Ithaca NY Business Insurance 

Ithaca is well known for being home to Cornell University. This Ivy League university brings Ithaca over 20,000 students studying here, and tons of tourists coming here. Ithaca is located at the southern end of the Cayuga Lake. The lake and many hills together make Ithaca a beautiful city and give Cornell a nice campus. 

It's tough to understand the local insurance marketplace in Ithaca NY without being a resident of the city and community.  There is a diverse base of businesses in the area and each type of industry has it's own unique set of insurance needs.  For a general overview of all our business insurance services, visit our New York specific business insurance page.

When evaluating a business insurance policy in Ithaca NY, you need to take into consideration the following:

• Elevation above sea level.   One of the major concerns that businesses and insurance carriers have alike is the peril of floods.  The closer you are to sea level, the more prone you are to having a flood.  Some carriers will actually give you a better rate if you're on the higher end of being above sea level.  
• Construction Costs.  Ithaca NY has a relatively stable construction market.  The cost of building a home is measured by construction cost per square foot.  The cost includes materials and labor.  Typically, a general contractor will be hired by a land developer.  The general contractor will sub-contract out to other contractors who put the pieces of the house together like framing, foundation, drywall, siding, flooring, roofing, electric, plumbing, heating, and more.  From dealing with local contractors and using reputable replacement cost calculators, the cost for all this work can range from $80-90 to $150-200 for higher end buildings.  The general average is $130 per square foot to build a Ithaca NY business property.  It's important to note that outside factors like natural disasters can drive up construction costs.  This is because they might limit the supply of building materials which drive up the cost.  When insuring your Ithaca NY business property, determining the cost per square foot to rebuild your property will dictate the amount of insurance you need. 
• Weather conditions.  Ithaca is known for it's dreary Winters.  Snow, hail, sleet, and gusting winds are all hazards to a business property.  Making sure your insurance policy covers these perils is vital.  Ithaca NY business insurance policies are written on specific policy forms.  The most popular are ISO forms.  These policies state that they'll cover certain perils like fire, lightning, wind, etc.  
• Ordinance or Law.  In Ithaca County, if over 50% of the market value of your building is damaged, your town may require that you demolish the entire building.  The cost to demolish the undamaged portion of your building, remove the debris, and rebuild this undamaged portion might not be covered under your policy.  That means you'd have to pay out of your own pocket for potentially 50% of the cost to rebuild your property!  There is an endorsement you can put on your Ithaca NY business insurance policy called Ordinance or Law coverage that addresses this concern.

Though there are many other factors that need to be considered when evaluating Ithaca NY business insurance, these tips above should give you a solid groundwork to get started.  We're a Ithaca NY insurance agency that has expertise in the local insurance marketplace.  Our expertise in the local area separates us from the national carriers who sell direct.  

It's important to take special consideration of local factors that could effect you negatively if you don't have the right type of business insurance.  If you have any questions about these tips please feel free to contact us and we'll make sure your Ithaca NY business insurance is the most appropriate for you!