LIABILITY COVERAGE BUILT AROUND YOUR OPERATIONS
General Liability Insurance in Michigan
Protection for Claims That Can Disrupt a Business
General liability insurance can respond when your business is accused of causing bodily injury, property damage, personal and advertising injury, or harm connected to products and completed work. The policy works best when its classifications, limits, deductibles, endorsements, and exclusions accurately reflect what your business does. We help Michigan business owners understand the protection before a claim or contract dispute.
Bodily Injury Claims
Property Damage Claims
Products and Completed Work
Contract Requirements
General Liability Coverage Should Match How Your Business Actually Operates
A contractor working at customer locations, a restaurant serving the public, a landlord maintaining rental property, and a retailer welcoming customers can create very different liability exposures. We begin with the work you perform, where you perform it, who performs it, whether subcontractors are involved, what products you sell, and what your leases or contracts require.
Then we compare proposals beyond the premium. Restrictive classifications, exclusions for subcontracted work, limited additional-insured protection, deductibles, defense provisions, or missing completed-operations coverage can materially change the result. General liability also does not replace commercial property, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, or professional liability.
Premises and Ongoing Operations
Coverage may respond when your premises or ongoing operations cause bodily injury to another person or damage someone else’s property. We review customer traffic, work locations, subcontractors, hazards, policy limits, deductibles, and exclusions that could affect a claim.
Products and Completed Operations
A claim can arise after a product has been sold or after work has been completed. We review whether your products, services, subcontracted work, warranties, and completed projects are properly classified and contemplated by the policy.
Personal and Advertising Injury
General liability may address covered allegations such as libel, slander, certain privacy violations, false arrest, and misuse of another party’s advertising idea. The wording is specific, and exclusions involving media, publishing, intellectual property, and knowing violations deserve attention.
Contracts, Additional Insureds, and Coverage Gaps
Leases and contracts may require additional-insured status, primary and noncontributory wording, waiver of subrogation, completed-operations protection, or specific limits. A certificate alone does not create coverage, so we compare the request with the actual policy and discuss when a commercial package or umbrella may also be appropriate.
Local General Liability Guidance for Michigan Businesses
Customers First Insurance Group works from Clear Creek Plaza in Chesterfield and serves New Baltimore, Macomb County, Metro Detroit, and businesses throughout Michigan. Owner Michael Vereecke has worked in insurance since 2009 and holds the Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) designation.
We work with contractors, restaurants, retailers, landlords, property managers, medical and professional offices, auto-service businesses, landscapers, manufacturers, and other Michigan operations. We connect the liability policy to contracts, leases, certificates, payroll, sales, subcontracted work, products, and the day-to-day realities of the business.
General Liability Insurance Questions
What does general liability insurance typically cover?
General liability commonly addresses covered third-party claims involving bodily injury, property damage, personal and advertising injury, products and completed operations, and legal defense. Actual protection depends on the policy forms, classifications, limits, endorsements, deductibles, and exclusions.
What does general liability insurance not cover?
It generally does not replace commercial property, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, professional liability, cyber liability, employment practices liability, crime, or every contractual obligation. Some exposures can be added by endorsement, while others require separate policies.
Why do business classifications matter?
Insurers use classifications to describe the work being insured and help determine eligibility and pricing. If the classifications do not accurately reflect your operations, the policy may not respond as expected. New services, subcontracted work, products, or expansion into new markets should trigger a review.
Does a certificate of insurance make someone an additional insured?
No. A certificate is evidence of insurance and does not create or change coverage. Additional-insured protection must come from the policy or an endorsement, and its scope can depend on the wording, the written contract, the parties involved, and whether the work is ongoing or completed.