Why Do Landscape Gardeners Need Insurance? – Gardener Corner

Why Do Landscape Gardeners Need Insurance?

It can take years to establish a gardening business, build a clientele through references and then stay in the good books of existing clients. Gardening contracts by public parks and councils can be lucrative, but the bidding is a highly competitive one and such bodies insist on tradesmen being covered for liabilities associated with gardening. Without landscape gardener insurance, you stand to lose business and if ever a claim is raised against you, then you will have to pay for it from your own pocket. With comprehensive landscape gardener insurance, you give your business the security of financial cover and your clients get the assurance of working with a professional tradesman who takes work seriously. 

While gardening may appear to be a low-risk profession, the truth is quite the opposite. You are working on someone else’s property. The risks of severing an underground cable, cutting the wrong tree, using inappropriate fertilizer, or breaking a statute are real. Somebody might get injured from handling a gardening tool that was lying where it should not have been. You are liable for compensation when anything like this happens.

So, what should a well-thought of landscape gardeners policy include? As outlined by Tradesman Saver here, you can get automatic covers and optional covers. As per their website, these include: 

  • Public liability insurance – This insurance is the cornerstone of any landscape gardeners liability insurance. It will protect you from legal costs and claims-related expenses arising from injuries to clients or third parties that may happen because of your work. This insurance also covers property damage. Clients expect that gardeners working on their property be covered for public liability. The legal cost of defending your business can be prohibitive, running into hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Without cover, such expenses can be a major setback for independent gardening professionals and gardening companies.
  • Tools and equipment insurance – Gardeners work with tools – big and small. Be it a trowel, rake, hose, mower, axe, spade, hoe, or a pitchfork, the tools can get lost or misplaced at the most inconvenient of times. They might get stolen or may get damaged. Cover for tools and equipment allows you to continue with the work without any unnecessary breaks. You won’t have to fork out cash for replacements. Choose a cover that is appropriate given the cost of the tools and the number of people employed by you.
  • Professional indemnity insurance – This is cover against any losses that your clients may suffer because of professional negligence on your part – poor advice, loss of documents, slander, libel, or breach of confidentiality. This is a very useful cover for garden designers and landscape architects who offer consultations to large public and private bodies.
  • Employer’s liability insurance– This cover is a legal requirement for businesses with employees, even if you sub-contract manual labour. It protects in cases of injuries to employees when working for you. Out of pocket expenses arising from unforeseen injuries to employees can dent your business in a big way. Get the peace of mind that comes with this cover.
  • Personal accident insurance – This is a very useful policy for solo gardeners who accept contracts. A sickness or an injury, not necessarily at work, puts the brakes on earning and also results in medical expenses. Do not stay unprepared for such a probability. Plan with personal accident insurance that is active 24/7 and all over the world.
  • Financial loss insurance– Often, a free add-on to public liability insurance, this insurance is cover against financial loss that does not arise from injuries and damages.

Choose a landscape gardener’s insurance policy that is activated immediately, comes with the best possible cover for the premiums paid, and can be re-calibrated easily to meet changes in your business.

James G. Craig
 

James G. Craig is a gardening enthusiast who splits his spare time between growing vegetables, preening his flower gardens, and blogging about his experiences at the Gardener Corner.

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