What does a
Business Owners policy cover?
Insurance
companies selling business insurance offer policies that combine protection
from all major property and liability risks in one package. (They also sell coverage's
separately.) One package purchased by small and mid-sized businesses
is the business-owners policy (BOP). Package policies are created for
businesses that generally face the same kind and degree of risk. Larger
companies might purchase a commercial package policy or customize their
policies to meet the special risks they face.
BOPs include:
- Property insurance for buildings and contents owned by the company --
there are two different forms, standard and special, which provides more
comprehensive coverage.
- Business interruption insurance, which covers the loss of income
resulting from a fire or other catastrophe that disrupts the operation of
the business. It can also include the extra expense of operating out of a
temporary location.
- Liability protection, which covers your company's legal responsibility
for the harm it may cause to others. This harm is a result of things that
you and your employees do or fail to do in your business operations that
may cause bodily injury or property damage due to defective products,
faulty installations and errors in services provided.
BOPs do NOT cover professional liability, auto insurance, worker’s
compensation or health and disability insurance. You'll need separate
insurance policies to cover professional services, vehicles and your
employees.