Best Insurance for Developers & Owners 

What insurance do property developers need? 

One of the most important kinds of insurance for property developers and in the construction industry generally is liability insurance. To protect you and your business financially in case of accidental damage to property or third-party injury, products liability insurance and public liability insurance should be the foundation of your property developer insurance policy. And since working on-site can be a risk for your workers, too, you may need to include employers’ liability insurance, which can sometimes apply to subcontractors as well. For one, east-to-buy property developer insurance policy, you can package both of these liability covers.  

Professional indemnity insurance can protect you should your customers alleged you gave them incorrect or inadequate designs/advice that then hurt them financially. Professional indemnity can also provide coverage against the legal costs sustained during your defence.  

Contract works insurance might be a key consideration – or may even be required under the contract conditions – if you are working on bigger projects. This type of insurance can be broadened to include owned and hired in plant and employee tools. Because your tools and plant are necessary in order to work, if they were stolen, for example, you would be unable to trade. Tool coverage could be added to your property developer insurance at different levels, which means you would only pay for the coverage you need. Additionally, commercial legal protection protects contract and employment disputes and could save your company financially if someone sued you.

How much does it cost for construction insurance? 

There are a lot of variables that can contribute to the cost of construction business and contractor insurance, which includes where you operate and your type of work. For Insureon customers in the U.S., general liability insurance costs for construction businesses and contractors is less than $70/month, or $825/year. This policy protects against property damage and third-party bodily injury, as well as advertising injuries.  

Do I need homeowner’s insurance during construction? 

You don’t need to buy regular homeowners insurance coverage on your home unless you’re building it entirely yourself, however you should insure your home, even while it’s under construction. A standard homeowners insurance policy will include protections for injury liability and theft of personal property, which could become problematic for you and your insurer if there is coverage on your home while it’s still under construction. Having regular insurance can protect you against someone shooting you in the hand with a nail gun, for instance, or stealing your materials, if you are building the home yourself.  

Usually, you would need fire and dwelling coverage for a home under construction. You can buy fire coverage if it is not covered in the dwelling insurance. You may need to buy this type of insurance is that contractors are only liable for damages relating to the building of the house, rather than damages resulting from tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters. If you live in an area where disasters such as earthquakes or volcanoes are more common, you would likely need to secure that coverage plus the dwelling coverage. 

Contractors who are building the home are typically required by law to  have insurance covering theft of materials, since the contractor owns the materials until they’ve been built into your house. Contractors are also responsible for injuries sustained by himself and his subcontractors at the site during construction.   

What type of insurance should a contractor have? 

A contractor should have general liability insurance, and there are two ways independent contractors can procure this type of coverage. You can get your own general liability policy from an insurance provider. It’s usually the most cost-effective approach for your clients. You may need to request a certificate of insurance from your provider, to show your client that you’re covered.  

Otherwise, your clients can add you to their general liability policy as an additional insured, meaning you’re covered by their insurance during the job, or maybe longer. Businesses could potentially add a number of contractors to their general liability insurance policies. Typically, it’s pricier for customers to include you on their policies. However, depending on the situation, clients might choose to add you.  

What is self-build insurance? 

Self-build insurance will protect you and your house while it’s under construction, particularly against the risk of injury or damage that may happen during work on your self-build site, including physical damage cover and liability.  

What is contractors all-risk insurance? 

Contractors all-risk insurance, or CAR, will cover you against third-party claims of damage or injury and property damage. Third-party claims could even come from subcontractors that you might not have worked with previously.  

Contractors all-risk insurance is great for contractors, who will most likely be working with specialist tools in risky environments like construction sites. Most all-risk policies will provide coverage for contract work, your own tools, plant, equipment, worker tools, temporary building erected during construction, and hired-in plant. Policies can also include contract works insurance, which could cover you financially for on-site repairs, or if a fire, vandalism, storm, flood, or theft forced you to redo the work you were contracted to finish.  

How much does general liability insurance cost for a contractor? 

General liability insurance for contractors typically costs Insureon customers in the U.S. roughly $90/month, or $1,090/year, and protects against third-party property damage, third-party injuries, and advertising injuries.  

Do I need business insurance if I have an LLC? 

It depends mostly on the kind of business you are in. LLCs, or limited liability companies, usually chose a combination of these more common policies to protect themselves: general liability insurance; professional liability coverage; workers’ compensation insurance; commercial property insurance; cyber liability insurance; commercial auto insurance and hired and non-owned auto insurance; product liability insurance; and directors and officers insurance.