Washington, DC Business Insurance

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 comes to an accountant's office on a rainy day. The client slips and falls in the entryway of the building, breaking their wrist. The accountant's general liability policy could cover the costs associated with the client's injury, including lost wages.
• Property damage: An interior decorator is measuring a client's windows for new window treatments. The stepladder falls, knocking an expensive vase off a table and breaking it. The decorator's general liability policy could cover the cost to replace the vase.
• Personal injury: A temporary paralegal hired by a divorce attorney is eating lunch at a local restaurant with a friend. They are having a conversation about one of the attorney's clients who is in the midst of a messy divorce. The conversation is overheard by the client's ex-wife, who uses the information she hears to extract a larger settlement in the divorce. The client sues the attorney for slander, but a professional liability policy could protect them.

Learn more about general liability insurance costs to make a smart and forward-thinking decision for your business.

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:

• Negligence: A realtor lists a home for sale in a desirable neighborhood, and it sells quickly. A few months later, a similar home in the same neighborhood is sold at a considerably higher price. The seller of the first home sues the realtor, claiming they underpriced the home. The realtor could be protected by their professional liability policy.
• Protection even if you haven't made a mistake: A personal trainer suggests a new exercise to a client. The client fails to disclose to the trainer that he had back surgery recently and the new exercise causes back pain. The client sues the trainer. A professional liability insurance policy could protect the trainer, even if they didn't make a mistake.

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:

• A photographer’s tripod falls over while at a shoot, causing damage to the lens. The photographer has a business owner’s policy which could cover the cost to replace the lens.
• A graphic designer’s home office is damaged by fire. The damage to a high end computer caused the fire out is not covered by their homeowner’s insurance, but it is covered by their business owner’s policy, which replaces the computer and lets the designer get back to business.

Learn more about business owners insurance.