What is pet grooming insurance?
Accidents can happen and animals can fall sick while in your care. You may be on a house call and break a valuable item that the client expects you to pay for or while grooming a cat, it may have an allergic reaction to one of your products.
Pet grooming insurance can help protect your business against lawsuits, claims of negligence and errors, medical expenses due to third-party bodily injury, and third-party property damage.
Who needs pet grooming insurance?
Businesses that provide pet grooming services should consider taking out insurance to protect against liability and damages that could occur. It can protect your business if something goes wrong, and it can show your clients that you are professional and trustworthy, with the right insurance policies to protect your customers in case of an unexpected event.
What insurance do pet grooming businesses need?
When taking out pet grooming insurance, it’s important to consider different types of coverage and policies to adequately cover your business for losses and liability. The most common types of coverage are:
General liability: General liability insurance can help protect you if an accident happens in your place of business. For instance, if a client walks into your premises and slips on the floor, general liability insurance can help cover you for medical expenses owed to a third party. In addition, general liability can help pay for legal costs if a client seeks legal action for wrongful conduct, such as causing emotional distress to their animal while providing grooming services. Typically, general liability insurance can cover you for legal defense costs, damages to third-party property, accusations of defamation, copyright infringement, slander, and third-party bodily injury.
Commercial property: If your pet grooming business is dependent on a physical location, your property and equipment are at risk of damage. Commercial property insurance can help protect against covered perils such as natural disasters, fire, and vandalism where damage is done to your property. It can help to repair or replace the physical items needed for your business to operate. Commercial property insurance will cover business income interruptions, loss of inventory, repairs, and replacements, and equipment breakdown.
Professional liability: Mistakes can happen and professional liability insurance helps to protect your business against claims of negligence and omissions where your services result in a financial loss for the client. If you are accused of a professional mistake, where a client claims that you didn’t complete your job properly, or your action has caused wrongful conduct resulting in harm or damages, professional liability insurance can help protect your reputation and pay for legal defense costs. Coverage includes professional negligence, legal defense costs, and legal judgments bought against your business.
Depending on your insurance policy, there will be certain exclusions. Common exclusions for general liability insurance include repairs and replacement for tools and equipment used in your business, professional negligence, and workplace injuries.
For professional liability insurance, common exclusions can include employee injuries, intentional wrongdoing, and property damage. If you’re thinking about taking out commercial property insurance, equipment breakdown due to wear and tear is likely to be excluded.
What are the limits of pet grooming insurance?
Limits to your pet grooming insurance policy determine how much coverage you will receive when you submit a claim. Policy limits can differ between insurance companies and can range from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000. If your policy limit is reached during an active policy period, any further claims will need to be paid for out-of-pocket by the business.
How much does pet grooming insurance cost?
The cost of pet grooming insurance can vary depending on the coverage type you take out and the insurance provider you choose. Rates for general liability insurance can start from $27 per month and increase if you choose to buy your policy bundled with additional coverage.
Your premium can depend on:
- Location: Certain areas can have a higher insurance premium due to a higher number of lawsuits.
- Coverage limit: As you increase your coverage limit, you will pay a higher premium.
- The number of employees: With more employees, there is a greater chance of an incident, it’s you will likely need more extensive coverage to protect your business.
- Policy deductibles: Many insurers allow you to adjust the level of the deductible to help make the premium more affordable. Higher deductible limits will result in more out-of-pocket expenses should an incident occur; however your policy premium will be lower.
- Business experience: As your business experience increases, the less likely you are to make costly mistakes that a new business owner may make, and this can help to lower your insurance premium.
How to choose the best pet grooming insurance?
Pet grooming insurance can help protect your business against liability and financial shocks due to accidents, negligence, and hazards confronting your business. It’s important to fully read the terms and conditions before taking out a policy, as coverage and exclusions can differ between insurance providers. This can help prevent unwanted surprises when you submit a claim and later find that it has been rejected. Before you select a plan, here is what to look for:
- Compare multiple insurers: It’s a good idea to shop around and compare policies as premiums and coverage levels can differ between insurance providers. Some insurers may provide bundled discounts.
- Consider additional insurance: If you are a mobile pet groomer, you are likely to require additional coverage such as auto insurance, if you hurt someone or cause damage to another vehicle. Alternatively, if your business hires employees, you should consider workers’ compensation insurance to protect your business against workplace accidents.