As the owner of a startup or growing home appliance repair business, you know that your job requires more than technical skills. Especially if you are self-employed, you may be the only one responsible for being able to troubleshoot problems on increasingly intricate home appliances and explaining complicated mechanical processes to your clients, who often have little to no technical knowledge. Additionally, as a business owner, you're responsible for behind-the-scenes operations, like accurate bookkeeping—parts used, hours worked, bills collected - and choosing an effective business insurance plan.Like your clients, most insurance providers don't understand the day-to-day business operations of a home appliance repair technician - so how could they possibly advise your business insurance choices? Lucky for you, insureon works with agents who specialize in the insurance needs of those in the appliance repair industry, and we've rounded up a list of the most important insurance coverages for home appliance repair technicians…

At insureon, understand that your appliance repair business might be different from your competitors' and require different kinds or amounts of coverage. That's why each one of these policies is adjustable, so you end up with a business protection plan that suits your business and no one else's.Standard General Liability Insurance policies protect your home appliance repair business from third-party claims that allege you (or one of your employees) caused someone property damage or bodily harm. So for example, if you're working on a client's stove and accidently damage her hardwood floors in the process, your General Liability Insurance would kick in to cover legal expense if she sued for damages: judgments, settlements, and your legal defense.The great thing about General Liability coverage is that it protects you whether the incident happens in your repair shop or elsewhere, which is particularly beneficial to home appliance repair technicians who travel to the homes of clients to work on larger items.

Most other professions need a separate Professional Liability policy to protect them in the event that a professional error or oversight ends up costing someone money. Isis Digital CameraBut home repair technicians may be able to lump that coverage in with their General Liability policy. Backless Strapless Wedding DressAsk an insureon agent for more details.Alternate Day Fasting Weight Loss BlogLastly, you may want to add Bailee Insurance to your General Liability plan. While you are temporarily in custody of another's property, a small appliance that needs repair, for example, Bailee Insurance protects that property and will pay for damages in the event that it should be lost or broken while in your care.Without your tools, equipment, and replacement parts inventory, it's unlikely that you would be able to repair much of anything.

That's why it's so important for home appliance repair technicians to carry a solid Property Insurance policy.Property Insurance protects your physical assets - items described above and your workspace, its fixtures, and its furnishings - by helping you replace or repair them in the event of a fire, theft, or wind storm. If, for example, an overburdened electrical outlet sparked a fire in your workspace, your Property Insurance would kick in to cover the damages.Some home appliance repairers rent their workspace or work from home. This doesn't mean you don't need a Property Insurance policy. Often, your lease agreement pushes the Property Insurance burden to you, and Home Owner's Policies often exclude coverage for business-related items. In this case, you'll at least need a basic Property Insurance policy.As a home appliance repair technician, your startup or small business might be classified as "low-risk" by insurers. What does this mean for you? It might mean that you are eligible to apply for the Business Owner's Policy, or a BOP.

A BOP combines your General Liability Insurance with your Property Insurance to offer you a bundled insurance package for one cheaper monthly premium.This means that you'll get the coverage of both General Liability and Property Insurance policy at a lower-than-average rate - definitely something worth considering. mercial Auto Insurance is a valuable policy for Home Appliance Repair Technicians because of how often your work requires you to travel. mercial Auto Insurance protects those vehicles - any vehicle your business owns - by helping you pay for their repair or replacement in the event of an auto accident or other kind of damaging collision. If you have employees who use their personal vehicles for work-related travel, your Commercial Auto Insurance can also help pay for what their personal policies don't cover under a Hired and Non-Owned Insurance provision.It's important for home appliance repair technicians to realize that while their business vehicle may be protected, the tools and parts contained inside might not be.

For that, you'll need Inland Marine Insurance.As a household appliance repair technician, you need Inland Marine Insurance to protect any tools, equipment, or replacement parts that you transport to a worksite. Most Commercial Auto and Property Insurance policies exclude coverage for items in transit, so this policy may be quite beneficial to your repair business.In the event of an accident or theft while on a work-related errand, Inland Marine Insurance helps you repair or replace damaged or stolen property. It may also cover damage done to the trailer you used to haul the item.Workers' Compensation Insurance helps appliance repair technicians pay for the medical expenses of employees who were injured on the job or suffered a work-related illness. As a home appliance repair technician, you may find yourself working near exposed electric or gas lines, but as long as you follow standard safety protocol, you know your work is generally not dangerous. Because of this, you might think you can save on some of the costs of a business insurance plan by leaving off this policy.

That might work for your business, but here are a couple things to consider.First, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, about one-third of all home appliance repair technicians were self-employed, and many of them were the sole proprietors of their businesses. If you are hurt on the job and cannot work, who is going to run the business? Workers' Compensation Insurance protects business owners too, offering them compensation for medical bills and lost wages.Second, Workers' Compensation Insurance is regulated by the state, and you might live in an area that requires business owners to carry Workers' Compensation for all employees - even if you are the only one. Uncertain about the Workers' Compensation laws in your state? Contact an insureon agent for more information.An Umbrella Insurance policy is one of the easiest ways to give your home appliance repair business even more protection that your primary business insurance plan can provide. This type of coverage can extend the coverage limits of many of your primary policies - including General Liability - all at once.