Source
r/RealEstatePhotography•
grufftech

Insurance - General Liability for Real Estate / Commercial?

Recently invested in my photography and hit that "this would ruin me if stolen or broken", so it's time to insure my hobby-turned-side-hustle.

I'm in canada, so it seems Front Row Insurance is my best bet. They've got some pretty great photography-centric packages.

General liability tho. That's a pretty pricey add on at like $175. Has anyone in the Real Estate game ever really been saved by it? I can certainly see the one-time-event photographers or wedding photographers springing for this, since if you bum it up and you're getting sued. I just figure most RE people just wont pay or will just want their money back, right? Tell me a horror story of why I should just spend the $175.

Posted Jan 2, 2021, 10:36 AM UTC · edited

714
Penguin_Master_P•

My liability insurance saved me $10,000. I was photographing a listing that had a very impressive home theater with a very large retractable screen. The homeowner had moved some furniture behind it to hide it from the photos, but also asked me to take a photo with the screen up to show it was retractable. Well, the screen caught on the corner of a bookcase and sliced a gigantic hole through it. Honestly the homeowner realized it was mostly his fault and wasn’t that upset by it. I also think the $10k figure to replace it was a bit of an an exaggeration. Ultimately my liability insurance company convinced him to use his homeowners insurance to cover it and that was that.

6
_cocophoto_•

I would recommend liability insurance. I’m in the US and people like to sue each other here, so take this with a grain of salt:

Let’s say you’re setting up a shot in a living room and you decide to go fluff a pillow. You leave your camera and fluff the pillow. While you’re near the couch, the homeowner’s dog comes darting around the corner and knocks over your camera, which leaves a dent in the hardwood floor and has shattered your lens. Not only do you need to leave without finishing the shoot, but you need to cancel everything else until you get a replacement lens. And that hardwood floor is going to be expensive to repair... homeowners insurance may cover that, but in the event that it doesn’t, you’re likely on the hook.

Get liability insurance. It may seem like a nuisance, but it’s money well spent if you ever need to use it.

3
Planetsareround•

Not only do you need to leave without finishing the shoot, but you need to cancel everything else until you get a replacement lens.

any respectable professional photog has backup gear.

3
merkk•

Not everyone can afford to have 2 cameras/lenses, especially if they are just starting out.

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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merkk•

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'respectable professional'. I tend to just judge someone by the quality of their work. How much money they make/have is separate to that for me. So for me, not being able to afford gear doesn't indicate if someone is a respectable professional.

3
stizod•

Not OP but who do you recommend for liability insurance? Local place or using a nationwide company?

2
_cocophoto_•

That’s totally up to you. I’d recommend coverage of $1M+ per incident, along with equipment replacement. There are sometimes options for unemployment payments, and if you want to add that as part of your insurance, you probably can. Different companies will have different prices- for reference, I pay about $20/month for mine. Ask around and get several quotes.

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stizod•

Thank you for reference point! Will look into this more closely

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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merkk•

Do you do drone photography? Just imagine the potential there for any injury/damage if something goes really wrong.

Also, some bigger outfits might require to provide proof of liability insurance before they hire you. Most realtors wont - but I've had some larger construction/property management companies ask for proof of insurance before they'd hire me.

2
itsneedtokno•

I would use PAP (personal articles policy) coverage for the equipment.

Maybe something small for bumping into a precious vase or something.

1
grufftechOP•

Thanks all. I'm more than sold. Totally wasn't thinking about maybe breaking something.

1
discostu55•

Also in canada. I pay 500 for mine, Never used it, but some builders want to see it. So its paid that way?

1
FrontRowInsurance•

Thanks for mentioning us. You can get a quick quote and buy online here (Canada): https://photographer.frontrowinsurance.com/

As for "horror stories", plenty in this blog post: https://www.frontrowinsurance.com/event-liability-blog/disaster-on-your-wedding-day-its-more-common-than-you-think

1
foxquiltden•

We're Foxquilt - a Canadian Insurance technology brokerage focused on empowering small businesses to save on their business insurance. We'd love to help out and see if we can provide a lower quote! We can be reached and you can start an online quote for your business through our website: https://www.foxquilt.com

Like others have mentioned, the unfortunate reality is that it's often not a matter of if a claim happens but when. Insurance is definitely worth considering if you're transitioning from a hobby to side hustle and good preemptive action to take for the day when your side hustle becomes a full time business. Insurance provides a safety net and should be part of any backup plan for the domino effect that occurs after a claim - like u/cocophoto noted. Another good point to note from u/discostu55, as your side hustle grows, it's not uncommon to see other businesses, partners, landlords etc require proof of insurance. Again, easier to have it dealt with already than to have to scramble for it when the time comes. Hope that helps!

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