We can all understand this line of thinking as our today’s business economic environment demands that every business examine every category of its expenses, and one of the major expenses to any business is commercial insurance. While it is understandable to think about saving money by purchasing low cost or cheap commercial insurance, it probably is not the prudent choice to make.

The first thing you must consider, as a business owner or would-be business owner, is how much coverage do you actually need to protect all your assets against possible claims? While you can sometimes buy commercial insurance that will meet the coverages required by law for less money, will those coverages actually protect you adequately should some unforeseen event occur. For example, your commercial liability pays claims up to one million dollars, but you are liable for a million and a half.

Your business would have to cover the difference between what your liability policy covered and what was actually awarded by the court. Would you have this additional five hundred thousand, or would it ruin your business?

Admittedly, getting commercial insurance quotes can be a daunting task, but considerations that will help you avoid falling into the trap of buying cheap commercial insurance just for the sake of saving money are:

1. Remember that insurance companies like all other businesses are in business first and foremost to make money. While the commercial insurance agents representing these companies portray themselves as individuals concerned only with your welfare, they have to make a living just like anyone else, and sometimes they will sell you a policy that does not really afford you the coverage you actually need.

2. Sit down and take the time to add up all your assets. How much commercial insurance do you need to replace those assets if something unexpected were to happen? Also, consider how much you would need to pay your expenses if your business operations were interrupted for a period of time. For example, lets say your building partially burned, how would you pay your expenses until you were fully operational again?

3. Interview several different licensed insurance brokers, and carefully compare coverages and rates. Remember, that different commercial insurers describe their various coverages differently. If you don’t understand the confusing and sometimes tricky lingo, ask the brokers what it means.

While the whole idea of pouring over insurance terminology and all the various available commercial coverages can make you want to bang your head on your desk, as a responsible business person, it is, in the end, up to you to educate yourself regarding commercial insurance.

There are however some basic rules of insurance, which if born in mind while looking for the right commercial policy, will ensure that the enterprise is neither under or over insured and has the necessary cover in force.

For a commercial insurance contract to be valid the proposer must have what is known in the industry as ‘an insurable interest’ in the object of the cover. This immediately helps define the type of property insurance policy that a businessman might require.

The business risks to be insured under the policy are not the physical object themselves but the financial value of such, which is defined as the interest that a policyholder has in the objects should they suffer loss if the insured risks occur.

Clearly then the type of policy that a business will require depends upon whether the proposer is the owner of the commercial property, or a leaseholder or tenant.

An owner of a commercial premises who lets or leases a building, no matter the type of business activities that may be pursued there, would only have an interest in the buildings fixtures and fittings of the property concerned and any liabilities to the public that may arise from these.

A lease-holders interest in the buildings may be dependent upon contract of lease and should be checked thoroughly with the agreement. Often a contract will make it the responsibility of the lessee to provide cover for the lease term.

Owner occupiers of commercial premises will have a financial interest in both the buildings and contents of the property and will require insurance for both.

Rented commercial property buildings cover is not usually the concern of the tenant who will only have an insurable interest in any contents of the building and in any improvements that they may have made to the property in order to carry out business.

Before getting any commercial property insurance quotes it is necessary for the businessman to calculate the values of all the buildings, contents and stock. Buildings value should be based upon the rebuilding costs following a total loss and allowing for inflation. Accurate annual turnover figures will be required for contents insurance. If high value stock items are kept at the property, then the value of these should be determined individually.

Applying for commercial insurance quotes online might only take a minute or two to complete, however the preparation needed to obtain accurate data to supply to the insurance company could take a lot longer. It is unlikely that even the small businessman has calculated the value of his office contents for replacement purposes.

Ensuring that the information you supply on a commercial insurance proposal form is correct, is not only legally required, but is essential if you wish to avoid problems if a claim has to made at a future date. Problems can quickly arise with disagreements over the value of stock or office equipment values following a major loss, especially where the declared values are not sufficient and an average or proportional reduction to a claim is imposed.

Having established any property risks that a commercial enterprise may be exposed to it is then necessary to look at all the potentialities and risks that the business might be liable for, in the course of carrying out its commercial activities.

Liability insurance is essential for all enterprises, large or small.

Public liability insurance protects the business against any claims from the public for loss or damage suffered, for which the business could be held liable. Employers liability, a type of workers compensation insurance, protects a business against being sued by its employees and is a legal requirement.

Most commercial liability insurance is sold by trade or professional type with risks and covers that are specific to that business type. Additional liability insurance such as professional indemnity insurance which covers professionals against negligent advice or product liability for shops providing goods, are examples of such.

Buying a combined tradesman or professional service stand-alone liability product is today a simple process using one of the many liability insurance comparison websites that exist online.

It is possible to buy commercial insurance for both liability and property combined for any type of business, under what is called a ‘combined commercial insurance policy’. This type of flexible contract allows specific risks to be added and limits of indemnity chosen and is often known as ‘all risks’ cover.

For specific types of commercial insurance risks such as shops and offices, where property values and liability cover can be easily assessed, it is now possible to compare many covers and buy online what are known as packaged policies.

The Internet offers many full ‘all risks’ commercial insurance policies covering every eventuality and consequential loss, which are available from online insurance brokers, comparison sites and direct from commercial insurance companies themselves. If you have any doubts about the necessary cover for your particular business it is advisable to consult a commercial insurance broker who will offer advice and the latest market information.

However, some companies are not satisfied simply sticking to the standard, typical areas of expertise for commercial insurance brokers. For some of these experts, it is a challenge to attempt to expand to areas outside what would normally be associated with them, and as a result, their companies tend to offer services in fields they would not necessarily be expected to operate in. This article highlights two of the most unusual fields commercial insurance brokers may offer insurance solutions for.

Charity

The name ‘commercial insurance brokers’ hints at the fact that these companies mostly operate within profit-driven sectors; that is why it can come as so much of a surprise to discover that some of them offer solutions specifically tailored for charities and not-for-profit organisations.

Commercial insurance brokers who offer these types of services tend to focus their efforts on ensuring said organisations are protected against medical malpractice, abuse, negligence and accidents. Further, they seek to provide cover for any events these groups may seek to organise, as well as insure their property as much as possible. It is not unusual to see commercial insurance brokers who offer solutions for charity offering cover for vehicles, such as minibuses, as well as insurance in case of business interruption. The intent is to ensure that, much like profit-driven businesses, these organisations are able to minimise financial damages in case of an accident or misfortune. This is particularly important in the case of charities, as they tend to survive on donations and grants; commercial insurance brokers who deal with these types of institutions understand this, and this is why they tend to be particularly thorough when tailoring insurance solutions for not-for-profit clients.

Education

Education insurance is another field many commercial insurance brokers very often branch off into when looking to widen the scope of their services. While not strictly businesses, schools and academies often tend to have many of the same needs a typical company or corporation will have, and hence many commercial brokerage companies find that they are well-equipped to offer solutions in this field as well.

Typical insurance solutions for schools and academies also tend to overlap with those offered to charities and not-for-profit organisations, as these types of institutions tend to have the same needs and many of the same goals as educational establishments. However, packages for schools do offer a number of additional options, such as cover for school and field trips, cover for governors and trustees, and hirers’ liability. This helps ensure both students, staff and school property are fully insured and covered, a measure both welcome and necessary when dealing with minors. Child protection is one of the main concerns of modern western society, and it therefore comes as no surprise that most of these packages are specifically designed to ensure both a school’s students and the adults responsible for overseeing them are as safe and secure as possible in the context of their learning activities.

It is clear, then, that while many commercial insurance brokers are perfectly happy sticking to the tried and true areas of the insurance field implied in their name, just as many are willing to branch out and offer cover to sectors and fields of modern society they would not normally be expected to get involved in. Doing so, in turn, allows them to widen their potential pool of clients, all while earning a reputation as versatile insurance providers able to manoeuvre within different fields.