for slander.

General liability insurance is one of the most important types of insurance for lawn care business to have. It protects against bodily injury, so if a client trips over a lawn care professional's tools and cuts open their hand, the policy will cover the costs of the client's medical care. It also protects against property damage. If an employee breaks a customer's window in their home while working on the lawn, the policy will cover the costs associated with replacing the glass. And if an employee is at lunch and starts talking to the café's owner about a client in a false and unflattering way, the client hears about the discussion and sues for slander, the policy could cover the personal injury claim and pay for a defense attorney, as necessary.

Photographers can help protect their businesses by securing reliable professional liability insurance coverage, also called errors and omissions insurance, which covers claims against businesses that provide professional services. These claims might arise, for example, if a difficult client is dissatisfied with a photographer's shots or if a faulty hard drive prevents a photographer from delivering on a contract.

A photographer can also benefit from a general liability policy, or a business owner’s policy (BOP), which combines general liability coverage with business property insurance. And a cyber security insurance policy can protect against computer-related risks. If you work with customers, clients, or vendors, having liability insurance in NC can give you the protection you need to operate confidently.

North Carolina's thriving business scene employs a number of IT consultants, who work with high-end equipment and sensitive personal and business information every day.

Because IT consultants can have a huge impact on a client's business, they can benefit from professional liability insurance. This policy would protect an IT consultant if, for example, a client's website crashed after the consultant updated it, and the client lost revenue because the site was down. Even if the IT consultant hasn't made a mistake, the client might still make a claim of faulty work against them.

General liability insurance would also protect an IT consultant if they accidentally damaged a client’s server or if a client or vendor tripped over their laptop bag. And a cyber security insurance policy is critical for an IT consultant as it protects against the cost of data breaches or malware attacks.

General liability insurance, known as commercial general liability (CGL), protects your business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs, and damage to property. Some examples of what could be covered are below.

• Bodily injury: A client trips over their personal trainer’s workout bag during their training session and breaks their ankle. A general liability insurance policy could cover the claim for medical expenses up to the policy limits.
• Property damage: A tax preparer gets contracted to do a company’s taxes on site. While setting up the tax preparer spills his tea over the company’s server causing irreparable damage. A general liability policy could cover the claim, up to policy limits.
• Personal injury: A consultant at a public relations company is overheard talking about one of the company’s top clients in a rude and unflattering way. The client hears about what was said and sues the company for slander. General liability insurance could cover the subsequent claim, up to general liability policy limits.

Learn about how much general liability insurance costs.

Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance , covers claims against businesses that provide professional and personal services. Here are some examples of what could be covered.

• Dissatisfied client: A marketing consultant is working for a client who continually changes the scope of the project. When the consultant is not able to meet the original deadline for the expanded project, the client sues. Even if you haven’t made a mistake, professional liability insurance coverage could cover the cost of defending you up to policy limits.
• Negligence: An architect specifies materials for a project that are not up to code. The error causes a delay in the completion of the project, which costs the client two weeks’ worth of revenue. The client sues the architect, but a professional liability insurance policy could cover the claim, including defense costs, up to policy limits.

If you're looking for professional liability insurance in NC, we can help you find coverage that fits your industry, whether you're a consultant, contractor, or licensed professional. Learn more about professional liability insurance in NC.

Business owner's policy (BOP) includes both general liability and business property insurance. A BOP is often used to provide balanced coverage for small businesses who also want to protect their own business equipment. Some examples of what could be covered are:

• office equipment that is damaged or stolen;
• loss of electronic data;
• third-party claims of bodily injury or property damage;
• personal or advertising injury.

Learn more about business owner's insurance.