The short answer
General liability insurance, commonly called commercial general liability or CGL, pays for claims that your business caused bodily injury or damaged someone else's property. That includes accidents on your premises, damage from your operations and harm caused by products you sell. It does not cover your own property, professional advice or employee injuries. A licensed broker compares insurers for your trade and arranges certificates.
- Tradespeople, contractors and service providers who work at customers' homes or workplaces
- Shops, restaurants, studios and clinics that welcome visitors
- Makers and sellers of products, including food and personal care items
- Businesses asked by a landlord, client or venue for a certificate of insurance
- Freelancers and home-based businesses who thought their home policy would handle visitors and clients
3 licensed brokers in the network handle this. In Alberta, Canada, a request for general liability insurance can be offered to up to three of them, chosen because they are licensed for this line and place. They are test brokers while we are in demo.
See the brokers → Outside Alberta, Canada you can prepare and save a request today; sending opens place by place. Brokers answer with their own quotes. Broker.insure does not quote, advise or take commission.
01 / What it covers
The parts worth understanding
Bodily injury and property damage
The core of the policy: someone is hurt, or someone else's property is damaged, and the claim says your business is responsible. It pays defence and, within limits, what you owe.
Premises and operations
Responds to accidents at your location, and to harm arising out of work done at a customer's site. Ask how the policy treats work done away from your regular address.
Products and completed operations
Claims that arise after a product is sold or a job is finished, such as a faulty installation or a food allergy. Ask whether coverage continues after you stop trading and for how long a claim can be made.
Personal and advertising injury
Allegations such as libel, slander, copyright issues in advertising or invasion of privacy that are not bodily injury. The scope is narrower than people expect, so read what is listed.
Tenants' legal liability
Covers damage you cause to the building you rent, such as a fire or water leak that starts in your space. A lease often sets requirements, so give the broker the relevant clauses.
Certificates and additional insureds
A certificate of insurance is the document a client or landlord asks for as proof of cover. Some contracts also ask that they be named as an additional insured, which is a separate endorsement on your policy.
02 / Get ready
Bring this, and expect these questions
Gather
- A description of what the business does and how it earns revenue, including anything you subcontract
- Annual revenue and payroll, since policies are often rated on one or both
- Your premises: lease or ownership, size, and whether the public visits
- Contracts or leases that set insurance requirements, limits or additional insured wording
- Details of any subcontractors and whether they carry their own cover
- Products you make or sell, and where they are made and distributed
- Loss history for the past several years and any incidents that did not become claims
- Your current policy or certificate, with limits and expiry date
- Safety practices, such as floor-care routines, tool inspections or product testing
A broker will ask
- What exactly does your business do, and are there services or activities you do not do?
- Do customers come to your premises, or do you go to theirs?
- Do you make, import or just sell products, and do you ship across provinces or abroad?
- Do you hire subcontractors, and do you collect proof of their insurance?
- Has there been any injury, damage claim or complaint, and how was it resolved?
- What limits do your contracts or landlord require, and who needs to be named as additional insured?
- Do you run events, demonstrations or work at heights that might change the risk?
- Is the business seasonal, new or growing quickly?
Not sure of an answer? Leave it. "Not known yet" is a fine answer, and a broker will help you fill it in.
03 / Build your request
Answer a few questions. Get your own list.
Pick what fits. Your answers shape the list beside them, and they are saved to your request as plain facts a broker can read. "Not sure yet" is always a fine answer.
04 / Three situations
See which one sounds like yours
A mobile detailer working in customers' driveways
A one-person car detailing business in Ottawa works from a van, cleaning vehicles at customers' homes and at workplaces. A condo property manager has asked to see a certificate of insurance before allowing her to work in their parking garage.
First steps. Prepare a short description of her services, the products used and where she works, and ask the broker about customers' vehicles in her care, since that may need a separate arrangement. Ask how the additional insured request from the property manager is handled and what a certificate must show.
A bakery that sells through a local grocer
A home-based bakery in Fredericton has been invited to supply muffins and bread to a grocery chain. The chain requires general liability with products cover and wants to be named on the policy.
First steps. Gather a list of products, ingredients and allergen handling practices, along with the supplier agreement. Ask the broker how product claims such as allergic reactions are treated, whether a home kitchen is rated differently, and how the grocer is added.
A yoga studio renting its space
A studio in Saskatoon leases a ground-floor unit and runs classes of around fifteen people. The landlord's lease requires proof of liability cover and an additional insured endorsement, and the owner has been using a basic personal home policy.
First steps. Photocopy the insurance clauses in the lease and bring a class schedule, the number of instructors and any waivers used. Ask the broker how tenants' legal liability fits, what participant injuries look like in the policy, and what the home policy does and does not do for a business.
05 / Words you will hear
The jargon, in plain words
- Certificate of insurance
- A summary page proving a policy exists, naming the insurer, dates and limits. It is evidence only and does not alter what the policy itself says.
- Additional insured
- Someone else, often a landlord or client, whom your policy is extended to protect for claims connected to your work. It needs an endorsement, not just a certificate.
- Completed operations
- The part of the policy that responds to harm appearing after a job is done or a product has been delivered, such as a faulty installation found months later.
- Tenants' legal liability
- Protection for damage you cause to the space you rent, such as a fire that starts in your unit. Leases often spell out what the tenant must hold.
- Aggregate limit
- The most the policy will pay in total across all claims in one policy year, whatever the number. Contracts sometimes require a particular per-claim and aggregate arrangement.
06 / Common mistakes
What trips people up
- Relying on a home policy for a business that has customers, products or equipment.
- Assuming general liability pays for damage to your own property or stock.
- Hiring subcontractors without checking their insurance, so a claim lands on your policy.
- Describing the business too narrowly and then adding activities that the policy does not cover.
- Forgetting that a certificate is only proof; the additional insured wording must be on the policy itself.
- Letting the policy lapse after closing a business, when claims can still arise from past work.
Ready when you are
Turn this into one clear request.
Save it, add what you know, and choose when to send it. A licensed broker who handles general liability insurance takes it from there.
07 / Questions people ask
Straight answers
What does general liability insurance cover?
It covers claims that your business caused bodily injury or damaged someone else's property, including accidents at your premises, damage from your operations and harm from your products. It pays legal defence and, within limits, damages. It does not cover your own property, employee injuries or professional advice, which are handled by other policies.
Do I need general liability insurance?
Many landlords, clients and venues require it, and it protects against costs that can follow an injury or damage claim, even if the claim turns out to be unfounded. Whether you need it depends on your work and contracts. A licensed broker can explain what businesses like yours typically carry and what is required in your province.
What is a certificate of insurance?
It is a one-page document showing that you hold a policy, with the insurer, policy period and limits. Clients and landlords request it as proof of cover. It does not change the policy, and any special requirements, such as additional insured status, must be built into the policy itself.
What is an additional insured?
It is a person or company, such as a landlord or client, that you agree to name on your policy, so the policy can respond to claims arising from your work for them. It usually requires an endorsement, which the insurer adds. Give the broker the contract wording so the endorsement can be checked.
What is the difference between general liability and professional liability?
General liability responds to bodily injury and property damage, such as a customer falling in your shop. Professional liability responds to financial loss caused by your advice or services. Many businesses need both. A broker can help work out which risks sit under which policy and where gaps remain.
Does a home-based business need general liability insurance?
A home policy usually excludes or restricts business activity, and clients visiting the home or products sold to the public are not typically covered. It is worth asking your home insurer and a broker how your activity is treated, and whether a business policy is needed alongside or instead.
Specialists
Sites for a specific line of work
General information, not insurance advice. Broker.insure is a directory and request service: it is not an insurer and does not quote, bind or advise. Policy terms, availability and what is required where you live depend on your situation and on licensed professionals. Updated 2026-10-31.