Must-have Commercial Insurance Policies For Your Business

Every business owner has a story of where they started and are heading. Unfortunately, in all this planning, a disaster can strike and cause a standstill to the smooth progress of your business. As a business owner, you should protect the things that bring success to your business by mitigating unforeseen disasters through commercial insurance. It’s, therefore, paramount to understand the significance of commercial insurance in your risk mitigation strategy.

Tons of commercial insurance policies exist. Finding the ones that suit your business can be challenging. However, Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. narrows down to must-have business insurance policies for your business.  

  • General liability: Unexpected injuries or damage can occur on your premises while running a business. If the accidents result in bodily injuries or damage to a third party, the insurance takes care of the expenses. Additionally, liability coverage covers the legal fees if the injuries result from negligence and the business gets sued.
  • Workers’ compensation: California requires every employer to have employee compensation insurance, even if it’s one employee. If an employee gets injured in the workplace, the policy covers medical or related legal costs if you get sued. The policy also compensates for lost wages if the employee cannot work anymore due to injury or sickness.
  • Property insurance: You could suffer a substantial loss if a disaster strikes and destroys your business building and the items inside. Property insurance pays for the loss of your business assets, reducing your financial burden.
  • Product liability insurance: Product liability insurance is a must-have if your business sells or manufactures products. It protects your business in case of harm caused by your product.

Commercial insurance in San Francisco, CA

Only in a perfect world will commercial insurance not be required. As a responsible business owner, you need to plan ahead of time in case of an unfortunate event. Commercial insurance gives you peace of mind as you focus on your company’s goals. If you live in San Francisco, CA, and want to insure your business, look no further than Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. for all your commercial insurance needs.

Benefits of protecting your San Francisco apartment with a comprehensive renter’s policy

Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. understands the challenges of living in San Francisco, CA and the surrounding area. If you live in the area, choosing a comprehensive renter’s policy often makes sense. Our team is here to help you find the right policy for your needs. Call or stop by the office today.

Benefits of a comprehensive renter’s policy

While a basic policy is better than no insurance, a comprehensive renter’s insurance policy is often the right way. There are many benefits to carrying out such a policy, as they typically provide a wider range of coverage and offer policies with higher limits.

With a comprehensive policy, you can often have protection for higher-priced items like personal electronics. If you are in a work from home situation, your employer may require a certain level of coverage, especially if you have company-owned devices in your home. 

Comprehensive policies also often come with more robust liability protection. This is important coverage for anyone who has others working in their home or who entertains regularly. If someone is injured in your home, you will have protection to shield you from liability. Please find out more about the comprehensive renter insurance policies currently available in our area.

Let us help you with all of your insurance needs.

Renters in the greater San Francisco, CA area can turn to the Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. team for all of their insurance needs. A comprehensive renter’s policy is an effective way to protect your home and your belongings. Give us a call or stop by our office today.

We look forward to working with you!

Reasons Why Renters Insurance Is A Must-Have

Do you rent your home or apartment in San Francisco, CA? If yes, you need renters insurance.

1. Your Landlord’s Insurance Doesn’t Cover You

Most people renting residential property usually dismiss the idea of getting renter’s insurance because they believe their landlord’s insurance covers them. This isn’t correct, as your landlord’s policy only covers your landlord’s property and liability, not his tenants. You need your own renters’ insurance.

2. Protection for Your Personal Belongings

A renters insurance will cover your personal belongings in case of theft, fire, or loss to natural disasters. This includes personal property like furniture, art, electronics, appliances, jewelry, and beddings. Ensure that you take an accurate inventory of your personal belongings when purchasing your renters’ insurance. At Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc., we advise you to update your personal belongings’ inventory with your insurer whenever you make a big purchase.

3. You Get Your Own Liability Coverage

Purchasing a renters insurance means that you get your own liability coverage if someone gets injured in your home. The insurance policy will cover liability resulting from an accident such as your visitor tripping and falling or injury from a pet. The renter’s insurance will protect your savings, income, and assets from being used to settle a liability for injuries to other people inside your rented home.

4. Coverage for Additional Living Expenses

Once in a while, your landlord will need to do massive renovations on the property you are renting, and this means you will have to find somewhere else to live, for the time being, like a hotel. The cost of living in the hotel will likely exceed your typical monthly rent, and you will need to pay for storage space for your personal belongings. Renters’ insurance will take care of these additional living expenses.

Do you need top-class renters insurance in San Francisco, CA? Call Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. today.

Is Commercial Insurance Required in California?

If you own a small business in California, you’ll want to stay informed on any changes in state law regarding insurance requirements. Currently, California mandates that businesses have two types of insurance at all times – workers’ compensation and commercial auto insurance. The first type, workers’ compensation insurance, is required for businesses with any employees and helps pay for the medical bills and lost wages associated with a workplace injury or illness. The second type, commercial auto insurance, is needed for any business-owned vehicle. Additionally, if employees use personal vehicles for work, it is highly recommended that hired and non-owned policies be purchased because most personal auto policies exclude business use. 

While none of the following insurance is required for your business, they are highly recommended as they provide additional coverage should an incident requiring insurance occur. 

  • Cyber Liability Insurance: If your business suffers a cyber-attack, this insurance can be used to cover the cost of notifying impacted customers, regulatory fines, extortion payments, and legal fees.
  • Professional Liability Insurance: Covers the legal costs associated with a breach of contract, negligence, and other similar claims made by a customer.
  • Crime Insurance: If your business is the victim of a theft or robbery, this coverage can help you recover from these losses.
  • Business Income Insurance: Should your business be forced to close, this coverage contributes to paying rent and other bills.
  • Commercial Umbrella Insurance: Provides excess liability coverage beyond your existing policy limits. 

Call Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. in San Francisco, CA for more information on insuring your business. Our friendly and knowledgeable team of insurance professionals are happy to answer all your questions and can help customize a commercial insurance policy that best protects your business. 

 

Do I Need Cyber Liability Insurance For My Business?

Cyber liability insurance protects businesses of all sizes from financial losses incurred by cyber threat actors, including theft, hacking, ransomware, denial of service, and data breaches. Cyber liability insurance is a must if you store sensitive information in the cloud or on a computer, such as social security numbers, health data, or bank account data. While it may be easy to think that small businesses aren’t going to be the target of cyberattacks, criminals seek opportunities. The reality is that the smaller the business, the more vulnerabilities that exist because many companies do not have the money to invest in robust cyber security defense technology. 

With the number of cyberattacks on the rise, having cyber liability insurance can be the difference between surviving or closing your business after an incident. Generally, most cyber liability insurance policies cover the following:

  • Cost of notifying impacted customers
  • Legal fees and expenses
  • Regulatory fines
  • Costs incurred during the recovery of the compromised data
  • Ransom extortion payments. 

In addition to having cyber liability insurance, there are several low-cost steps a business can take to prepare for a cyber attack. Start by having a cyber attack response plan that outlines when customers will be notified and what teams will assist. Additionally, utilize data encryption technology and require robust security training for all employees that discuss their responsibility in preventing an attack. 

To learn more about cyber liability insurance and how it can help your business, give Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. in San Francisco, CA a call to learn more. We’re happy to schedule a no-obligation consultation with a team member to discuss how we can help protect your business from cyberattacks with a robust commercial insurance policy. 

Do I need Commercial Insurance for my Home-based Business?

Are you one of the entrepreneurs pondering a home-based business in San Francisco, CA? You are on the right track because a home-based offers minimal operating costs, flexibility, and freedom of commuting. But have you thought about business insurance from Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc.? Like any business, a home-based business needs commercial insurance for the reasons below:

Homeowners insurance doesn’t protect your home-based business optimally

Most home-based business owners make the mistake of assuming that home insurance covers their business. Unfortunately, typical home insurance excludes business-related risks. For instance, if a customer trips and injures their back when attending a business meeting, home insurance won’t cover the medical costs. Similarly, home insurance won’t cover claims arising from a detached garage business within your home.

To protect your business

Your home-based business may be operating on a small scale, but it has the same kind of risks as its large counterparts. Here are some of the perils covered by commercial insurance for your home-based business:

  • Liability claims: While liability coverage isn’t compulsory in California, every business should invest in this coverage since liability claims are common and costly. Commercial insurance protects your business against claims of bodily injury, property damage, and advertising injury. Plus, it saves you when sued.
  • Assets protection: Commercial insurance protects business assets, such as computers, furniture, and other assets from risks listed in your policy.
  • Workers protection: Whether you are the only worker in your business or have other employees, you must invest in worker’s comp insurance. This coverage protects your employees against work-related injuries and illnesses.

Are you ready to invest in commercial insurance for your San Francisco, CA business? Why don’t you get in touch with Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc.? We offer personalized commercial insurance policies that suit your specific needs.

Do You Need Commercial Insurance for Your California Business?

You have opened your own business and could not be happier but the agents at Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. in San Francisco, CA want to help you protect your business from any adverse events that may occur in the future. You can protect your business by having the correct amount of commercial insurance coverage in place.

Worker’s Compensation

In the state of California, you must have worker’s compensation in place. This type of coverage will pay for the medical bills and lost wages of any employee who is injured on the job.

Commercial Auto Liability Insurance

If your business owns vehicles or personal vehicles are used for business purposes, you should have commercial auto liability insurance in place in case an accident occurs. This will protect you and your business if an auto accident does occur while the vehicle is in use for business purposes.

Liability Insurance

It is important to have a liability insurance policy in place that will protect customers or others that visit your business and could become injured at the physical location of your business or because of an incident that occurs involving your business.

Property Insurance

It is important to have business insurance that covers the building your business is located in and any merchandise and other equipment and items that are part of your business. This will help you if your business sustains damages due to a fire, natural disaster, vandalism, or burglary incident.

Other Commercial Insurance Options

You can also obtain other commercial insurance coverage options including cyber liability that will help you recover costs that are lost due to a breach in the security of your client’s personal information. You can also obtain insurance that will help protect you from slander and other legal issues that can arise involving your business.

To create the best commercial insurance policy for your business, call upon the commercial insurance specialists at Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. in San Francisco, CA today to get your policy started!

All You Need to Know About Renters Insurance

Renters insurance is the type of insurance that is designed to protect tenants that rent properties and their personal belongings. It covers unexpected events, including fire and theft, and injuries to guests and visitors. Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. serving San Francisco, CA and other surrounding towns prepared a brief guide containing the key information about renters insurance that you should know. 

What Are The Types of Renters Insurance?

It is made up of three types of insurance, including the following: 

  • Personal property coverage. It covers personal belongings from destruction or loss. 
  • Additional living expenses coverage. Provide finances for renting another housing if your rented home is damaged and temporarily is not inhabitable.
  • Personal liability coverage. It covers the damages caused to other people and their properties. 

What Is Not Covered By Renters Insurance?

Renters insurance has its own limitations and does not cover everything. For example, it does not cover the following:

  • Expensive and valuable belongings, such as jewelry, artifacts, pieces of art, etc. 
  • Roommates, unless they are named on the policy.
  • Medical bills. It does not cover your personal medical bills, even if you injure yourself at home. 
  • Business inventory and equipment. If you want to run a home business, you should know that neither your business nor inventory and equipment are covered by renters insurance. 
  • Floods. Renters insurance covers accidental water damage but not the damage caused by heavy rain or flooding. If you want to protect your property and belongings from a flood, you should buy a separate flooding insurance policy. 

Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. – An Insurance Brokerage Firm You Can Trust

If you are renting a home, you should definitely have renters insurance – it will protect you and your belongings from the unexpected. Our insurance firm serving clients in San Francisco, CA specializes in all kinds of insurance policies, including renters insurance. If you have any questions, or you want to discuss the options available, feel free to give us a call. 

Does Renters Insurance Cover Pets?

If you live in San Francisco, CA, you have probably come across Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. We are the leading insurance organization in this area, offering different types of insurance policies. One of the products that we have been providing to our customers is the renters’ insurance policy. 

What is Renters Insurance Policy?

Renters insurance is a specific policy that covers liabilities inside your house. It is used to complement the homeowners’ insurance policy, which covers possible perils outside your rented house. What does renters insurance cover?

Personal Properties

The primary role of renters insurance is to help in covering possible uncertainties facing your personal properties. This policy will cover possible uncertainties such as theft, fire, and flooding. However, there is a limit to which your personal properties will be covered. It is always necessary to clarify this with your insurance company on your coverage limit. 

Personal Injury Liabilities

There is no doubt that you will have a huge number of friends that will be visiting your home regularly. Any injury or personal accident suffered by your visitors may turn out to be a significant financial hazard. However, with renters insurance, you will cover everything without major issues. 

Renters Insurance and Pets

It is standard for people to have different types of pets. These domesticated animals face certain uncertainties as well, which means you need to have an insurance policy for the necessary protection. Unfortunately, renters insurance does not cover pets because they are not classified as personal properties.

This does not mean that your pet will remain vulnerable to possible uncertainties. There is always an option for such issues. There are very many insurance companies that are providing pet insurance policies. 

What Next?

Do you live in San Francisco, CA? You don’t have to worry about pet insurance. At Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc., we are ready to give you the best pet insurance policy. Visit our offices today for detailed information on pet insurance.

Does My Auto Policy Cover a Rental Vehicle?

People who have taken up car insurance mostly have policy questions. They turn to their family, friends, or colleagues for clarification. Most of the time, the advice they get is inaccurate, leading to costly mistakes. At Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc., we help San Francisco, CA residents make informed decisions. So, we often provide answers to frequently asked questions.

In this article, we are providing answers to: Does my auto policy cover a rental vehicle?

Yes, your policy covers your rental vehicle if you have a comprehensive and collision cover. You enjoy coverage against damage to the car. The insurance also covers damage to property or injuries to other people. 

However, the rented car must be under your name. You can be the driver or any other individual listed on your policy cover. If an unauthorized person is driving the vehicle and is involved in an accident, your auto policy cover may not apply.

Expenses You Need to Cover From Your Pocket

What if the rental vehicle is stolen? What if it is involved in a collision? These are things that can happen. Thus, continue paying your deductible. If anything happens, the deductible comes in handy, as it would be if you lost your car.

What Are the Exceptions to Your Auto Policy Cover?

Before renting a vehicle, you need to ask yourself, ‘what are exceptions?” For example, the auto policy cover cannot apply if you rent a commercial vehicle. It has to be a private passenger car. Again, the rental duration should not exceed 30 consecutive days. The coverage covers you if you are within the US and Canada.

Do you live in San Francisco, CA, and need to rent a vehicle? The good news is, your comprehensive and collision cover takes care of your rental car. We help our clients make educated decisions. So, If you have any questions or concerns about your auto policy cover, you can conveniently reach us through the Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services Inc. website.