Businesses have learned a painful lesson over the last three years. An emergency can shut them down with little or no warning. Revenue can evaporate overnight, leaving them grasping to somehow continue operating, cover their ongoing bills and pay employees so they won’t leave.
Property insurance will pay for repairing or replacing damaged buildings and equipment after a fire or hurricane. It will not, however, make up for lost revenue or increased expenses to minimize the business’s downtime.
If an organization suffers property damage from a cause that the policy covers, such as a fire, and it is forced to reduce operations or shut down, business income coverage will reimburse it for the net profit it would have earned during the shutdown, plus necessary ongoing expenses.
The payment will be up to the amount of insurance purchased. The insurance covers the period from 72 hours after the loss occurred to the date that operations should resume with reasonable speed.
The policy may include an additional coverage called “extended business income.” This recognizes that, after a business resumes operations, revenue may not get back to its previous level right away. An extra 30 days’ coverage is standard, but that can be increased.
Extra expense coverage pays some of the increased costs the business may incur to minimize the length of the shutdown. This might include the unexpected purchase of computers and network equipment so that employees can work remotely while the office is repaired, for example.
To see how these coverages might work, imagine a small college that suffers extensive fire damage to two dormitories and an academic building. The displaced students will not pay room and board for living spaces they can’t use.
Students majoring in subjects taught in the damaged building may be forced to transfer (for example, physical science students who cannot access the building where they do labs). Here’s how the different coverages would play out:
Business income coverage — This would help offset the lost room and board revenue and tuition refunds to students who withdraw.
Extended business income coverage — This can help tide the school over until the student census returns to normal levels.
Extra expense coverage — This may cover the cost of quickly setting up remote learning arrangements and renting space from another college for the displaced science students to continue their lab work.
Virtually every kind of commercial enterprise that operates out of a central location needs these coverages. Some examples:
Farms to cover the extra expense of storing harvested crops elsewhere after damage to their storage buildings.
Restaurants would need extended business income insurance until their regular patrons get back into the habit of dining there after reopening.
Manufacturers, particularly if they would take a long period of time to replace production equipment after an event, would need extended business income insurance.
Theaters and concert halls to replace lost ticket sales.
Hotels to cover lost ability to offer rooms to customers.
The takeaway
With the uncertainty spawned by the sudden shutdowns after the COVID-19 pandemic started, companies are aware that even one such stoppage can cause their revenues to dry up.
Having business income and extra expense coverage can make the difference between reopening after a disaster or shutting down for good. If you want to know more about this coverage, give us a call.
If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.
BGES Group’soffice, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, Workers Compensation Premium Recovery, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.
Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT)– We we have 50+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.
BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut– Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits; 9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.
If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.
Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538
