Insurance coverage for businesses of all sizes
Customer injury in the store — slips, falls, and damaged belongings.
A BOP’s liability side responds when a guest is hurt on the premises or you damage someone’s property. Illinois storefronts start here. It is not workers compensation, not professional liability, and not auto.
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The base business owners policy is the printed form. An endorsement is a taped-on change — adding coverage, taking it away, or renaming who is insured. Optional coverages ride along with the policy. Separate policies sit beside it.
Form names and availability vary by carrier. This is a map of add-ons we commonly shop in Illinois — not a promise that every company offers every item.
Base policy
Business owners policy
Hover an add-on to read it, then click to pin it here — a review list for your next conversation with an advisor.
Send this list to an advisor →We’ll open the contact form for this coverage so an advisor can help you decide which add-ons belong on the policy.
Hard-market BOP guidance and coverage terms for Illinois storefronts.
Deductible, hired auto, and business-income habits that keep a BOP from being gutted after years of increases.
Open resource →Hover highlighted policy terms for a short definition, or browse endorsements, deductibles, and property coverage.
Open resource →A Business Owners Policy (BOP) combines business property and business liability insurance into one convenient policy. We will work with you to design coverage that protects your business from a variety of risks, unique to your industry.
A businessowners policy packages general liability with property; fleet and business auto add hired auto or non-owned auto when employees drive their own cars on the clock.
Because your business faces the unexpected on a daily basis, there are always risks involved. Whether it is the risk of damage or loss to your property or customers, the only way to protect your business is with the right policy. With the convenience of a BOP, you can minimize the risks and focus on the future of your business.
A business owners insurance policy is known as BOP for short. This is appropriate, since it offers a one-two punch. It is a combination policy bringing together two types of coverages.
The first type is property insurance. Property insurance covers risks associated with your business' premises, equipment and vehicles. In addition, it often includes any associated loss of business. This is an essential coverage because it ensures your business, assets, and income are protected. For instance, here are a few of the coverages to consider in your business owners policy:
Fire
Flooding
Theft
Accidental Damage
Loss of Income
Loss/Damage of Property
The second type is liability insurance. Liability insurance covers damage to people you deal with and their property. However, it is important to note that liability insurance usually does not cover risks related to professional services–meaning damages that result from you giving clients inaccurate advice, for instance. The liability coverage included in your business owners policy is a necessity, especially if:
You meet your clients at your business or theirs.
You have physical access to your clients' equipment.
There is a risk of damage to people or business.
Getting a business owners policy (BOP) means covering all these risks in one go, which significantly reduces stress and brings you peace of mind. Polices are typically custom made to cover your specific needs, and pricing varies depending on your business. But, it is normally cheaper than buying separate policies for each element.
Designing a business owners policy that works best for you and your business is what we do best. We are focused on understanding your business so we can develop the right policy to protect your business, income, and assets. Most importantly, we want your business to be successful. Finding the right BOP coverage to meet your needs is the best place to start.
So, no matter what kind of business your run, consider the benefits of business owners insurance. From startups to established businesses, we will develop a custom plan for you. Reach out to our team when you are ready to review options. to get started!
Request a business owners quote to get started.
The same business owners policy add-ons from the explorer above, listed out. Form names and availability vary by carrier.
Endorsement
Landlord or mall named on liability as the lease requires.
Storefront leases are endorsement-heavy. Additional insured, waiver of subrogation, and primary wording need to match the contract — and they live on the policy, not just the certificate. We read the insurance exhibit instead of guessing.
Separate policy
POS, customer lists, and payment cards.
A ransomware event on the register is not a burglary claim. Cyber is almost always a separate policy or a dedicated endorsement with its own application. The BOP covers fire and slips; it does not automatically cover stolen card data.
Endorsement
Theft of money or inventory by an employee.
Cash drawers and stock walk out with employees more often than with burglars. Employee dishonesty is a crime endorsement, not general liability. Limits should reflect how much cash and merchandise sit on site.
Endorsement
Sudden mechanical or electrical failure of HVAC and equipment.
Property insurance treats mechanical breakdown as wear and tear. Equipment breakdown (boiler and machinery) is the buyback for a compressor, a panel, or a boiler. Pair it with business income if the storefront cannot open without that system.
Endorsement
Liability for rented vans and employees in personal cars.
Bank runs, supply trips, and a weekend rental van are auto exposures the BOP’s general liability does not cover. Hired and non-owned auto is the usual endorsement. A true work fleet belongs on commercial auto instead.
Endorsement
Code upgrades after a partial loss to an older storefront.
Older Main Street buildings often need sprinkler, accessibility, or electrical upgrades after a fire. Ordinance or law coverage is how you pay for that increment. The base building limit rebuilds what was there, not what the village now requires.
Endorsement
Water that comes up through drains — not flood.
Sewer and drain backup is an endorsement on most BOP forms. Flood from a rising body of water is a different exclusion and usually a different policy. Chicagoland storms make both conversations worth having, separately.
Endorsement
Income and spoilage when the outage starts off your property.
A neighborhood outage can shut a storefront without damaging your building. Off-premises power and utility-services endorsements extend business income (and sometimes spoilage) to that fact pattern. The unendorsed BOP often stops at the property line.
Endorsement
Your insurer will not chase the landlord after a claim.
Lease exhibits routinely require a waiver of subrogation on general liability. Without the endorsement, a property or liability payment can still lead to a recovery action against the landlord. We match the exhibit line by line.
Separate policy
A companion policy — a BOP does not include it.
Illinois employers with employees generally need workers compensation. A BOP packages property and general liability; it is not a workers-comp substitute. Landlords still ask for both on the certificate.
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