Does the lease mean my business must buy a particular policy?
The lease can show what that landlord asks for; it does not answer every insurance question for the business. Compare its exact terms with the quote and ask the insurer to identify where requested wording appears in the policy.[1]
Ask the broker to identify the exact clause, policy part, limit and wording the landlord requests. If the requested language is not shown in the proposal, resolve that before signing or representing that it is satisfied.[1]
Read the Office Management Insurance Buying Guide
Sources and Further Reading
- Commercial Insurance Guide — California Department of Insurance. Revised June 14, 2024; commercial property, inland marine, boiler and machinery/equipment breakdown, commercial general liability, commercial auto, umbrella, and workers compensation. California-focused guidance; confirm other jurisdictions and actual policy wording.
California commercial guide for commercial property, general liability and equipment-breakdown topics.
- Small Business Insurance — National Association of Insurance Commissioners. BOP and exclusions; general liability and exclusions; professional liability, crime and cyber; business property. General educational descriptions, not policy terms.
General small-business coverage categories, package limits and property interests.
- Business Interruption and Business Owner Policy — National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Business interruption and contingent business interruption; covered physical damage and dependent-business trigger qualifications.
Business-income trigger questions for a shutdown scenario.
- Cybersecurity for Small Business — Federal Trade Commission. Supplier risk, response planning and cyber-insurance buyer questions. Educational guidance, not policy wording.
- Cyber Insurance — Federal Trade Commission (content developed with NAIC and federal partners). First-party coverage, lines 46–77; third-party coverage, lines 78–102. Examples are not a promise for any policy.
Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this guide and works in the commercial insurance market. This is general buyer education; policy terms and state-specific obligations determine coverage and requirements.
Updated 2026-09-28. Editorial Policy
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