Commercial package
Property, liability and business interruption for an operating business.
Legal name
The named insured has to match the registered legal entity exactly. If the policy names the trade name instead, the company that actually owns the assets is not the one insured.
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Trade name, if different
Quebec enterprise number (NEQ)
Describe what the business actually does
The description on the policy is what decides whether a claim falls inside or outside the covered operations. A vague description is the most common reason a commercial claim is contested, so describe the work, the clients and anything seasonal or unusual.
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Years in business
Annual revenue
Liability is rated on revenue. An understated figure produces a premium that will be corrected at audit, usually with an invoice you were not expecting.
If they don't know: We will quote on an estimate and mark the policy auditable, which means the final premium can move up or down after the term.
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Number of employees
Do you use subcontractors?
You can be held liable for work done by a subcontractor. Insurers want to know whether you collect certificates of insurance from them, and most policies require it.
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Do you give advice, plans or professional recommendations to clients?
General liability does not cover professional advice. If the answer is yes, a separate errors and omissions policy is needed, and your broker will handle that one directly with you.
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Address
Do you own or lease it?
Square feet you occupy
Year built
Is it sprinklered?
Sprinklers change the rate more than any other physical feature, often by a third or more on the property portion.
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Alarm
Is there any cooking on the premises?
Commercial cooking brings a hood suppression requirement and a semi-annual cleaning schedule. Insurers verify both and a grease fire without them is usually denied.
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Is there a hood suppression system, serviced on schedule?
Does your landlord or a client require a certificate of insurance?
If a lease or a contract sets required limits, we need those wordings before binding. Matching them afterwards usually costs more than building them in from the start.
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Building value, if you own it
Equipment, furniture and fixtures
Stock and inventory at its peak
Insure the peak, not the average. A retailer insured at the average is underinsured every year in the run-up to the holidays.
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Improvements you paid for in a leased space
Gross earnings to protect if you had to close
Business interruption is what keeps payroll and rent paid while you rebuild. It is the coverage most often left out and the one most often needed.
If they don't know: We will leave business interruption out of the quote. If the premises become unusable, rebuilding costs are covered but the income you lose in the meantime is not.
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Liability limit you need
Do you sell or work in the United States?
US exposure has to be declared separately. Several Canadian policies exclude it outright, and that exclusion is not obvious when you read the policy.
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Are vehicles used for the business?
Employees driving their own cars for work creates a liability exposure the business itself carries, even when the vehicle is not owned by the company.
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Have you had any insurance claim in the last 6 years?
Insurers pull your claims history from the industry database regardless of what you declare. Declaring it yourself is what keeps the quote accurate and protects you: an omission is a misrepresentation, and under article 2408 of the Civil Code of Quebec it can void the policy at claim time.
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Date of loss
Type of loss
Amount paid by the insurer
The size of the claim matters more than the count. Two small claims rate very differently from one large one.
If they don't know: We will quote on the range shown in the industry database, which may be higher than what you recall.
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Were you held responsible?
What has been done to prevent it happening again?
A corrective measure you can describe, a replaced water heater or a new backwater valve, often moves an insurer from declining to accepting.
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Are you insured right now?
Continuous coverage is one of the strongest rating credits there is. A gap of even a few weeks moves most insurers to a higher tier.
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Current insurer
Policy number
If they don't know: We can work without it, but we will need your declaration page before binding.
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Renewal date
We quote to line up with your renewal so you are not paying two policies or cancelling mid-term at a short-rate penalty.
If they don't know: We will work from the date on your declaration page once you send it. Until then we cannot guarantee the quoted premium will still be available.
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How long with that insurer?
Has an insurer ever cancelled, refused or declined to renew you?
This is a question we are required to ask and you are required to answer accurately. A cancellation for non-payment is workable; hiding one is not, because the insurer will find it and can void the contract.
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What made you shop around?
Attach anything you have on hand
A photo of your current declaration page answers about half of these questions on its own and is the fastest way to get an accurate quote. Photos taken with your phone are fine.
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Your own questions
Anything specific to this client. Marked in the file as asked by you.
A note to your client
Optional. Sits at the top of their first screen.
Commercial package
40of 40 questions selected
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Email address.