Common Commercial Business Insurance Terms Explained

If you're planning to renew your company's business insurance or buy a new policy, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Commercial business insurance can be daunting, and the industry jargon can make it more complicated than it should be. Because making sure your business is properly insured against risk, it's your responsibility to understand these terms, although your agent or insurance company will help. Here are some terms you may run across when you're buying business insurance in Miami, FL or anywhere else.

Advertising Injury: This is damage that arises from oral or written advertisements that libel or slander another business or entity's products, services or goods.

Aggregate Limit: This is the maximum amount of coverage for a general business liability insurance policy or property damage policy. It may be figured per occurrence or for the entire policy term.

Agreed Amount Endorsement: This is an agreement by your insurance company that there will be no coinsurance penalty at the time of a claim.

Alternative Dispute Resolution: This means that rather using the court system to settle disputes, parties must use methods such as mediation and arbitration.

Annual Aggregate: The maximum amount your commercial business insurance policy will pay out during a one-year period.

Bodily Injury: This is any disease, physical injury or sickness sustained by someone, including death. You will see this term on a general business liability insurance policy that covers you if someone is hurt on your property.

Business Owners Policy (BOP): This is an insurance policy that combines business general liability insurance, property insurance and business interruption coverage.

Catastrophe: This describes an act of nature causing severe damage, including tornadoes, earthquakes and floods.

Commercial General Liability Insurance (CGL): This is business general liability insurance that covers liability such as product liability, or liability exposure from your premises, operations or contractors.

Deductible: This is the portion of your claim that you must pay for. Larger deductibles will result in lower insurance premiums.

Named Peril: A specific event or occurrence covered by your insurance policy.

Negligence: The failure to use reasonable care.

No-Fault: This is an insurance procedure in which the policyholder's insurance pays for injuries regardless of who caused the accident.

Personal and Advertising Injury: This is an injury that results from false arrest or detention, oral or written publications, or the use of someone else's ideas.

Product Liability: This is a decision of who may sue whom for any damages or injuries that occur as a result of a defective product.

Replacement Cost: This is the cost or replacement of damaged property without deducting depreciation, or the decrease in insurable value due to wear-and-tear.

Total Loss: This is a loss so great that there is no value remaining and the property is completely destroyed. It can also mean a loss so large it requires the maximum payout of your commercial business insurance policy.

The Importance of Insurance for Home Based Businesses

Miami Insurance Consultants, which specializes in both personal and commercial insurance coverage throughout Florida, explains that many at-home businesses do not have adequate insurance coverage, which may pose a serious problem if there is an injury at the property or inventory becomes damaged. 

According to Best Insurance Consultants, many home-based business owners mistakenly believe their homeowner's insurance policy will cover them sufficiently, although this is simply not the case. A regular homeowner's policy is not sufficient protection for a business, as most policies do not cover business use of a home, which means any business-related losses like a stolen business computer will not be covered. 

Additional complications may also result. For example, if a delivery person slips on the property and breaks an arm, the business owner may be liable and fully responsible for the injuries associated with business deliveries. If the home burns down, fire coverage can also be voided because business property is almost always excluded. 

These are just a few of the nasty surprises that await business owners who rely on homeowner's insurance. 

Homeowner's insurance does not typically provide adequate protection from liability to business visitors, and accidents may always happen regardless of how well-planned a home office is. Delivery people, customers, employees and business associates will not be covered without either a rider to the homeowner's insurance or a commercial general liability insurance policy. 

He also points out that some types of home-based businesses will require special kinds of insurance. Those who render professional services from home, such as legal services or tax preparation services, will also need professional liability insurance. Business owners who manufacture, distribute or sell products that could potentially hurt someone may also need to consider products liability insurance. 

As Miami Insurance Consultants explains, insurance is one of the most overlooked but vital parts of any business, including home-based businesses. According to the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, about 60% of home-based businesses do not have adequate business insurance, which means they are at risk. Potential problems that may come from inadequate insurance include losing one's primary home due to a lawsuit in a slip-and-fall accident on the premises, complete uncovered loss of inventory or products due to a burglary or fire, substantial fire damage that is not covered by the homeowner's insurance and lawsuits regarding professional services rendered. 

He urges all business owners, including those who operate a business from home, to ensure they have adequate insurance coverage by speaking with a qualified insurance broker right away. 

For small business owners seeking insurance in Florida, Top Insurance Consultants offer policies that include commercial business liability insurance, business property insurance and more through.

Affordable Miami Insurance Consultants is a FL based firm that helps business owners find the best possible insurance solutions to fit their needs. He offers personal insurance as well as many forms of commercial insurance.