General liability, workers compensation, commercial auto and coverage for the tools that leave your shop — from an agency that knows what a GC agreement asks for.
General liability for injury and property damage arising from your work, including completed operations — the claims that surface after the job is done. This is the policy general contractors and property owners ask to see.
Workers compensation, which in Missouri construction is generally required with one or more employees rather than five. It is also required by nearly every general contractor regardless of what the law says.
Commercial auto for trucks and trailers, plus hired and non-owned coverage for the crew member who runs to the supply house in his own pickup.
Inland marine, or contractors equipment, for tools and equipment at job sites and in transit — the coverage most contractors assume they already have and usually do not. More on why job site tools are not covered by your property policy.
Installation floater for materials delivered to a project but not yet installed, and umbrella coverage to meet contract limits that exceed your primary policies.
Three worksheets cover most of a contractor review: the business insurance checkup, the commercial auto checkup and the workers comp audit checklist.
Uninsured subcontractors. Payments to subs who cannot produce workers compensation certificates get added to your payroll at audit, and an injured worker of an uninsured sub can become your claim. The certificate rule that prevents it.
Wrong class codes. Contracting classifications carry high rates, and a code that no longer matches your operations overcharges every dollar of payroll it touches. How class codes work.
Contract requirements you cannot meet. Additional insured status including completed operations, primary and non-contributory wording, waivers of subrogation, specific limits. Agreeing in a contract does not make your policy comply. What the endorsement really does.
Certificates that arrive late. A slow certificate costs you the start date. What a certificate actually proves.
Before we quote, we work through the same list every time: are your tools covered at the job site, are your subcontractors creating uninsured exposure, does your policy satisfy the requirements in your GC agreements, do you have hired and non-owned auto, is completed operations coverage adequate, and are your class codes right.
Then we shop it. Fixing what is inside the policies frequently saves more than changing carriers does, and it carries into every renewal after this one. Use the business insurance checkup or the workers comp audit checklist to get started before you call.
Most of our contractor business is roofing, handyman and general trades work, and dump truck and hauling operations. We also write painters, flooring installers, landscapers, lawn care, cleaning services and similar trades, and we have markets for most other classes. If you are not sure we can place your trade, call and ask — the answer is usually yes.
Immediately upon binding. Once coverage is in force we issue the certificate the same day you ask for it, by phone or email, and we can send it straight to the general contractor, the property owner or the lender.
Missouri generally requires coverage for construction employers with one or more employees, with some exceptions depending on entity type and how owners are treated. A sole proprietor with no employees is often not required to carry it, though general contractors will usually require a certificate before letting you on a job.
Generally not — commercial property coverage is usually tied to your described premises, so job site tools typically fall to inland marine, also called contractors equipment coverage. The exact treatment depends on your policy form and endorsements.
Only if the endorsement says so. Ongoing operations and completed operations are different forms, and a contract requiring both is not satisfied by the first alone. Send us the contract and we will check it.
Generally not the cost of redoing the defective work itself, while damage that faulty work causes to other property is usually covered. How the exclusions apply depends on the policy form, the work and who performed it, so send us the contract and the policy if a specific job is in question.
Tell us what you need covered and one of our agents will get back to you.