Any business or service provider in Santa Maria, CA should take out professional liability insurance.
It will protect you in case a customer claims that you failed in some way to deliver the proper, promised and appropriate service.
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Depending on your kind of service in Santa Maria, CA, the name of the policy can vary. In most cases, it is called professional liability insurance.
If you are providing advice or consultations in California – in other words, you are not delivering some physical service like the ones taking professional liability cover – the usual title for the required insurance is Errors & Omissions (also known as E&O insurance).
A further specific name is used when you are providing any kind of personal or health-related service in California. In this case, the insurance is known as malpractice insurance.
Throughout this article, we will refer to these three different types of insurance as professional liability. To get a better idea of what is the relevant cover for your business in Santa Maria, CA, we have listed in the FAQ below many of the kinds of companies that use one or another of these terms.
What amount of protection should your business in Santa Maria, CA insure for, and what should it cost?
Many of the specific features of your own business in Santa Maria, CA will determine the recommended levels and the premiums that you are charged.
These include the nature of the services being provided, the degree of specialization and training that you and any staff have, the location in California of your premises, the number of years you’ve been in this specific business, and whether you employ other workers.
Usually, insurance companies in Santa Maria, CA share information about the numbers, values and kinds of claims across California, and also pool information about individual claims history.
This can be a significant influence on what you will be charged for professional liability insurance in Santa Maria, CA. It may even be a reason why one company offers different covers. It would help if you always got advice from professional insurance people, like brokers and agents in Santa Maria, CA.
As well, a search on the internet will give you good information about the broader picture in California.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a U.S. government agency that is mandated to protect the interests of all customers of financial institutions such as insurance companies, insurers in most states, including California, can share information about policies and claims.
Two other main factors will affect how much you’ll pay for professional liability insurance in Santa Maria, CA. The main one is the coverage limits of your policy.
The limits are set as, firstly, the maximum amount of any individual claim and, secondly, the total amount allowed for all claims in the period of cover (the term is ‘aggregate claim’).
Higher limits will mean you have to pay higher premiums. The limits should be set according to your estimates of the “worst-case” claim for a single incidence.
You can make the policies more affordable by agreeing to some deductibles from each claim. Insurers in California prefer not to be hassled with small claims, which can cost them more to process, in time and effort, than the actual claim. By accepting a decent level of deductibles, you will be able to get the best premiums.
Generally, premiums in Santa Maria, CA are higher in businesses that involve more risk. In the case of malpractice cover, the premium is usually calculated on a “per-insured” basis, which means you pay a premium for yourself and any other employee that is delivering services.
While it’s not possible for us to give exact costs, here are some general guidelines of annual premiums that have been used for other small businesses in Santa Maria, CA.
High-risk business in Santa Maria, CA
Insurance limits | Price Range |
$5 million aggregate $1 million single incident |
$755 – $1245 |
$10 million aggregate $2 million single incident |
$1375 – $1730 |
Standard-risk business in Santa Maria, CA
Insurance limits | Price Range |
$2 million aggregate $1 million single incident |
$810 – $1145 |
$4 million aggregate $2 million single incident |
$1425 – $1785 |
Low-risk business in Santa Maria, CA
Insurance limits | Price Range |
$1 million aggregate $250,000 single incident |
$670 – $960 |
$500,000 aggregate $100,000 single incident |
$390 – $625 |
Why does a business in Santa Maria, CA need professional insurance?
The laws in California make it clear that you may be liable for any loss that a customer claims was the result of failure in delivery of your services, business operations or employees that may be attributed to negligence, improper instructions, advice or promises.
Customers in Santa Maria, CA are increasingly likely to go to court if they have any feeling that what you did professionally was not what they were promised, or even what they thought you were promising.
It would be best if you accepted the possibility of a dissatisfied customer suing for damages that arise from your services. It can then come down to which party the California court believes, and without insurance, the total result of the court case rests on your shoulders – judgment and legal costs.
One of the main benefits of having proper professional liability insurance is that defending the claim is the insurance company’s duty. Instead of you having to find and pay for legal defense, the insurance company is obliged to defend.
Insurance companies in California have a lot of experience in handling all kinds of professional indemnity claims. Having the right cover means you can go to sleep at night without worrying that tomorrow you wake up and have to defend yourself against a claim.
What other insurance covers do small businesses in Santa Maria, CA need?
Insurance requirements in Santa Maria is a combination of many policies that cover all the different risks that an operating business can face. As well as professional liability, which is our topic in this article, there are several other areas which need special protection. Read more about the right approach that business managers should take in Business insurance in Santa Maria, CA.
General liability insurance in Santa Maria, CA provides cover in cases where you are sued by a third party claiming that some injuries or property damage occurred to them due to your business activity. This can come from passers-by, visitors or customers in case of accidents either on your premises, or if you were working in their home or office. It is commonly referred to as “trips and falls” insurance.
Commercial Auto Insurance in Santa Maria, CA is important if you use cars, vans or trucks in your business activity. Especially if the auto is not owned by the business (like your personal car or a leased or rented vehicle), without insurance, any collision could lead to a claim against you for damages, medical payments and all the other consequences. As well, theft, storm damage and other natural events can wipe out the value of the vehicle.
Commercial Property Insurance in Santa Maria, CA covers your investment or responsibility in physical buildings and property against fire, storm damage, earthquakes and other such natural occurrences, and also against vandalism.
FAQ
Examples of the main kinds of businesses in Santa Maria, CA that are covered by professional liability policies are:
- Carpenters
- Concrete Contractors
- Electricians
- Fencing Installers
- Field Service Technicians
- Freelancers
- General Contractors
- Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- Glaziers
- Handymen
- Locksmiths
- Painters
- Plumbers
- Roofing contractors
- Solar panel contractor
Some of the kinds of service provider businesses in Santa Maria, CA that take out Errors & Omissions (E&O) policies are:
- Amazon FBA sellers
- Bookstores
- Car Washing and Auto Detailing
- Dance Instructors
- DJs
- Dog walkers
- Pet sitters
- Drama teachers
- E-Commerce vendors
- Errand services
- Event Planners
- Fabric Stores
- Groundskeepers and Landscapers
- Home Staging
- Music Venues
- Nightclub & entertainment venues
- Party Equipment Rentals
- Perfume Stores
- Photographers
- Retail Stores
- Social Media consultants
- Software Developers
- Swimming teachers
- Skate Shops
- Tennis Coaches
- Water Taxis
- Truck Driving Schools
Service providers who take out malpractice insurance in Santa Maria, CA include:
- Body Sugaring
- Doulas
- Estheticians
- Health coaches
- Hospices
- Permanent makeup
- Psychics
- Tattoo Parlors
- Teeth Whitening services
- Yoga teachers
What does Professional Liability Insurance in California cover?
A full professional liability insurance policy will cover the following possible claims against the definitions of liability in Santa Maria, CA:
- negligent in the delivery of your services or made claims or promises that you did not deliver. The policy will cover your liability up to the limits for which you paid premiums.
- The costs of all legal defense bills in the event that a claim is defended. The legal cover has to be provided regardless of whether or not you were at fault It includes both the claimant’s costs if the court awards them against you and the insurer’s own legal defense costs.
- Damages claimed can include misrepresentation, promised but undelivered services, negligence, violation of good faith, mistakes and work oversights.
Remember, even if the claims made or damages awarded are not substantial, the legal fees resulting from a defense in court in Santa Maria, CA can be huge. This can even be the case when the claim turns out not to be valid.
A few examples in Santa Maria, CA of occurrences in which your business could be sued for inadequate professional service:
- A customer discussed a style of decoration for a new bathroom with the Santa Maria glazier, but left the choice of tiles up to him.
Once the glazier finished to job, the customer was unhappy with some combination of colors and decided to claim misrepresentation.
Although, in the end, a court decided in favor of the glazier, it chose to instruct each party to pay its own legal bills.
Without insurance, the glazier ended up paying more to the lawyers than the whole job earned him. - An employee in a dog walking business in Santa Maria wasn’t strong enough to manage when walking a large dog.
The dog managed to pull away, ran across the street and was run over by a van.
The owner sued for all the veterinary services and because the pedigree dog was no longer able to breed, for loss of income, emotional damage, and a whole bundle of other claims.
In this case, the court decided that the owner of the dog walking business was fully responsible because they should have been aware of the limitations of her employee and the character of the dog.
The whole claim amounted to several thousands of dollars, with much more also coming from the legal bills for both parties.
A happy outcome was that the business owner had taken out proper E&O insurance for herself and all employees.
Other than the agreed deductible, the incident cost her nothing.
How to find the right small professional liability business insurance in Santa Maria, CA
There is a lot of information and guidance that you can get when you start. Insurance for small and single-owner businesses in California is becoming more competitive, so it’s advantageous for you to get details from every player in the market to help you make the best possible choice.
As part of the process, check in the guide issued by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) that the insurance company in California complies with the regulations.
Another good way to find a qualified agent in Santa Maria, CA is to use google maps – type in a search phrase like “insurance agent in Santa Maria, CA“.
The difference between agents or brokers and insurance company representatives is that an agent or broker can sell policies on behalf of several insurance companies, but representatives in Santa Maria, CA are only selling policies from the company they are working for.
One good way to quickly find a listing of all the insurance companies, agents, brokers near you in Santa Maria, CA is consulting the Yellow Pages
Why is professional liability insurance essential in Santa Maria, CA
Any and all businesses operating in California have accepted the state’s laws concerning liability. These laws define your responsibility towards the general public in case some customer does not get appropriate, fair and proper service in the course of business operation.
Suppose a customer makes a claim that you failed either to deliver the right service, or you promised something and failed to deliver, or you gave improper advice. In that case, a court can decide that you were at fault and award damages and costs against you.
One important point to remember. Professional liability insurance is not involved in any way in disputes about money. Suppose a customer claims that they were overcharged or disputes the bill in any other way. In that case, this isn’t a matter that is covered by your policy.
Can you find out what information has been collected and shared amongst insurance companies in California?
Maybe you feel that you are not being charged the right premiums, or even you are being turned down when applying for insurance in Santa Maria, CA. Insurers do collect information about insurance claims you have made on your insurance policies, including professional liability.
They can use the information in these reports to choose what types of policies they will offer you and the premiums you will be required to pay.
You can get free copies of the reports they use once each year for free. There are other speciality reporting agencies in Santa Maria, CA, but they may charge for your report.