What is Plumbers Insurance?
Plumbing businesses can be financially profitable endeavors, but certain risks accompany this line of work. For example, plumbers can face liability lawsuits if they cause harm or injury. They also can have equipment damaged or stolen, and these are far from the only perils they face. Plumbers insurance doesn’t prevent these sorts of things from happening to plumbers, but it offers Massachusetts plumbing businesses financial protection if they ever do experience a covered incident.
Plumbers insurance is a specialized kind of commercial insurance that uniquely meets the needs of plumbing businesses. Most of these policies are drafted with multiple individual coverages in them, bundling those coverages into a single package policy.
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What Businesses in Massachusetts Should Carry Plumbing Insurance?
In general, most businesses and self-employed individuals who offer plumbing services for hire in Massachusetts should have a plumbing insurance policy in place. This can include:
- Residential plumbing service providers
- Commercial plumbing service providers
- HVAC and plumbing companies
- Self-employed plumbers who work part- or full-time
- Employed plumbers who moonlight on their own
Moreover, plumbers usually need a policy regardless of what their business’ size is and how it’s legally structured. Both small and large businesses can be named in liability suits or lost property, and legal corporate structures provide a different set of protections than what insurance policies normally offer.
Also, there are some businesses that have a few insurance needs which are similar to those of plumbers -- but that also need additional protections which plumbers policies typically don’t provide. For instance, contractors, remodelers, home builders and pipe fitters, frequently find that a plumbers policy doesn’t have all of the protections they need even though some of the policy’s protections are useful to them. These businesses tend to be better off with a different insurance policy that’s tailor-made to their needs.
What Coverages Come with Plumbing Insurance Policies?
Most plumbing insurance policies come with at least a few coverages and may have many. Some of the more widely available coverages that plumbers often select are:
- General Liability Coverage, which might protect against liability lawsuits arising from common accidents or defamation claims
- Errors and Omissions Coverage, which might protect against suits arising from mistakes made in a plumber’s work
- Commercial Umbrella Coverage, which might protect against especially expensive suits by providing supplemental protection
- Commercial Property Coverage, which might protect owned buildings, equipment, supplies and inventory
- Inland Marine Coverage, which might protect equipment, supplies and inventory while it’s being taken to or from job sites
- Commercial Auto Coverage, which might protect owned trucks, vans and other vehicles
- Installation Floater Coverage, which might protect purchased supplies form the time of purchase until the time of installation
There are many other coverages that policies sometimes offer. An insurance agent who specializes in this type of commercial insurance can help plumbing businesses decide which coverages make sense for their situation.
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Do Plumbers Policies Cover Personal Vehicles That Are Driven for Work?
Plumbers who drive their personal vehicles for work purposes beyond normal commuting should speak with a knowledgeable insurance agent to make sure they’re properly protected. Whether a personal or plumbers policy covers this type of driving requires reading through the terms, conditions and exclusions of each policy and applying them to a particular situation. An insurance agent who’s well-versed in plumbers policies will know how to assist with this process.