General liability insurance
It covers third-party injury, property damage, and the lawsuits that follow your work. For most businesses it is the first policy in the program, and the one a client or landlord asks to see. We shop it across multiple A-rated carriers so you compare real quotes.
The base of the program
The policy most businesses need first
General liability answers for the everyday risk of doing business around other people and their property, a slip in your shop, a tool through a window, a claim about your advertising. It also pays to defend you when a suit is filed, whether or not it has merit. We look at what you do and where the real exposure sits, then shop the coverage to fit it.
What it covers
The core parts of a general liability policy. Limits and endorsements vary by carrier, which is part of what we compare for you.
Third-party bodily injury
A customer, vendor, or passerby is hurt in connection with your business, and the medical and legal costs that follow.
Property damage
Damage your business causes to property that belongs to someone else, on their premises or yours.
Personal & advertising injury
Claims of libel, slander, or copyright issues in your advertising, which surprise a lot of owners.
Products & completed operations
Injury or damage from a product you sold or work you finished, after the job is done.
Medical payments
Smaller medical costs paid without a fight, which can keep a minor injury from becoming a claim.
Legal defense
The cost to defend a covered suit, which the policy pays in addition to any settlement, up to your limits.
Where general liability stops
General liability is broad, but it is not everything, and the gaps are where businesses get caught. It does not cover your own building or contents, which is property insurance. It does not cover an employee's on-the-job injury, which is workers compensation. It does not cover a mistake in your professional advice or work product, which is errors and omissions. And it does not respond to a wire fraud or a ransomware event, which is cyber.
That is the value of keeping your whole program in one place. We place general liability as the base and make sure the lines around it are there, rather than leaving you to find the gap during a claim.
General liability FAQ
What does general liability insurance cover?
General liability covers claims from third parties for bodily injury and property damage tied to your business, along with personal and advertising injury such as libel or slander. It pays for legal defense and settlements up to your limits. It does not cover your own property, your employees' injuries, or mistakes in professional advice, which are handled by other policies.
Is general liability insurance required?
It is rarely required by law, but it is often required by a contract. Landlords, clients, and general contractors commonly ask for proof of general liability before they will sign, lease space, or let you on a jobsite. A certificate of insurance is how you show it.
How is it different from professional liability?
General liability responds to physical harm, a customer who slips in your shop or property you damage on a job. Professional liability, also called errors and omissions, responds to financial harm from your advice or work product. Many businesses need both, and we can quote them together.
Can I add a client as an additional insured?
Yes. When a contract requires it, we add the client or property owner as an additional insured on your policy and issue the certificate they need. It is a routine part of setting up the coverage.
Tell us what you do and we'll bring back options to compare
A few minutes to start. We shop general liability across multiple A-rated carriers and bring back real quotes to compare.