Duct Cleaning Contractors Insurance
Written by
Ann Herro has been writing about insurance and employee benefits for over 15 years. She has covered topics as easy as insuring a car, and as difficult as transparency in healthcare costs.
Reviewed by
Paul Martin is the Director of Education and Development for Myron Steves, one of the largest, most respected insurance wholesalers in the southern U.S.
Professional duct cleaning services use specialized blowers, vacuums, and brushes to clean out the supply, intake, and return ducts throughout home HVAC systems. Duct cleaning also usually involves cleaning the air handler, registers, grilles, fans, motors, housings, and coils of the HVAC system.
Duct cleaning involves your work crew and their equipment being present in homes for several hours, using equipment and tools, and potentially leading to injuries or property damage for the homeowner.
If something goes wrong while you’re working in someone’s home, the consequences can be devastating. That’s why you need duct cleaning contractors insurance to help you mitigate your risks and protect your business.
A local independent insurance agent can help you assess your risks and find the right business insurance policies that are tailored to your industry.
Why Do You Need Duct Cleaning Contractors Insurance?
When you work on someone else’s property, you expose both your customers and your employees to injuries and other problems.
Duct cleaning contractors insurance protects your business from risk exposures. If, for example, you damage a client's property, it could cost you thousands of dollars to make repairs or replace what you’ve damaged. In addition, you face property losses (losses to tools, equipment, and other valuable commercial property) from a variety of sources, including fire, theft, severe weather, and vandalism.
If someone sues you after you cause an injury or property damage, you’ll have to pay for your own legal fees. A lawsuit could financially devastate your business, and even result in bankruptcy.
Duct cleaning contractors insurance lets you protect your business from devastating losses.
Liability Insurance for Duct Cleaning Contractors
Duct cleaning contractors must carry commercial general liability insurance. It protects you against any third-party injuries or property damage that may occur. If, for example, a vendor slips and falls while delivering supplies to your business, your insurance will cover the cost of any related medical care, as well as any legal costs that may arise if the person sues you.
You face a variety of other liability risks as well. The equipment you use to clean HVAC systems may present an attractive nuisance to children. And the process of duct cleaning can result in property damage or injuries to the homeowners.
CGL insurance protects you from having to pay out of pocket for damage or legal fees if your services happen to cause damage to any of the homes or businesses you work on. It offers broad protection for a wide variety of negligence claims and lawsuits.
Your duct cleaning contractors insurance package may contain the following additional types of liability coverage, as well:
- Cyber liability insurance: This provides coverage in the event of a data breach involving your business. It helps pay for the costs of notifying affected clients, as well as public relations and investigation costs, and more.
- Commercial umbrella insurance: Also known as excess liability coverage, this insurance provides supplemental liability protection beyond the limits of certain other liability policies. This policy can be invaluable for that once-in-a-lifetime judgment rendered against you.
- Employment practices liability insurance: This covers you if an employee sues you for discriminatory employment practices.
Property Insurance for Duct Cleaning Contractors
You likely have owned or leased office space, retail space, or warehouse space where you perform administrative tasks and store all of your tools, equipment, materials, and supplies. Your physical space likely serves as a home base for your employees, and may be filled with furniture, computer equipment, and other commercial property that is susceptible to theft, vandalism, fires, storms, and certain other causes of loss.
Business property insurance: This protects buildings and their contents, including computers, office equipment, furniture, and all of your commercial property (whether it is owned or leased) if it is damaged by fire, smoke, theft, vandalism, or some other covered peril. If, for example, someone vandalizes the outside of your building, breaks in and steals tools and equipment, your commercial property policy will help to pay for the repairs to your building as well as the cost of replacing and stolen or damaged property.
If you sustain damage that forces you to temporarily close or relocate, business interruption coverage will reimburse you for ongoing expenses (rent, salaries, etc.) and lost income during the closure or relocation period.
You may also need additional property coverage for your business. Talk to your independent insurance agent about your need for the following:
- Flood or hurricane insurance: Your basic commercial property policy does not cover flood or hurricane damage. Talk to your agent about flood and hurricane insurance if you live in an area that is prone to these events.
- Employee crime and dishonesty coverage: This protects your business from the costs of theft, dishonesty, and fraudulent acts committed by an individual employee or a group of employees. It provides coverage for forgery, alteration, theft, unauthorized electronic funds transfers, credit card fraud, computer fraud, money order fraud, and counterfeit fraud.
- Inland marine insurance: This covers tools, equipment, and supplies while they are in transit. And if any of your tools are stolen from a jobsite, inland marine insurance will cover the cost of replacing the tools.
Commercial Auto Insurance for Duct Cleaning Contractors
Your work crews travel from jobsite to jobsite in commercial vehicles owned by your business. Your commercial vehicles must be covered with commercial auto insurance. If one of your drivers causes an accident, it covers bodily injury and property damage that the driver is at fault for.
Commercial vehicle insurance for commercial cleaning companies covers your cars, trucks, and any other vehicles you use for business. In addition to liability coverage, it provides collision, comprehensive, and uninsured motorist coverage.
Your commercial auto insurance can be tailored to your needs, and your coverage and premiums will be based on how your vehicles are used and who drives them. Each vehicle owned by your business or used for business purposes can be listed separately on your business auto policy, with corresponding coverage for each vehicle that can differ depending on the vehicle’s characteristics and the coverage it requires.
If you have sales people or duct cleaners who drive personal vehicles for business purposes, talk to your insurance agent about your need for non-owned auto liability insurance.
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Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Duct Cleaning Contractors
Accidents involving your workers can happen at any time. They work in cramped spaces and can inhale dust, soot, and other irritants. They use a variety of tools and equipment in sometimes awkward, unsafe positions. They may suffer from lung irritation, eye irritation, back injuries, repetitive motion injuries, or other work-related illnesses or injuries.
If one of your employees gets injured while on the job, you’re responsible for paying for his or her medical expenses. What’s more, he or she may not be able to work until fully recovered, leaving the employee without his or her income.
Workers’ compensation insurance protects your employees and your business from the costs associated with work-related injuries and illnesses. It provides coverage for medical care and income protection for an injured worker while he or she is unable to work. Workers’ compensation insurance also helps protect employers from lawsuits by injured employees.
Each state has workers’ compensation insurance laws. Most states require nearly every business that has employees to provide this coverage. Your state’s workers’ compensation statutes determine the amount of benefits injured workers are entitled to, which impairments or injuries are covered, how those impairments will be evaluated, and how medical care will be delivered.
How Much Does Duct Cleaning Contractors Insurance Cost?
Your costs for duct cleaning contractors insurance will vary depending on the unique characteristics of your business, such as the location, the number of employees, the value of your commercial property (building plus contents), whether or not you own your building, and how many vans or commercial vehicles you own and operate.
Duct cleaning contractor insurance could cost several thousands of dollars per year, or more. The amount of coverage you need and the deductibles you choose also impact your insurance costs.
Find and Compare Quotes
An independent insurance agent can work with you one-on-one to determine the types and amounts of coverage you need. Your agent can get quotes from multiple insurance companies so you can evaluate the cost and coverage options and make the best choice.
Benefits of an Independent Agent
Our agents simplify the search process for finding the right duct cleaning contractors insurance. They’ll walk you through the handpicked policy options and explain the details and options.
Most importantly, they’ll be there for you when claim time comes. They know the ins and outs of the process and will make sure your claim is handled appropriately.
The Lowdown on Online Quotes
Online quotes can be tempting. They are fast and easy to get — but are they accurate? And are you getting quotes for the right coverage? For business owners, choosing speed over accuracy can cost you.
Online quotes can’t and don’t see the whole picture. They can omit important coverage that will leave you devastated if something unexpected happens. And they can leave out cost-saving opportunities that an agent can help you take advantage of.
Instead of getting an online quote, find an independent insurance agent now, and get a one-on-one consultation and affordable options for the best coverage for your unique needs.