Pet Grooming Insurance
Whether you run a mobile pet grooming service or operate a brick-and-mortar location, your business needs protection against possible lawsuits, employee injuries, theft of company property, and more.
Written by
Christine Lacagnina has written thousands of insurance-based articles for TrustedChoice.com by authoring consumable, understandable content.
Reviewed by
Paul Martin is the Director of Education and Development for Myron Steves, one of the largest, most respected insurance wholesalers in the southern U.S.
If you own a pet grooming business, you provide an invaluable service to passionate pet owners. At the same time, as a business owner, you face risks that can hinder your success or even force you out of business. The right kind of pet grooming insurance can help your business recover from financial losses caused by possible lawsuits, break-ins, fires, and other disasters.
An independent insurance agent can help you get set up with all the pet groomer insurance you need for your business. They can help you find coverage fast. But first, here's an overview of pet groomer insurance and what it covers.
Why Is Pet Grooming Insurance Necessary?
Pet groomers are highly sought-after professionals who help pet owners keep their companions clean and healthy. While you're entrusted with bathing, brushing, nail clipping, and a variety of other services, you face numerous exposures to liability claims.
An injured or lost pet could result in serious damage to your business's reputation, as well as a lawsuit that could possibly put you out of business forever. That's why having monthly pet grooming insurance, or a specialized form of business insurance, is critical.
If you've been wondering, "Does pet insurance cover grooming?" the answer is no. That makes it even more important for owners of pet grooming businesses to have the proper coverage.
Customers who bring their animals to your business for care may understandably be concerned that your establishment is properly insured in case of any incidents. If you fail to secure the right coverage, prospective customers may refuse to work with your business.
Why Pet Groomers Need Commercial Liability Insurance
Pet groomers must address the liability risks associated with the general public and unpredictable pets visiting their premises. Commercial general liability insurance provides broad liability protection for third-party bodily injury and property damage claims against your business. It can pay for your business's legal defense, third-party medical bills, settlements, and attorney and court expenses. This insurance also often includes coverage for claims of advertising liability, libel, and slander.
Many types of possible customer and pet injury claims can be covered by commercial general liability coverage. Without this critical insurance, your pet grooming business might not be able to recover after just one lawsuit. An independent insurance agent can further explain the need for pet groomers liability insurance.
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What Else Does Pet Grooming Insurance Cover?
A pet grooming insurance policy is likely to include several other types of protection as well. Look into the following types of coverage to protect your pet grooming business:
- Professional liability insurance: This can reimburse your business for expenses related to third-party claims of improperly executed work, such as botched grooming services.
- Workers' compensation insurance: This can cover medical expenses, lost wages, and more related to incidents of employee injury or illness due to the business in some way.
- Business property insurance: This can reimburse your business for lost, damaged, destroyed, or stolen business equipment, inventory, and other property like buildings after incidents of fire, vandalism, etc.
- Commercial umbrella insurance: This can extend your business's existing liability coverage limits to $1 million or greater, which can be greatly beneficial in the event of a hefty lawsuit.
- Business interruption insurance: This can reimburse your business for lost revenue, employee salaries, and other expenses during temporary closures caused by covered perils like fire damage, power outages, and more.
- Cyber liability insurance: This can reimburse your business for expenses related to incidents of cyber-attacks or data breaches.
- Product liability insurance: This can reimburse your business after third-party claims of some type of harm caused by the products you sell.
- Animal bailee coverage: This can pay for resulting veterinary costs if an animal gets injured or ill while in your grooming business's care, as well as possible lawsuit costs in some cases.
An independent insurance agent can help you complete your pet grooming business insurance policy with all the appropriate forms of coverage for your unique operations.
Special Insurance Considerations for Mobile Pet Groomers
Mobile pet grooming services are becoming increasingly popular and are unique businesses with a special set of risks that are different from groomers with storefronts. As such, mobile pet grooming insurance can include different kinds of coverage from other pet groomer policies, such as:
- Commercial auto insurance: This protects your mobile grooming vehicles in the event of accidents and other collisions, theft, vandalism, and weather events (e.g., hail, windstorms, etc.). It can pay for repairs to your company vehicles as well as medical bills, legal fees, and settlements your business must pay in the case of a lawsuit.
- Inland marine insurance: This protects your business's grooming equipment and other business property inside your company vehicles. Any tools, etc., necessary for your mobile pet grooming studio may be expensive to repair or replace without this coverage.
Mobile pet grooming businesses can be susceptible to break-ins, accidents, vandalism, theft, weather events, and more. That's why mobile pet groomers need special types of insurance coverage to protect their grooming vehicles and equipment, as well as the other types of business insurance necessary for all pet groomers.
How Much Does Pet Grooming Insurance Cost?
In general, pet grooming insurance costs can vary depending on the size of your business, the number of employees you have, the amount and value of your commercial property, the location of your business, and a variety of other variables. Mobile pet groomers have different insurance needs and costs than groomers who operate from a brick-and-mortar location, so the cost of their coverage may be higher. An independent insurance agent can guide you through your pet groomer insurance options to help your business get coverage that meets its needs and budget.
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The Benefits of Working with an Independent Insurance Agent
Independent insurance agents greatly help simplify the process of finding the best pet grooming insurance near you. They can shop and compare policies from a number of different carriers that offer pet groomer insurance. Ultimately, they'll present you with only the options that offer the best overall blend of coverage and cost. And down the road, your agent will be there to help you file business insurance claims or update your coverage as necessary.