New Jersey Business Insurance

New Jersey is known for its numerous corporate offices, which create many opportunities for New Jersey's IT consultants, whose everyday work with delicate personal and business information—as well as high-end equipment—brings a consistent level of risk. 

Because IT consultants can have a huge impact on a client's business, they can benefit from professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions insurance, which safeguards businesses that provide professional services. This type of policy would protect an IT consultant if, for example, they review a client's website security in order to implement new procedures but the client's website later gets hacked. The client could make a claim of faulty work and sue for revenue they lost while the site was down. Even if the IT consultant hasn't made a mistake, Hiscox would appoint a lawyer to defend against the claims. 

General liability insurance, which protects against claims of bodily injury or property damage, would protect an IT consultant if, for example, several important files are corrupted when they accidentally drop a client’s laptop. And a business owner's policy (BOP), which combines general liability insurance and business property insurance, would cover damage to the IT consultant's property or equipment, such as if a laptop gets stolen.  

With day-to-day work that brings them inside residential homes, apartment buildings and commercial buildings, painters are exposed to potential liability wherever they go. Services such as removing old wall coverings or disposing of lead-based paints can expose clients and workers alike to hazards, and painters could potentially face lawsuits over carpet-damaging paint spills, slip-and-fall accidents and even employees' comments about clients during break times. For all of these reasons, Hiscox provides custom insurance that can fit the specific needs of each New Jersey painting business. 

General liability insurance is one of the most important types of insurance for a small painting business to have. It protects against bodily injury, so if a client trips over a painter's ladder and breaks a wrist, the policy will cover the client's medical costs. It also protects against property damage, so if paint spills during a job and damages a client's antique rug, the policy will cover the costs associated with cleaning the carpet. It also protects against personal injury, so if an employee is at lunch and starts talking about a client in a false and unflattering way and the client hears about the discussion and sues for slander, the policy will cover the claim and pay for a defense attorney, if necessary. 

Whether they specialize in cleaning clients' kitchens or factory floors, New Jersey's janitorial and cleaning services operate at a level of risk every day. They handle delicate and expensive items, use harsh chemicals, work on-site at customers' offices and homes, and operate cleaning equipment owned by clients. Even baseless liability claims can drain a business's assets, so Hiscox specializes in providing tailored coverage that gives cleaning professionals the confidence of protection against potential litigious situations. 

General liability insurance, which protects against a third party's claims of bodily injury or property damage, is the most common policy used by janitorial and cleaning services. Protection against bodily injury might be needed, for example, if a client slips and falls on a freshly-mopped floor; even if the client's injuries don't seem to be the employee's fault, the cleaning business can still be held liable for the cost of the client's medical care. In another scenario, an employee of the cleaning service might be dusting a client's home and accidentally break an antique vase; the customer may demand that the cleaning service pay for the cost of replacing or repairing the antique. General liability insurance also protects against claims of personal injury, such as if an employee is overheard gossiping about a client, who subsequently sues the business for slander. 

A landscaper or gardener in New Jersey may operate heavy equipment near clients' homes, handle harsh chemicals, and use sharp tools near clients. These everyday activities bring a heightened risk of bodily injury and property damage that expose landscapers and gardeners to potential liability, whether their clients are primarily residential homeowners, business operators or both. For all of these reasons, Hiscox provides custom insurance that can meet the specific needs of each New Jersey landscaper or gardener.  

General liability insurance is one of the most important types of insurance for a landscaping or gardening business to have. It protects against bodily injury, so if a client trips over a lawn care professional's tools and breaks an ankle, the policy will cover the costs of the client's medical care. It also protects against property damage, so if an employee accidentally damages the façade of the client's home while working in the garden, the policy will cover the costs of replacing the brick or siding. And because it protects against personal injury, the business owner will be protected if an employee is overheard making disparaging comments about a client, the client hears about the gossip, and sues for slander. The general liability policy would cover the claim and appoint a defense attorney, as necessary. 

Hiscox knows the insurance business inside and out, so an insurance agent can put their trust in Hiscox's small business insurance. And just as an insurance agent makes sure that their clients are protected against risk, Hiscox makes sure that insurance professionals are protected against all of the risks associated with being a small business owner in New Jersey. 

Typically, an insurance agent will want the protection of professional liability insurance, or errors and omissions insurance, which protects businesses that provide professional services. This policy would protect an insurance agent if, for example, a client instructs the agent to purchase a policy and gives the agent a check for the premium, the agent's assistant forgets to purchase the policy, and the uninsured client is later involved in an accident and demands that the insurance agent pay for the loss.  

In addition, general liability insurance can protect an insurance agent against a third party's claims of damage to property or bodily injury and its associated medical costs, such as a claim from a client who slipped and fell in the insurance agent's office. Insurance agents can also benefit from a business owner's policy—a combination of general liability and business property insurance—which can protect against furnishing or equipment damages making it easier to get back to business.  

General liability insurance, known as Commercial General Liability (CGL), protects your small 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 customer trips and falls when entering a hair salon and breaks their wrist. The client sues the hair salon owner for lost wages. General liability insurance could cover the subsequent claim and related medical expenses.
• Personal injury: A personal trainer is overheard talking about one of his client’s at lunch in a false and unflattering way. Word gets back to the client, who then sues for slander. The personal trainer’s general liability policy could cover defense costs.
• Damage to property: A photographer is contracted to take pictures for a marketing firm’s portfolio. While the photographer is uploading the photos to the server she accidentally knocks over a bottle of water on the firm’s server. The machine is damaged beyond repair and valuable data is lost. The photographer’s general liability insurance policy could cover the cost to replace the server and recover the data.

Learn about how much general liability insurance costs. 

Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance), covers another person’s claims against businesses that provide professional and personal services. Some examples of what could be covered include:

• Dissatisfied client: A marketing consultant is contracted to create a major campaign for a client. The client continues to change the scope of work and the consultant misses the deadline for the campaign to go live. The client sues. A professional liability policy could protect the consultant, even if no mistake was made.
• Negligence: A human resources consultant is hired to update a company’s employment practices. Six months later, the client calls to say a part-time employee is suing the company because a key provision for the number of hours part-timers can work was omitted from the employee manual. The client makes a claim against the consultant, contending they were responsible for the mistake. The consultants professional liability policy could protect them, including defense costs.

Learn more about professional liability insurance.

Business owners policy (BOP) is a combination of general liability and business property insurance. 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 below:

• Office insurance for fire and business interruption
• Electronic data loss insurance
• Hired or non-owned vehicle liability insurance
• Commercial Crime insurance to cover the dishonesty of your employees

Learn more about business owners insurance.