Some source estimates that there are more than 10,500 pressure washers employed in the US. If you own a pressure or power washing business, you and your employees work with the big guns, including all kinds of water blasters and hydro cleaners. You also use solvents, mixtures, liquids, and strong chemicals on your projects. The work you do puts you, the people who work for you, your clients, and their properties at risk.
The best way to protect your power and pressure washing business is to get business insurance coverage. It can protect against things like accidents, property damage, lawsuits, and more.
In this article, we’ll reveal the 5 best insurers for pressure and power washing businesses and explain the coverages they typically get, along with everything else you need to know to adequately protect the livelihood you’ve worked so hard to build.
- 5 best pressure washing insurance companies
- Does my business need pressure washing insurance?
- What types of insurance do pressure washing businesses need?
- How much does pressure washing business insurance cost?
- How to find the cheap business insurance for pressure washing businesses
5 best pressure washing insurance companies
- CoverWallet: Best for businesses that want to compare quotes quickly
- Next: Best online business insurance buying experience
- Thimble: Great for fast startup power washing business insurance
- Hiscox: Best for pressure washing companies with unique insurance needs
- biBerk: Best for low-cost pressure washing business coverage
CoverWallet: Best for businesses that want to compare quotes quickly
CoverWallet is a cutting-edge insurance provider. The firm has developed its own state-of-the-art platform, based on its own algorithms, to ensure it is able to connect small companies with all the business insurance they need, at the most reasonable price. The platform makes it quick and easy to get quotes from several providers at once, making it possible to compare prices and coverages from highly reputable insurers all on a single screen.
The firm’s experts have used their extensive experience to make sure you only have to input the information needed to generate quick and accurate quotes. The entire process should take ten minutes or less.
You can feel confident knowing that CoverWallet is a part of Aon, an established company that provides advice to businesses on things like risk, health, and retirement.
Once you get your quote, CoverWallet makes it easy to purchase business insurance online or through an agent. When you get your policy through CoverWallet, it’s simple to manage your coverage online, including downloading a certificate of insurance, filing a claim, renewing your insurance, and more.
Next: Best online business insurance buying experience
Next is changing how companies purchase pressure washing business insurance.
Their operation is focused on delivering the ultimate online insurance experience. Because of this, you’re able to purchase a policy, file a claim, or get a certificate of insurance any place, any time, 365 days a year. Even though Next is an online insurer, you can get expert help over the phone when you need it. The firm is also known for being able to make most claims decisions within 48 hours.
Even though Next is a relatively new and innovative company, you can rest assured knowing it has an excellent rating from A.M. Best, an insurance company rating agency. All the company’s policies are backed by MunichRe, an established insurance company and reinsurer. More than 10,000 business owners have turned to Next for their insurance needs. The firm has earned a solid 4.7 customer rating.
Here is a sample general liability quote from Next.
Thimble: Great for fast startup power washing business insurance
Thimble calls itself quick thinking insurance for fast moving businesses. That certainly applies to many power washing operations. The firm prides itself on being able to get business coverage fast. Thimble may be a relatively new company, but it’s an A rated insurer that’s earned a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot.
Thimble is able to provide insurance per project for startups and scale coverage as businesses grow.You can modify, pause or cancel coverage anytime with no hidden fees. This could be a good feature for seasonal pressure washing businesses.
Here is a sample general liability quote from Thinble.
Hiscox: Best for pressure washing companies with unique insurance needs
Hiscox offers specialized insurance coverage for pressure and power washing businesses.
You can buy business insurance from Hiscox online or through a company representative over the phone. A rep can also help you customize your coverage to meet your unique business needs and the risks it faces.
If you choose Hiscox for your business coverage, you can rest assured knowing you’re entrusting your company to a firm that’s been in operation for 120 years. It exclusively offers insurance for small businesses and more than 400,000 smaller companies trust Hiscox for their insurance needs.
Hiscox is known for tailoring unique insurance solutions to the individual requirements of small businesses. The company offers top tier service, provides fast quotes, instant coverage, and quick claims processing.
It was not possible to get a quote from Hiscox because they do not seem to offer the coverage.
biBerk: Best for low-cost pressure washing business coverage
biBerk is a low-cost business insurance provider. Despite saving money on your pressure washing business insurance, you can rest assured knowing you’re still getting quality protection for your business. biBERK is able to lower insurance costs by almost 20 percent because it insures small businesses directly, without the added costs of having to work through a middleman or insurance broker.
You can feel confident knowing biBerk is a part of Berkshire Hathaway, a company headed by well-known investor Warren Buffett. It’s a firm that has millions of satisfied customers that’s been insuring people and businesses for more than 75 years.
Here is a sample general liability quote from biBerk.
Does my business need pressure washing insurance?
Pressure washing businesses almost always need to carry certain types of business coverage because of the risk of injury faced by you and your business and the potential for property damage. You may need insurance to:
- Begin work on a project. Clients and your state government will likely require you to have proof of adequate insurance, usually general liability and workers’ compensation.
- Hire employees. Most states require you to get workers’ compensation when you bring on new workers.
- Drive for business purposes. Vehicles driven for business reasons typically need commercial auto insurance coverage. Personal auto insurance won’t cover injuries or damage resulting from auto accidents while driving for business.
A business insurer specializing in pressure washing businesses or an agent can explain what coverages you need for your business.
What types of insurance pressure washing businesses need?
Pressure washing business insurance can protect your business from accidents, injuries, legal fees and settlements, damaged vehicles, harm to property, and more. Insurance coverages typically purchased by businesses like yours include:
- General liability
- Contractors’ errors and omissions
- Commercial vehicle
- Workers’ compensation
- Tools and equipment
- Commercial property.
Here’s an overview of each of these types of insurance and what they cover.
General liability insurance for pressure washing businesses
According to business insurance industry sources, more than nine out of ten pressure washing businesses purchase general liability coverage. It covers a wide range of pressure washing related accidents and fundamental business risks. You’ll have protection if someone other than an employee gets hurt at your work location, or you’re held responsible for damaging client property, which can easily happen when you’re cleaning in and around a building. In most cases, clients will require you to have this coverage before they allow you to work for them.
General liability insurance can help you pay for:
- Medical payments if a customer or other non-employee is ever injured while on your business property
- Property damage if you damage client or other non-business property while doing pressure washing work
- Legal fees and judgments if you’re ever sued for business related reasons.
Learn more at the best general liability insurance companies and the cheapest general liability insurance companies.
Contractors’ errors and omissions (E&O) insurance for pressure washing businesses
According to industry sources, almost four out of five pressure washing business owners purchase E&O coverage. Errors and omissions insurance, often referred to as professional liability insurance, helps you defend yourself, legally and otherwise, if you’re accused of making a mistake that has a negative impact on a client. For example, if you are accused of causing water damage to a client’s home, it could help cover related expenses to defend yourself if you’re sued or have to redo the job.
Pressure washer E&O can help you pay for:
- Professional negligence if a client believes you made an error on the job, whether you did or not
- Legal defense costs if you’re sued over a work related incident
- Legal judgments if you’re found guilty of making an on-the-job mistake and are forced to pay settlement costs.
Learn more at the best E&O insurance companies for small businesses.
Commercial vehicle insurance for pressure washing businesses
Most pressure washing businesses get this coverage because the owners and employees drive company owned or personal vehicles for business reasons. Most states require commercial auto insurance for business owned and driven vehicles to help pay for medical expenses and property damage related to vehicle accidents. Personal auto insurance usually won’t provide coverage if you get into an accident while driving for work related reasons.
Commercial auto insurance can help you pay for:
- Medical expenses if you or an employee injures someone in a vehicle accident while driving for business reasons
- Collision repairs for someone else’s vehicle if you or an employee is found to be at fault in an accident. With the right coverage, your car or truck repairs can be covered, as well.
- Rental reimbursement pays if you need to rent a vehicle while one covered by insurance is in the shop for repairs.
Learn more at the best commercial auto insurance companies and the cheapest commercial auto insurance companies.
Workers’ compensation insurance for pressure washing businesses
Pressure washing businesses with employees (and most have them) are required by law to get this coverage.
Workers’ compensation insurance can help pay for employee medical care, lost wages, disability, and more after a workplace injury. Injuries to employees are relatively common for pressure washing businesses because of the hazards associated with the work.
Workers’ comp coverage can help pay for:
- Medical expenses if an employee is injured or becomes ill because of work related reasons
- Lost wages if an employee is unable to work due to an on-the-job injury or illness
- Job retraining if a worker is unable to return to their previous job because of an injury that happens at work.
Learn more at the best workers comp insurance companies and the cheapest workers comp insurance companies.
Tools and equipment coverage for pressure washing businesses
Pressure and power washing operations depend on their equipment to get the job done. Tools and equipment coverage ensures your pressure washing and other gear is protected wherever you keep it — in a vehicle or trailer or at a job site. If you regularly take expensive gear to job locations, tools and equipment insurance offers protection against damage or theft.
Tools and equipment insurance can help you pay for damage to or theft of:
- Equipment owned by you
- Employee tools and clothing
- Borrowed equipment.
Commercial property insurance for pressure washing businesses
If your pressure or power washing business owns or rents a space, it’s likely you will need this coverage. If you took out a loan to purchase it, your loan provider will require it, as will a landlord if you rent space. Commercial property insurance covers damage to your business location. It also covers your pressure washing equipment and inventory if it’s stolen or damaged by something covered by your insurance when it’s stored at your business location.
Commercial property protection can help you pay for:
- Damaged or stolen equipment and inventory when they’re located on your business property
- Damage to your business location from fire or a covered weather event, such as an ice or wind storm
- Lost income if you’re ever unable to conduct business because of a reason covered by your insurance.
Learn more at the best commercial property insurance companies.
How much does pressure washing insurance cost?
Business insurance costs for power washing businesses vary based on the risks that different companies face. This includes things like:
- The types of projects worked on
- Where the business is located
- Payroll and the kinds of tasks employees perform
- The number and types of vehicles used for work
- Business property value and equipment owned.
As you can see above, business insurance for pressure washing businesses is quite expensive. These quotes are for one coverage, general liability and for a specific pressure washing business. Your quotes will be different. But in general, a general liability policy for a pressure washing business can cost an average of $1,500 a month. Below is the summary of the quotes that we received from these companies:
| Carriers | The cost of general liability insurance coverage for pressure washing business |
| NEXT | $7,988 |
| Thimble | $2,814 |
| biBERK | $1,029 |
You may need to pay more than just one coverage for your pressure washing business. The cost will add up quickly. Make sure you shop around for a few companies to find the cheapest price.
How to find cheap pressure washing business insurance?
It is critical for pressure washing businesses to have sufficient insurance coverage due to the risky nature of the business. However, business insurance for pressure washing business is very expensive as you can see above. Finding sufficient coverage at a reasonable price is important for any pressure washing business. Below are some of our tips to do that:
- Shop and compare several quotes: Comparing several quotes is the only way to make sure you can find the cheapest price for your pressure washing business’s insurance coverage
- Implement all safety practices and standards for your business operations to reduce the risk it may cause
- Provide all necessary safety training to your employees regularly: This will help your employees do their jobs more safely and you may get several discounts from different insurance companies for having required these trainings.
- Maintain your good insurance record: Once you establish a steady good insurance record for your business, your insurance cost may decrease over time.
- Don’t forget to shop again at the renewal time: Your current policy might be the cheapest when you bought it, but it may not be the cheapest when you need to renew. Don’t stop shopping around to find the cheaper one for your business.
