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General Liability Insurance

Ready to quote? Find your wholesaler to get General Liability Insurance for your client today.

What is General Liability Insurance?

General Liability Insurance (GL), also known as commercial general liability, protects the insured from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs, and property damage. General Liability Insurance also protects against claims of personal and advertising injury such as libel and slander.

What does Hiscox General Liability Insurance cover?

Hiscox General Liability Insurance includes coverage for:

  • Third-party bodily injury

  • Third-party property damage

  • Third-party medical expenses

  • Personal and advertising injury

  • Damage to premises rented

  • Actions of your client’s full-time employees and temporary staff

  • Damages up to the policy limit

  • Defense costs in addition to the policy limit

  • Supplemental payments

Who needs General Liability Insurance?

Businesses should consider purchasing General Liability Insurance coverage if they:

Interact with customers face-to-face

Have access to customers' property

Use advertising to market their company

Use third-party locations for any business-related activities

Enter into contracts that require General Liability Insurance

Customers and vendors are increasingly requesting that the companies they do business with carry General Liability Insurance coverage. Having the right coverage in place can help your client win business and demonstrate that they’re ready to work.

Fast facts about Hiscox General Liability Insurance

  • Admitted

  • $5m revenue limit

  • $5m payroll limit

  • Start-up friendly

  • $350.00 minimum annual premium

  • No deductible

  • Available in 49 states across the US (excluding Alaska)

  • Policy documents will be sent to both you and your client

  • Automatic renewals after 12 months

What is the Hiscox appetite for General Liability Insurance?

We offer General Liability Insurance for hundreds of professions. Some of the most popular include:

  • Allied health
  • Architects and engineers
  • Creative
  • Consultants
  • Financial services
  • Small contractors
  • Landscape and janitorial
  • Marketing/PR
  • Technology

Your client could be covered in situations like these

Bodily injury

A customer falls over the insured’s bag and they are legally liable for the injury. We would cover the subsequent claim and related medical expenses up to the limits of liability.

Property damage

The insured spills coffee on a customer’s carpet during a business meeting, causing damage and ruining the flooring. We would cover the subsequent claim up to their limits of liability.

Personal injury

While on a job site for home renovation, an insured’s employees are discussing their customer, the homeowner, in a false and unflattering way. The customer learns of this discussion and sues for slander. We would cover the subsequent claim, up to the limits of liability, and pay for an attorney to defend them in the lawsuit.

Optional coverage upgrades

Blanket Additional Insured

Provides vicarious liability coverage to certain parties the named insured is required to cover by contract.

Primary and Non-Contributory (PNC)

If part of a contractual agreement, this makes Hiscox’s policy the primary coverage, meaning we will pay before any other insurance that is available and we will not seek contribution from other insurers.

Waiver of Subrogation (WoS)

Waives Hiscox's right to legally pursue a negligent third party that causes a loss. It is sometimes required by your client as part of a contractual agreement.

Hired and Non-Owned Auto (HNOA)

This upgrade adds bodily injury and property damage liability arising out of vehicles you lease or hire for your business, as well liability arising from your employee’s personal vehicles when used for business purposes.

Business Property and Equipment

Covers loss or damage to the insured’s business personal property such as computers, printers, and furniture. It also includes limited coverage for property away from the insured’s premises.

Terrorism

Covers losses arising out of certified acts of terrorism as defined by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act.

What does General Liability Insurance not cover?

Intent to injure

We won’t cover any act that occurs with the intent to injure. This includes personal and advertising injuries if the insured knew their actions were false or violated the rights of others.

Injury or damage outside the policy period

We won’t cover claims where the bodily injury, property damage, or offense causing personal and advertising injury does not occur during the policy period.

Known claims and circumstances

We won’t cover any claim or circumstance that could result in a claim the insured knew about prior to the start of their first Hiscox policy.

Personally identifiable information

We won’t cover the failure to protect any personally identifiable information that is in the insured’s care.

Professional services

We won’t cover claims resulting from the performance of any professional services. These types of risks may be covered as part of our Professional Liability Policy.

Vehicles and boats

We won’t cover any claims arising out of the ownership or use of an automobile or a watercraft.

Workers’ compensation

We won’t cover any obligation the insured may have under a workers’ compensation claim or similar law.

The insured’s own business property

We won’t cover claims for damage to property the insured owns or has in their care. However, protection for business equipment can be purchased as part of our Business Owner’s Policy or with the Business Property and Equipment add-on.

The cost of General Liability Insurance

The cost of Hiscox General Liability Insurance varies based on the size of your client’s business, the industry they are in, their location, and the amount of coverage needed. 

For the exact premium for a specific client, get a quote.

Related products

General Liability Insurance can be packaged with:

Professional Liability Insurance (E&O)

Cyber Security Insurance

Why Hiscox?

You have choices when it comes to quoting General Liability Insurance for your clients. Here’s why you should choose Hiscox.

  • Business insurance experts

    We only sell business insurance and we customize coverage for the risks your clients face.

  • Write more business, faster

    With Hiscox NOW, quote and bind online in minutes, for same-day coverage. We handle all the servicing and billing, and policies auto-renew, so you collect the commission for the life of the policy.

  • Award-winning claims team

    Our award-winning in-house claims team will walk your client through the claims process, and our A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best shows we stand behind our policies.

Ready to write General Liability Insurance?

Find your wholesaler to quote and bind a policy for your client today.

General Liability Insurance FAQs

The use of this portal to obtain a premium operation does not alter or change your relationship with Hiscox or your customer. At all times you remain broker for the applicant and not an agent of Hiscox.

Our companies in the US include Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. (NAIC# 10200), and its general agent, Hiscox Inc. Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. is a Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed to do business in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best with a group financial size category (FSC) of XV ($2 Billion or greater), proving we have strong capital reserves.

Hiscox Inc., a DE corporation that does business in California as Hiscox Insurance Agency, is an approved Lloyd’s cover holder and underwrites surplus lines business on behalf of Lloyd’s Syndicates 33 and 3624. Syndicate 33 is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. Lloyd's syndicates are restricted in doing business in the USA and its territories as they are not US-based insurers. The business we write on behalf of Lloyd's Syndicates 33 and 3624 in the US is placed by licensed surplus lines insurance brokers.