Short answer
Sometimes. Working from a home office can reduce your need for general liability, but it does not always remove it. Architects and engineers who only produce drawings and reports for clients may get by with professional liability alone. If a contract, a site visit or a lease asks for general liability, you will probably need it anyway. Check those requirements before you decide.
Who still asks for general liability if you work from home?
Many firms with a home office assume nobody will request general liability, then see it appear in a contract. The request usually comes from one of these sources.
Client contracts. Owners, developers and prime consultants often list general liability in their insurance requirements, even for firms that only provide design services. The requirement may be standard language that applies to everyone on the project.
Site visits. If you walk a job site, meet contractors or inspect existing conditions, there is a physical exposure that professional liability generally does not address. General liability is the coverage designed for bodily injury and property damage.
Leases and shared spaces. If you rent a coworking desk or a small office, the landlord may ask for proof of general liability.
Visiting clients. If clients, vendors or employees come to your home, a home office raises questions that a standard homeowners policy may not answer.
When general liability for a home office may not be needed
Some firms genuinely operate with professional liability only. A landscape architect who works from home, never visits sites and has no contract requiring general liability may be in that position.
This tends to hold when all of these are true:
- Your contracts do not require general liability.
- You rarely or never visit job sites.
- Clients and vendors do not come to your home.
- You own little business equipment that needs coverage.
Even then, circumstances change. One new contract can introduce a requirement you did not expect, so it helps to review each agreement before you sign.
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Get a Quote →Does homeowners insurance cover a home office?
Homeowners and renters policies often limit coverage for business activity at home. The extent varies by policy, so read the language or ask your insurer directly. Many firms find that a standard home policy does not give a client the proof of insurance a contract asks for.
A business owner’s policy can bundle general liability with property coverage for your equipment. Our BOP page explains how that package works.
Example: a landscape architect with a home office
A landscape architect works from a spare room and carries professional liability. She wins a project with a developer whose contract requires general liability and a minimum limit. She also needs to visit the site twice during construction.
Even though her business runs from home, the contract and the site visits make general liability relevant. She might choose a standalone general liability policy or a BOP, depending on what the contract requires and what equipment she wants covered.
Another landscape architect with the same home setup, but only residential design clients and no site visits, might find professional liability is the only policy anyone asks about.
What to check before you decide
- Read the insurance section of every contract. Does it list general liability and a limit?
- Note whether you visit job sites or meet people in person.
- Look at your lease or coworking agreement for insurance requirements.
- Ask what your homeowners or renters policy says about business use.
- Check whether the contract also requires workers’ compensation or an umbrella. Our article on first contracts that want workers’ comp and an umbrella covers that situation.
Can I buy professional liability without general liability?
Yes. The two are separate policies, and you can buy professional liability on its own. Many contracts will ask for both, so confirm what each project requires. You can learn more on our professional liability page.
Does professional liability cover bodily injury at a job site?
Professional liability policies typically exclude bodily injury and property damage, which is where general liability usually applies. Exact wording depends on the policy.
Will a client accept my homeowners policy as proof of general liability?
Often not, because contracts usually ask for a commercial general liability policy with specific limits. Check the contract language to see what the client will accept.
Your firm's situationWant us to check how your policy handles this?
Send us the policy or the contract. We will tell you what we see.
