Being a business owner can be an exhausting job—yet very rewarding. If you own a window cleaning business, then you may be familiar with what it takes to run your own business. You invest a lot of time and money into your company, and you want it to succeed. You have a lot on your plate from hiring and training employees, to ensuring you have the correct equipment and insurance coverage in place!
Today we walk you through an essential coverage that you need including with your insurance policy—inland marine, also known as ‘tools and equipment coverage.’ We talk about what it is, why you need it, and how it can benefit your window cleaning business.
Why is the Insurance Term ‘Inland Marine’?
If you’re unfamiliar with insurance lingo, you may be wondering why the coverage to protect tools and equipment would be referred to as ‘inland marine insurance.’ This is because ocean marine insurance came before other types of insurance, so that’s where the term marine comes from. Inland refers to equipment not being over or an item that is not stationary. This term is an offshoot of ocean marine insurance, designed to protect property transported over water.
Because this was the first type of insurance designed to protect property in transportation, that’s where the term ‘inland marine’ comes from. You may see this term repeated throughout the insurance industry, but the more simple term to recognize what it covers is tools and equipment coverage.
What is Tools & Equipment Coverage?
Credit: Andrei Jose Pagsisihan
The name tools and equipment coverage implies what it covers—it simply protects your business’ tools and equipment. As a window cleaner, you have a lot of equipment—from cleaning chemicals, buckets and ladders, extension poles, scrapers, and more. Because you have to spend a lot of time collecting your equipment inventory and a lot of money to purchase it all, you wouldn’t want to perform your business operations without some protection for your equipment. That’s where tools and equipment coverage comes into play.
Why You Need This Coverage
If something were to ever happen to your equipment, like having it get stolen out of a company van, tools and equipment coverage would be there to save the day. This coverage is designed specifically to cover your business personal property that is transported over land—including tools, equipment, supplies, and inventory. Pretty much if it is movable property, tools and equipment coverage can protect your equipment.
Let’s share a couple of examples of when tools and equipment coverage could protect you. If you use a tablet to collect and store customer information and it gets stolen, or someone else damages it, this coverage may help cover the cost of the loss of that business property. If any of your equipment gets water damage and needs to be replaced, this coverage can also have you covered.
Tools & Equipment Coverage from Insurance Canopy
Insurance Canopy offers Tools, Equipment & Supplies Coverage that can be added to your base policy. You can purchase a base policy for just $27 per month and add Tools, Equipment & Supplies Coverage to your policy for an additional $3–$5, depending on the incident and policy year. The deductible for this coverage is $250.
This is a very small price to pay to protect your professional equipment, so you don’t have to rebuild your inventory from scratch. Keep in mind that although it covers tools, equipment, and supplies, this coverage will not cover structural property like a building or storage facility. It also does not cover the commercial property where you are performing your business services.
When filling out an online application with Insurance Canopy for Window Cleaning Insurance, you can select to add Tools, Equipment & Supplies Coverage to your policy. If you have any questions about this coverage or any other insurance-related concerns, feel free to contact our licensed insurance agents at [email protected] or give us a call 844.520.6993.
We wish you the best of luck with all your window cleaning endeavors!
About Insurance Canopy
Insurance Canopy provides small businesses with general and professional liability insurance at a monthly or annual rate. Our policies are designed to protect small business owners, including window cleaning businesses, in the case of a lawsuit arising out of their business operations. Window cleaners without cleaning business insurance may face lawsuits that could cost them their business and their livelihood. With a policy from Insurance Canopy, you get affordable coverage you need from A-rated carriers.
Cheers!
Caitlin Bagley
844.520.6993