What insurance does an interior designer need?
There's no one-size answer. The right mix depends on how you work, who you work for, and what your contracts ask for. These are the coverages an interior designer typically looks at first:
Professional liability
The core coverage for design work: claims that a spec error, a budget overrun, or missed project details cost a client money, with limits up to $1,000,000 per claim typically available.
General liability
Covers accidents and property damage during site visits and installs, and it's what clients and property managers routinely request proof of before work starts.
Business property
Sample boards, fabric swatches, and materials you carry between projects are covered against theft and damage while they travel with you.
Coverage always depends on your specific situation. The fastest way to see what fits is to get a quote and review your options.
What does it protect against?
The risks that matter aren't abstract. They're the everyday accidents of the work. A few scenarios that turn into real claims:
A spec error means the wrong material gets ordered
A fabric or flooring order goes out with the wrong finish or the wrong quantity, and the client is stuck with materials that don't work or a delay while it's corrected. Claims that a specification error cost a client money are a professional liability matter.
A project runs over the approved budget
A scope miscalculation or a missed lead time pushes a renovation well past the budget the client signed off on, and the client says your planning is why. Professional liability is designed to help cover the resulting dispute.
A site visit damages a client's home
Moving furniture during a walkthrough scratches a hardwood floor, or a contractor working under your direction dents a wall installing a fixture. General liability is designed to help cover the property damage claim that follows.
Sample materials are damaged or stolen
A case of fabric and tile samples gets stolen from your car between client visits, or water damage ruins a set of custom finishes you were carrying to a job site. Business property helps cover the materials your business depends on.
Certificates of insurance
For interior designers, the certificate of insurance request usually comes from the property side: property managers and building management at multi-unit or commercial projects routinely require proof of general liability before contractors and designers can access the building, and clients on larger renovations increasingly ask for professional liability too. Olli's general liability policies include instant certificates, so a building's paperwork doesn't hold up your install date.
New to certificates? Start with our guide to the certificate of insurance: what's on one, who asks for it, and how to provide yours.