Commercial General Liability Insurance
Secure cover against third-party claims, ensure compliance, and build trust in moments that matter the most.
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Every Small Business is Susceptible to Liability Risks
A single liability claim can put you out of business. Lawsuits can be expensive, hence you should consider getting Commercial General Liability insurance. Commercial General Liability insurance, or CGL, serves as a safety net, protecting your business from potential financial pitfalls associated with liability claims. The claims could be unwarranted, but if you are at the receiving end of such litigation you will have to defend the case. Getting a CGL policy is a must for businesses to protect themselves from risks of lawsuits.
What is commercial general liability insurance?
Accidents happen, but they shouldn’t cost you your business. Commercial general liability insurance protects you against third-party claims for bodily injury or property damage. The cover helps in absorbing the shock of legal fees, medical bills, and settlement costs so you can stay focused on growth.
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Who needs commercial general liability most
Retail, showrooms & malls — Public access all day, and a mall agreement that almost certainly requires cover.
Restaurants, cafés & cloud kitchens — Wet floors, hot surfaces, and high footfall in small spaces.
Facility services & security agencies — Your teams work on someone else’s premises, and their contracts say what you’re liable for.
Gyms, clinics & event venues — People come to you specifically to do something physical.
We’ve forged partnerships with India’s foremost insurers and their world’s largest AA-rated reinsurers to bring this important product to companies like yours.
Why commercial general liability matters
Here’s why your company requires a CGL insurance policy:
Secure Business Deals: Client agreements, tenders, and venue bookings routinely demand liability coverage. Without this essential protection, your most lucrative business opportunities will stall in procurement.
Finance Legal Battles: Lawyers demand payment long before anyone determines legal fault. Defending a baseless claim can still financially ruin a small business without proper insurance.
Manage Visitor Risks: Delivery agents, visiting clients, and random pedestrians create daily exposure. You face constant liability from individuals you neither control nor have relationships with.
Mitigate Major Losses: A single severe injury lawsuit, combined with staggering legal fees, can easily exceed the total cost of your policy premiums over a decade.
The power of CGL insurance policy
Slip and Trip Incident: In a challenging incident, a 24-year-old model tragically lost her life, and another person suffered injuries when an iron truss supporting lighting equipment collapsed during a fashion show.
The event organisers, who had a CGL policy, were able to navigate the legal aspects of the incident with the support of their insurer. This policy not only covered their legal expenses but also provided financial assistance for the injured person’s medical bills. Additionally, it offered compensation to the family of the deceased, providing the necessary relief during this difficult time.
Smash and Trash incident: At an upscale five-star hotel, a valet encountered an unexpected challenge when parking a Lamborghini at the entrance, leading to a collision with a stationary car.
Fortunately, both the hotel and the valet had the foresight to possess a CGL insurance policy. This strategic choice provided a safety net by covering compensation for the Lamborghini owner and the owner of the other car. This not only eased the financial burden of the incident but also ensured a smoother resolution of the situation.
Give your business the protection big companies have.
Talk to an advisorWhat’s covered?
Medical expenses of the third party
Legal expenses and defense costs
Damages awarded in the court of law
Out of court settlement cost
Repair costs for damaged property of the third party
Replacement cost for lost or destroyed property of the third party
What’s not covered?
Work-related injuries sustained by your employees
Personal injury claims made by your employees
Costs related to product guarantee/warranty or product recall
Faulty workmanship
Pure contractual liability
Claims Roadmap
1. Notify the Insurer
If your company gets involved in a lawsuit, it’s important to quickly let your insurance company know. The insurance company will then thoroughly investigate the situation, making a detailed timeline of what happened and examining any relevant documents or messages received.
2. Expert Review
An investigator or evaluator is assigned to confirm the eligibility of the requested claims. Once the investigation is finished, the evaluation report is submitted.
3. Legal Counsel Engagement
Your company can choose to hire a legal representative for defence, with mutual consent of the insurer. The insurer will cover legal costs for defending the case. Furthermore, if your company incurs medical expenses related to third parties due to injuries or accidents, the insurer will also reimburse those bills.
Why buy commercial general liability from Onsurity
We read the clause first
If a contract is driving the cover, what satisfies it is specific, a limit, sometimes particular wording, often a named party. Send us the clause and we’ll work backwards from it.
We check what you’ve indemnified
Contractual liability is where this cover most often falls short. We look at what you’ve agreed to before deciding what to place.
One partner for your team and your business
Why juggle multiple vendors when you can secure everything in one place? From employee healthcare benefits to third-party liability insurance, we protect your entire operation.
How to get a commercial general liability quote online
Three steps from enquiry to active cover.
Tell us about your business
Your industry, where you operate, who comes in, and what your contracts require. Takes about two minutes.
Talk it through with an advisor
An advisor walks you through your exposure, the limit your contracts demand, and whether anyone needs naming on the policy.
Get cover placed
Limit sized, wording checked against your contractual obligations, then placed through our insurer partnerships.
Complete your business protection stack
Liability covers people outside your business. For everything in and around your business, explore the complete business insurance stack.
SureBiz business insurance
The full suite of liability and asset cover for growing companies.
Open →Directors & Officers Insurance
Protection for directors & officers when business decisions lead to claims.
Open →Cyber Insurance
Protection for data breach or cyber attack causing financial loss.
Open →Workmen’s Compensation Insurance
Protects employees when a workplace accident causes injury or death.
Open →Asset Insurance
Protection for asset damage due to fire, flood or theft.
Open →Get a tailored quote
Tell us about your business and get CGL pricing built for you.
Open →Frequently asked questions
CGL insurance covers third-party injury and property damage arising from your operations, plus the legal costs of defending a claim. Exact cover varies by insurer and policy.
The two overlap heavily and the terms are often used interchangeably in India. CGL is usually the broader wording. Additionally, there’s also a separate statutory public liability policy for businesses handling hazardous substances, see below.
If your business handles hazardous substances, the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 requires a policy to be in place before you start handling them, and kept in force throughout. The sum insured must be at least the paid-up capital of the undertaking, capped at ₹50 crore. It provides no-fault relief to people other than workmen. This is a separate requirement from CGL, not a substitute for it.
Usually. Contracts often specify a limit, sometimes particular wording, and frequently require the client to be named. Send us the clause and an advisor will tell you what satisfies it.
Often yes, by endorsement. It isn’t automatic, which is why contracts get failed by businesses that do hold cover.