What insurance does a barber need?

You haven’t time to waste when running a barber shop. So many clients to see, so little time…

Your last worry should be figuring out what barber insurance you need. Our guide tells you exactly what’s what, so you can decide for yourself.

Professional liability insurance for barbers

Mistakes are never a good look…but you do have to reckon with them when they happen. And when “sorry” doesn’t cut it, that’s when lawyers get involved.

Professional liability insurance (sometimes called errors and omissions insurance, or E&O) is a must-have. It may help pay your legal expenses and damages if you’re sued for:

• Bodily injury resulting from your barbering work
• Negligence (doing something that injures your client).

Not all injuries are skin-deep. Some are financial, reputational, or even emotional.

You could let slip your client’s personal information by gossiping about where they live. Or cost them a week’s worth of modeling wages by trimming their facial hair in an unflattering way.

If the blame comes back to you, it could form the grounds for a damages claim.

You can even be sued for negligence if you haven’t made a mistake. So why risk being uninsured?

General liability insurance for barbers

Barber shops can be messy, accident-prone places. Slippery floors and surfaces, electric cords left lying around, hot drinks hovering over clients’ laps…you get the picture.

General liability insurance can protect you against accidents that happen on your premises. Depending on the policy wording, it may cover:

• The medical bills if someone, like a client or visitor, gets injured
• Compensation for their damaged property
• Compensation for third-party injury (slander/libel).

General liability insurance can help get a defense attorney on your side. And, if you’re liable for the accident, it may also cover your legal fees, plus damages.

Your policy can protect you off your premises too. When you’re visiting clients at home. Or while renting a chair in another barber shop (in which case, you might be contractually obliged to have GL anyway). But you should check this with your carrier.

Business personal property insurance for barbers

BPP stands for business personal property insurance. It helps protect the portable items in your shop.

That means your trimmers, clippers, brushes, and combs…not to mention larger, more expensive things like blow dryers, laptops, sound systems, and grooming chairs.

The idea is, if it can be picked up and removed, then it can also be lost, damaged, or stolen. Add up the total cost of the loss and you could be left with a hefty dent to your business.

BPP can pay to replace, repair, or compensate you for some of those items. Whether that’s because something’s happened to them while you’re on your way to see a client, or on your own premises.

Some policies can cover stock and/or inventory plus any items you lease. But you should check this with your insurance carrier.

You can add BPP to your general liability policy. Or you can buy it as a bundle, known as a BOP (business owner’s policy). If you’re not sure which option is best, just call us.

Workers’ compensation insurance

Keep taking care of business and your business will take care of you. But where does that leave your employees if they get sick or injured working for you?

Legally, it’s likely you’ll have to protect them with workers’ compensation insurance. Different states have different rules about when you should do this, so check your state’s laws.

Workers’ comp can help cover claims relating to employee workplace injuries. That means your policy pays for your employee’s medical expenses and missed wages while they recover. Your legal costs, too, if they sue you.

Cyber liability insurance

Most businesses today are at risk from cybercriminals. Even small ones like barber shops.

If you have a website, take online bookings, or use e-mail, then it’s likely you have something cybercriminals want. Be that your clients’ data or a way for them to hold your files ransom.

Cyber liability insurance can’t stop a cyber-attack. But it can do lots of other things. Like help:

• Repair and restore your website, systems, and data
• Tell your clients about a breach or cyber-attack
• Cover your lost income if you can’t work
• Pay legal fees and damages if you’re sued for data loss.

The bad news is that cybercriminals are getting smarter. The good news is that cyber insurance is too.

With an expert response team behind you and the financial help to get you safely back online, cyber liability cover means your business can bounce back in no time.

Shear perfection

It’s simple. You want the insurance cover that best fits your barber shop. We want to help you get it, as fast as possible.

To start a quote, check out our barber insurance page. Or call us at 978.344.4215.