Risks of Hiring an Uninsured Landscape Contractor in Florida

If everything goes well, you never have to think about insurance—at least not until your bi-annual payment is due! That’s the way insurance works, right? It’s there in case you need it, but you hope circumstances never arise where it’s necessary.

It’s this mindset that may cause you to overlook the very important detail of insurance when hiring a landscape contractor in Florida. Just like you never consider someone else’s insurance when driving down the road until you’re in an accident, the smooth, accident-free process of landscaping you’re used to can desensitize you to just how vital it is!

Today, we’re here to remind you why hiring an insured landscape contractor in Florida is imperative by putting some of the risks of choosing an uninsured contractor on display. Are you ready? Okay, let’s get into it!

Legal Issues are Expensive!

Look, we’re not here to scare you (okay, maybe we are—but just a bit), but lawsuits and everything that comes with them are expensive. Like capital “E” expensive! If a worker, or, God forbid, a passerby, was to get injured in a landscaping accident, you could be on the hook if your contractor is uninsured!

With this overarching fact established, let’s look at some of the more specific risks associated with hiring an uninsured landscape contractor in Florida.

Property Damage or Loss

Landscaping equipment is expensive, so what happens if a piece of equipment is damaged while on the job or stolen from your property? If your contractor is uninsured, you could find yourself held responsible for the damage to or loss of their property. That’s a costly and unnecessary risk to take!

Dangerous Machines

No, we’re not launching into a well-rehearsed dissertation on the Terminator saga and our embarrassingly comprehensive theories on its timelines; we’re talking about landscaping equipment and machines that can be exceptionally dangerous even when operated correctly.

From sharp tools used to trim limbs to mowers that could pass for zero-turn go-karts equipped with blades, heavy machinery, saws, and the various other tools that are common on the landscaping job can cause significant injury even when used by a properly trained worker.

An Indication of Quality

Call us squares, but we believe that standards are in place for a reason. Landscape contractors should have insurance, and when they don’t, it may be an indication of a larger issue. If they do not go through the process of securing insurance, are they operating with proper safety procedures? Do they care about their employees’ wellbeing? Will they treat your property with care?

This isn’t to say that an uninsured landscaping company is lackluster simply because it lacks insurance. Rather, we’re just asserting that checking the proper boxes speaks to the professionalism and thoroughness with which a business approaches their work.

Best Intentions

…sometimes fall flat. Call us cynical, but accidents are, by definition, against even the best of intentions. They’re inevitable; they just happen!

If your landscape contractor doesn’t have insurance, the financial burden of injury to their employees or others on your property could fall squarely on your shoulders. In other words, it’s not just their business that lacks protection—it’s yours.

Accidents are unpredictable and are bound to happen even if all the proper safety measures are taken. Insurance protects you from the consequences of those unintentional yet significant occurrences!

We hope we haven’t spooked you too terribly with all our talk of accidents, injuries, and financial downfalls. It’s not our intention to have you cowering in fear of the possibilities. Instead, we hope that this rundown of risks inspires you to be proactive when hiring a landscape contractor by ensuring they have insurance!

In fact, we recommend asking for proof of insurance instead of just taking a company’s word at face value. You can even confirm the validity of that licensing by checking with Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation!

Landcrafters takes pride in doing things the right way—including being properly ensured—and has done so for the last 20 years. If you’re looking for a professional landscape contractor that takes safety seriously, look no farther! We encourage you to contact us via our website or by phone at (727)-201-3947. We’d love to hear from you and will happily answer any questions you may have!