INSURANCE

In today’s litigious society, few homeowners are aware of the legal implications involved in something as simple as paying your neighbor’s college kid to clean out your gutters or letting children shovel out your driveway for a couple of bucks.

And when it comes to independent contractors that work on different project tasks such as power washing your home, repairing your roof, staining decks or tree removal, the danger grows exponentially … unless you have proof the workers are covered by New York State compensation insurance.

You are taking an enormous risk if you let contractors work on your property without the necessary insurances. Homeowners are often targeted with personal injury claims because the contractor you hired to power wash your home refused to obtain workers compensation insurance. Most homeowners blissfully presume their homeowner’s insurance policies provide protection in the event they are sued for negligence or injury. Unfortunately, many are wrong. That may be true for the person who happens to trip over your damaged sidewalk but it’s NOT true for the contractor’s employees. That is exactly why New York State mandates all contractors to carry workers compensations insurance for their employees. This insurance protects you from being sued.