General liability covers bodily injury and property damage you cause to third parties, plus personal and advertising injury, and the legal defense that comes with a claim. It does not cover your own property, your employees, professional mistakes, or damage to the work you were hired to do.
What general liability covers
The policy responds to three main things. Bodily injury, such as a client or visitor hurt on your premises or by your operations. Property damage you cause to someone else. And personal and advertising injury, which covers claims like libel, slander, and certain advertising disputes. Just as important, it pays defense costs, the lawyers and court expenses that arrive whether or not the claim has merit. For many small businesses, the defense alone is the reason the coverage earns its keep.
What it does not cover
General liability is precise about its edges. It does not cover your own building or contents, that is property insurance. It does not cover employee injuries, that is workers compensation. It does not cover mistakes in professional advice or services, that is professional liability. And it generally excludes damage to your own completed work, a gap that matters for contractors and is managed with the right policy form and endorsements.
Why contracts and leases demand it
Almost every commercial lease, client contract, and vendor agreement requires you to carry general liability at a stated limit, and often to name the other party as an additional insured. Meeting that requirement is frequently the gate to signing the deal or keeping the space. The trap is agreeing to terms the policy does not actually deliver. We read the requirement against your policy, add the endorsements it calls for, and make sure the certificate says what the contract demands.
How we handle it
We set the limit to your real exposure and the contracts you sign, not a default number. We confirm the policy form fits your operation, especially for contractors where completed-work coverage matters. We add additional insured and waiver of subrogation endorsements where your agreements require them. And we coordinate the limit with a commercial umbrella so the excess layer sits cleanly on top.
