It’s essential to protect your Business and Assets; with Insure Artisans, we’ll be sure to get you covered.

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Do you need contractor general liability insurance? 

InsureArtisans.com will get you the best policy at the cheapest price!

General liability insurance gives you the peace-of-mind that your business assets are protected against risks or unforeseen events. If a third party alleges property damage, injury, or bodily harm, you won’t have to worry about your construction business assets being depleted by medical bills, court costs, settlements, or judgments.

The construction industry is high-risk, and safety and protection are a part of the job. General liability insurance is one of the best ways to protect your business and keep your assets where you want them. You work hard to build your business, general liability insurance works hard to protect it.

There is no substitute for experience, so if you’re trying to find the best possible general liability coverage in your location, you have come to the right place! Insure Artisans has years of experience insuring contractors like yourself!

What is General Liability Insurance?

General liability insurance, often called business liability insurance, and commercial liability insurance, provides coverage for your business against claims of:

• Bodily injury.
• Property damage.
• Personal and advertising injury.
• Medical expenses.

What does a General Liability Insurance policy cover?

General liability insurance provides coverage to the insured for third-party “bodily injury” or “property damage” arising out of your operations, including defense and indemnity that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay. The policy also provides premises liability and fire damage to the insured’s rented office (not your home).

Typical General Liability Coverage for Contractors:

General Liability:

Occurrence Limit

$1,000,000

Aggregate Limit

$2,000,000

Product Completed Ops

$1,000,000

Worker’s Compensation:

Limits

$1,000,000

Commercial Auto:

Limits

$1,000,000

Tools & Equipment:

Limits (* See note below)

$10,000

Excess Liability:

Limits (* See note below)

$1,000,000

Notes:

1. Tools and Equipment limits should be adjusted to the actual value of the Tools and Equipment owned, leased, or rented by the Contractor.
2. Excess Liability should be considered for exposures to loss that exceed $1,000,000, or contractual requirements dictate the amount of excess liability must be carried.
3. Professional Liability is usually not needed unless the GC is performing Design-Build, Construction Management, or other consulting services.

What is covered?

• Bodily Injury.
• Damage to third-party property.
• Personal injury.
• Advertising injury.
• Medical expenses.
• Defense costs (On Covered Claims).
• Actions of your employees.

What is not covered?

• Your property, injury to you or your employees.
• Professional services.
• Workers’ compensation.
• Intent to injure.
• Coverage outside the policy period.
• Known claims before the start of the policy.

Optional Coverages:

Some small contractor insurance programs may exclude certain coverage listed below. If these coverages are needed, they can be purchased through broad-form policies, usually at a higher cost.

• Contractual Liability.
• Prior Work.
• Uninsured subcontractor coverage.

How to pick the right GL Policy for you

• There are two types of policies, ISO and Manuscript. The ISO policy is a standard form policy, so the coverage of the policy is known. The Manuscript policy is written by the insurance carrier, so you and your broker must read it thoroughly  to understand the coverages.
• As Insurance Brokers at Insure Artisans, we select from a large pool of insurance carriers to find the best policy that fits your needs. If you go to an Insurance Carrier Agent, you will not be able to get a policy curated to your needs. Carriers will only have one policy option for coverage. Another mistake is purchasing an online policy; who read that policy for you to determine if the coverage is proper for your company? The answer is no one read the policy.
• There is no substitute for experience, so if you’re trying to find the best possible general liability coverage in your location, you have come to the right place! Place your business in the capable hands of Insure Artisans!

Some policies exclude coverage.

• Based upon your trade, certain endorsements can be critical to include on your policy; each trade has its own requirements, and some coverages must be considered, too many to mention here.
• For example, roofers all need open roof coverage, and some need coverage for Hot Work applications.

How to Successfully Manage your Subcontractors

The following is a guideline to make sure that your subcontractor’s claims stay with your subcontractors and do not hit your General Liability policy.

Things to collect from each subcontractor before they commence work:

• A Certificate of Insurance listing all policies they hold.
• Subcontractor Agreement that includes the following:
  • General Liability Insurance:
  • Limits of Liability:
    • $1,000,000 per Occurrence.
    • $2,000,000 General Aggregate.
    • $2,000,000 Aggregate for Products-Completed Operations.
    • $1,000,000 Personal & Advertising injury.
• Endorsements: (Or equivalent endorsements).
  • Additional Insured – Ongoing Operations (CG2010).
  • Primary and Noncontributory – Blanket (CG2001).
  • Waiver of Subrogation (CG2404).
• The subcontractor agreement includes insurance requirements and a Hold Harmless Clause that holds you harmless to the fullest extent permitted by law, including defense and all legal fees for the work performed by your subcontractors on your behalf.
• All subcontractor documentation should be kept for a period of 10 years.