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Partnerships with over 50 leading Canadian insurance providers
Insurance for snow removal contractors
Heavy snowfalls, blizzards, and ice storms are not uncommon in Canada.
Snow removal contractors know theirs is a high-risk business due to the threat of accidents, unforeseen incidents, and third-party lawsuits.
Liability insurance is necessary for snow removal contractors to pay for expensive damages and losses. It may be required to operate legally in some jurisdictions or by the terms of your customer contracts.
What is snow removal insurance?
Snow removal insurance is a customized policy featuring several coverages designed to shield snow removal contractors and small businesses from the costs of third-party property damages, third-party bodily injuries, accidents, and equipment breakdowns.
It can be challenging to get the right coverage to protect your snow removal business and operations from its liabilities. Zensurance helps thousands of Canadian snow removal contractors quickly get the comprehensive protection they need.
What does snow removal insurance cover?
Most snow removal insurance policies contain several coverages, including:
- Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance: CGL, or general liability insurance, covers third-party bodily injuries and third-party property damage caused by your operations. For example, if a customer or third party slips on ice and is injured on a property you’re responsible for clearing, you may be liable for their injuries and could be sued. CGL would help cover an injured person’s medical expenses and your legal defence expenses.
- Commercial Property Insurance: Commercial property insurance protects your business’s property, office, or warehouse and its contents and inventory if they are damaged by fire, water, a natural disaster, theft, or vandalism. It may also include business interruption insurance to cover your lost income and operational overhead if you’re forced to close temporarily following an insurable loss. You can add business interruption coverage to your policy if it is not automatically included.
- Commercial Auto Insurance: Commercial auto insurance is vital for snow removal contractors driving snowplows and other business vehicles. It covers damages to your vehicle, other vehicles, stationary objects, or injuries to third parties if you’re involved in a collision.
- Hired and Non-Owned Vehicle Coverage: This type of coverage is designed to protect vehicles used in connection with your business that you don’t own. If you rent, lease, or borrow vehicles to run your operations, or employees use their personal vehicles for commercial purposes, hired and non-owned vehicle insurance is vital to add to your policy. For example, an employee attaches a snowplow to the front of their pickup truck but crashes while working at a job site. This type of coverage may cover repairing your employee’s vehicle.
- Tools and Equipment Insurance: Tools and equipment insurance repairs or replaces your transportable tools and equipment that are vandalized, stolen, lost, or damaged by fire or water.
- Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Equipment breakdown insurance covers repairing or replacing your equipment and computers that cease to function because of an internal mechanical or electrical malfunction.
How much does snow removal insurance cost?
Insurance companies determine the price of a snow removal insurance policy based on several factors, including:
- Your business’s size and location
- Your services and the types of properties you service
- The type and value of your vehicles and snow removal equipment
- The type and value of your business property, contents, and inventory or raw materials
- Your experience and training
- How many employees you have, and their experience and training (if applicable)
- Your annual and gross projected revenue
- Your business’s insurance claim history
It’s worth noting that the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates liability claims involving slip-and-fall incidents on icy surfaces increased by 108% between 2013 and 2020, rising from $2.4 billion to $5.1 billion. More frequent and expensive claims can lead to higher premiums.
Frequently asked questions
Common claims scenarios
Problem: A person slips on ice that wasn’t cleared on one of your commercial customer’s properties. Their wrist is fractured from the fall, and they threaten legal action.
Outcome: Commercial general liability insurance may cover the injured person’s medical and rehabilitation expenses and your legal defence fees if you’re sued.
Problem: While using a snowplow vehicle to clear a commercial customer’s parking lot of snow, your snowplow damages a streetlight.
Outcome: Commercial general liability insurance may pay to repair or replace the damaged streetlight.
Problem: Tools stored in a locked container in the back of your pickup truck are stolen overnight. You are forced to rent or buy new tools to continue to provide snow removal services to your customers.
Outcome: Tools and equipment insurance may pay to replace your stolen tools.
Other contractor trades we can provide coverage for:
Additional resource for snow removal contractors
Snow Removal Insurance: What You Need To Know This Winter
Securing the right coverage to protect high-risk snow removal operations can be difficult. See our tips for getting ready for the season ahead and keeping your premium low.
How Much Does Snowplow Insurance in Canada Cost?
This year, much of Canada is in for a bitterly cold winter and icy conditions. Now’s the time for snow removal contractors to get the liability coverage they need for the coming winter. Get an overview of how snow removal insurance is calculated and tips for preventing slip-and-fall accidents.
Guide: How to Start a Snow Removal Business in Canada
The snow and ice removal business can be a lucrative one, but you need to strategize in advance to capitalize on the opportunity, be aware of the risks, and manage a cash flow crunch.
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