Barber Insurance

Whether you operate a barbershop or you’re a self-employed barber, protect yourself against potential liabilities with barber’s liability insurance.

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Trusted by over 350,000 Canadian small business owners!

Save up to 35% on your insurance

Get the best insurance quote in a few clicks!

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Insurance for barbershops

A barbershop visit can be a transformative experience, whether the appointment is simply for a monthly buzzcut or a complete makeover that includes a traditional shave and wax.

As a barber, you pride yourself on giving your clients the hair revival they’re looking for while ensuring they’re in safe and reliable hands. However, accidents can happen within your business, and they may be beyond your control, even if you’ve taken every precaution to safeguard your location. That’s why it’s important to protect yourself, your clients, and your business with the right barbershop coverage.

What is barber insurance?

Barber insurance is what you need to protect your business from the general liabilities of running a barbershop or performing services as a freelance barber. You can be covered for general risks (such as a slip-and-fall in your shop) and more specific risks (like being sued for injuring a client during their haircut).

What does it cover?

Barber insurance combines several commercial policies to protect your business from events you may be liable for and protect you against specific damage that can occur to your business property. Here are the common coverages included in a barber insurance policy:

Professional liability insurance: For claims that are specific to your professional service, professional liability insurance is the coverage you’ll need. Also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, professional liability insurance covers your business against alleged events of misconduct, negligence, error, or failing to deliver a service as advertised. For example, you mistakenly start shaving a client’s long hair after forgetting that request was for another client. The client was so upset with your error, and the damage to their hairstyle, they sue your business. In this instance, professional liability insurance could cover the legal costs.

Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance: CGL can provide financial protection for common risks occurring in a variety of business types. These could be a third-party bodily injury (such as a slip-and-fall accident) or damage to a third-party’s property. For example, say a client slipped on some spilt shampoo and injured their wrist while breaking the fall. In this case, CGL may cover the medical fees and any related legal expenses.

Commercial property insurance: Whether you own or rent your barbershop or rent a chair, commercial property insurance can offer coverage if your business property is lost or damaged due to an insured peril (such as a fire, theft or vandalism). You can be covered for losses to fixtures and fittings (like windows or flooring) and the contents within the property. Say a burst pipe floods the place and destroys your barber chairs, or a fire damages all of your scissors, buzzers, and blow dryers. Commercial property insurance, which includes coverage for your equipment, contents, and inventory, may cover the cost to replace your equipment and inventory.

How much does it cost?

The cost of your insurance policy heavily relies on specific information about your barbershop business. To give you a starting point, a low-risk small barbershop can expect to spend approximately $500 per year on a commercial general liability policy with a limit of $2 million.

For individual or freelance hairdressers and barbers, coverage starts at around $280 a year.

These are some of the factors insurance companies take into account when calculating your annual premium:

Services provided
Years of experience
Claims history
Training and education

Do barbers need insurance?

Professional barbers and barbershop owners should consider insurance to protect themselves from potential lawsuits against their business.

At Zensurance, we’ve insured over 1,000 barbers and their businesses. Some of our clients include the following:

Self-employed barbers
Hairdressers
Barbershop owners
Haircut franchises
Home-based freelancing barbers

Getting insured is quick and easy!

Complete our 5-minute online application for a free barbershop insurance quote.

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Common claims scenarios

Problem: Your client wants a haircut that involves you using a new shaver for the first time. Due to your lack of experience with the shaver, you accidentally inflict a deep cut in the back of their neck. They sue for negligence and bodily injury.

Outcome: Your professional liability insurance policy could cover the $10,000 lawsuit and medical fee costs.

Problem: A client falls off a broken barber chair and injures their back. The client then sues you for medical bills resulting from their back injury.

Outcome: Your general liability insurance policy could cover the $15,000 cost to pay for their related medical bills.

Problem: The strip mall that houses your barbershop was vandalized overnight, and your shop windows were smashed.

Outcome: Your commercial property insurance could cover the $12,000 to replace the shop’s windows.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need additional coverage if I provide mobile barber services?Zensurance

Do I need additional coverage if I provide mobile barber services?

Yes, if you travel for business purposes, you’ll require commercial auto insurance as part of a policy. This policy will cover you for liable incidents and the loss or damage to your business property while it’s in the vehicle.

Does my barber shop insurance cover hair products that I sell?Zensurance

Does my barber shop insurance cover hair products that I sell?

Yes, product liability insurance is a part of your CGL coverage. If you sell a faulty or mislabelled product (such as shampoo or hair gel) and it’s alleged that product caused property damage or bodily injury due to a defect, your commercial liability insurance could cover you for the claim and related costs.

If I rent out my chairs, does my insurance cover the contract barbers?Zensurance

If I rent out my chairs, does my insurance cover the contract barbers?

Generally speaking, your insurance will only cover your full-time employees. For self-employed or freelancing barbers working in your business, you should let them know they’ll likely need their own insurance policy to be covered for risks or losses.