The home organizer is a high-demand profession in Canada. These professionals spend most of their time developing effective home organization strategies and solutions for the rich and famous. There is no doubt, disorganization creates confusion and stress in residential settings. This is especially true for people who work in similar work environments. You spend all day working, you expect your home to offer a safe refuge from all the disorganization-based confusion.
While the home organization service is growing in popularity nationwide, the number of available providers is limited to only a few. It is mostly mom-and-pop type businesses offering these services, with a few exceptions. Home organization services may also be combined with residential housekeeping and custom storage and closet solution services.
You would think nothing could go wrong for professional home organizers. The service seems cut and dry, leaving little to no room for error. However, this is generally not the case. In fact, home organizers in Canada alone have been plagued with boatloads of customer complaints in the past decade.
Canadian Home Organizer Professional Liability Insurance
Home organization service generally targets specific areas like the kitchen, closet, pantry, garage, and nursery. The main goal is to create an organized environment to ensure convenience and still meet the family’s needs and preferences.
The process begins with a visual assessment of the targeted area. During the assessment, the assessor takes note of the available storage space, home’s assets, and layout of the room. The assessment is followed by a one-on-meeting with the assessor and homeowner or tenant. During the initial meeting, the assessor will go over the finds, provide recommendations, answer questions, and start devising a new home organization plan.
While home organization appears to be a simple project, a minor mishap can turn it into a catastrophe. For example, a home organization firm hired to update a wealthy client’s kitchen pantry erred when taking measurements. The minor error resulted in a kitchen organizer that would be slightly too large to fit into the available space.
Who do you believe was responsible for this negligent act? It only makes sense that the responsible party is the professional who did not follow the correct measurement protocols. Unfortunately, the home organization project was pushed back to another day, leaving the client with no kitchen storage.
The next course of action will depend on several factors, the client’s opinion, the professional’s willingness to solve the issue, and the length of time it would normally take to make amends. If the client is unwilling to move forward, the only option will be to file a negligence claim against the professional’s Professional Liability Insurance (PLI) policy.
PLI – What Does It Cover?
PLI coverage includes professional negligent acts, professional misrepresentation, and good faith violations. PLI, also referred to as Errors & Omissions (E&O), is highly recommended to Canadian home organization firms and independent companies.
Home organization is not a high-risk market, which is always a plus. The market is still growing, giving more reason for new professionals and independent companies to join.
A minor mishap like the above fictional scenario is always a possibility for both newcomers and veteran home organizers. Knowing your risk factors is a great way to determine if PLI is necessary.
Building Your Liability Insurance Portfolio
Every professional, including home organizers, should have a liability insurance portfolio with various types of coverage. Your liability insurance options include PLI, of course, General Liability Insurance (GLI), employer’s liability, and business liability.
General Liability Insurance – Coverage for bodily injury, property damage, advertising mistakes, and reputational injury. Dealing with heavy organization systems comes with many risks that have the potential to cause great harm. Not only are you and your employees at risk, but also your clients and their assets, family, and pets.
A professional mishap warrants a claim or lawsuit, depending on severity. Minor mishaps can generally be cleared up without litigation interference. Unfortunately, this does not apply to all minor professional errors. If the client is unwilling to wait for a solution or the professional does not take the issue seriously, the only course of action is to file a claim.
GLI claims are investigated to the fullest extent by a third-party, in most cases, the insurance brokerage. Claim investigations are necessary to determine the responsible party. Insurance claims are sometimes a two-way streak, as they have the potential to be legitimate and frivolous, which makes the investigation even more important.
ProfessionalsCoverage – Canada’s Liability Insurance Experts
ProfessionalsCoverage bridges the gap between uninsured professionals and Canadian insurance brokers. When you contact our office, a representative will pair you with a qualified insurance agent who will work with you to customize a liability policy that is guaranteed to offer full protection against all of your risk exposures.
Do not make the same mistake as other professionals, believing liability insurance does not apply to your service. This perception has cost professionals millions of dollars related to third-party claims and lawsuits.
Disability Insurance
You biggest asset in life is your earning ability. If you are unable to work, you will need to rely on either your savings or borrow money to sustain your lifestyle. When these unfortunate circumstances occur, dependents and spouses are also impacted financially and emotionally.
Disability insurance coverage will provide you a monthly income benefit, usually totaling 70% to 80% of your income, when you are unable to work for a period of time due to injury or illness.
Types of disability insurance
- Long-Term Disability Insurance (LTD)
- Short-Term Disability Insurance
- Key Person Disability Insurance
- Self Employed Disability Insurance
- Mortgage Disability Insurance
- Temporary Disability Insurance
- Supplemental Disability Insurance
Need coverage in effect? Compare the market!
FAQ before purchasing liability insurance
- How much professional liability insurance do I need?
- How do I get a liability insurance policy?
- What does professional liability insurance cover?
- What is the difference between claims made & occurrence form of coverage?
- When will I need to be insured?
- What other professions need this type of insurance?
Other useful posts you should also read
- Canadian insurance companies that provide professional liability insurance
- How does the claims process work if I get sued because of my professional services?
- What is the cost of professional liability insurance?
- How do I apply for a professional liability insurance policy?
- How do I qualify for coverage as a professional service provider?
- What is the purpose of getting insured as a professional?
- How long will it take to get an insurance quote for my business?
