General Liability
Covers third-party bodily injury, property damage, and the legal defense costs that follow — the policy your landlord and your customers will ask to see.
Who needs it
Nearly every business that has a lease, a customer on the premises, or a contract with a larger company. Commercial leases in Manhattan routinely require a $1M / $2M limit with the landlord named as an additional insured.
What it covers
In practice, not in policy language.
- Bodily injury to a third party
- A customer slips on a wet showroom floor and needs treatment. The policy responds to their medical bills and to any claim that follows.
- Damage to property you do not own
- Your installer cracks a client's storefront glass. Repair costs are handled under the policy rather than out of your operating account.
- Legal defense costs
- Defense is paid even when a claim is groundless. For most small businesses this is the single most valuable part of the policy.
- Products and completed operations
- Claims arising from goods you sold or work you finished, which is what wholesale and contracting clients are usually asked to prove.
- Personal and advertising injury
- Allegations such as libel, slander, or use of another company's advertising idea.
- Additional insured endorsements
- We issue certificates and additional-insured endorsements for landlords, general contractors, and customers — usually same day.
Not covered here
Where this policy stops
Knowing the edge of a policy matters as much as knowing what is inside it.
- Injuries to your own employees — that is Workers' Compensation
- Damage to your own building, stock, or equipment — that is Commercial Property
- Professional advice or service errors — that needs Professional Liability (E&O)
- Auto accidents involving business vehicles — that needs Commercial Auto
- Data breach and cyber extortion — that needs a Cyber policy
Before you ask for a quote
What underwriters will want
Having these ready shortens a quote from days to hours. Partial information is fine to start — we will tell you what is still missing.
- 01Legal entity name, DBA, and federal EIN
- 02Description of operations and the split of your revenue between them
- 03Annual gross sales and payroll, projected for the coming year
- 04Square footage of each location and a copy of the lease insurance clause
- 05Loss runs for the last 3–5 years if you have had prior coverage
- 06Subcontractor spend and whether you collect certificates from them
Questions we get
Asked most often about general liability.
My lease says $1M / $2M. What does that mean?
$1M is the most the policy pays for any single occurrence; $2M is the total for the policy year. It is the most commonly required limit on New York commercial leases, and it is what we quote unless a contract asks for more.
A customer wants a certificate of insurance today. How fast can you issue one?
Certificates for an active policy are typically issued the same business day. Additional-insured endorsements that change the policy take slightly longer because the carrier has to issue them.
Can I raise my limits later if a contract requires it?
Yes. Limits can usually be increased mid-term, or an umbrella policy can be layered on top to reach $5M or more without rewriting the underlying policy.
Get general liability quoted.
Call 212-239-6388 during office hours, or send the details through the quote form and a producer will follow up the same business day.
Other coverage