Business Interruption Insurance Explained

Business Interruption Insurance Explained

If a fire causes the  facility to be temporarily unusable, what would you do next? Ideally, you would move to a temporary location while your permanent place of business is being repaired. Yet, traditional Property Insurance does not cover this move or a loss of income when a business must temporarily close. With Business Interruption Insurance, also referred to as Business Income coverage, this setback can be minimized by simply adding this coverage to your Property Insurance policy.

What is included in a Business Interruption Insurance Policy?

• Compensation for lost income if  has to vacate its premises as a result of disaster-related damage covered under a Property Insurance policy.
• Covers the profits that would have been earned based on previous financial records, had the disaster not occurred.
• Covers operating expenses, such as utilities, that must be paid even though business temporarily ceased.
• Covers expenses of operating in a temporary location while repairs to the permanent location are completed.

Considerations for Business Interruption Insurance

• Business Interruption Insurance cannot be purchased on its own; it must be added to a Property Insurance policy or included in a Business Owner’s Insurance policy.
• Policy limits should be sufficient enough to cover a large amount of time to rebuild the permanent business space and reestablish pre-loss levels of revenue. Generally the business must be closed for several days (typically 48-72 Hours) before coverage begins, and it does not pay for those days retroactively.
• Price of coverage depends on the risk of disaster to the premises. This may depend on the business location, nature of the business and how easily the business could function at an alternate location on a temporary basis.

Insurance experts estimate that business interruption insurance is one of the most, if not the most, valuable coverage available, yet it is often overlooked by business owners. Since property insurance only covers the cost of physical loss or damage and contents of a business in the event of a disaster, business interruption insurance coverage is invaluable in covering the loss of income while the permanent business location is being repaired.

Call 1-866-287-0448 to speak with an ALIGNED Insurance today or connect with us at www.alignedinsuranceinc.com to learn more about business interruption insurance or our various business continuity resources.