Travis writes: We are in the planning stages of building a house. We will be paying cash and have gotten quotes from three builders. We have been told by three different insurance agents that as the property owners paying cash, that we should have the Builder’s Risk insurance and the builder should have liability insurance. Two of the builders told us that they are the ones that have the Builder’s Risk insurance. After much discussion and them talking to their agent they came back and told us that we should have Builder’s Risk with both of us being named as co-insures. I disagree with this because if the project is damaged when it is 95% finished and the builder has been paid for the finished work, the insurance would pay the claim proceeds to both the builder and myself. Legally, the builder would be entitled to 50% of the proceeds, but I would be the one that has suffered 100% of the loss. My question is who should get the Builder’s Risk policy?
Steve Bliss of BuildingAdvisor.com responds: Builder’s Risk insurance typically covers physical damage to a project during construction from things like fire, wind, theft, or vandalism of the building or materials during the construction process, including theft or vandalism of the contractor’s equipment. It may cover theft of materials, but may require special security like a gated job site. It is usually the owner who takes out the policy, but it can also be the contractor. In either case, the other party is usually added as a “named insured.”
As with much in life, and especially with construction contracts and insurance policies, the devil is in the details. It’s natural that a contractor would want protection from losses as much as the homeowner. For example, if a fire causes damage during construction and you receive all the money, the contractor would want some assurance that he will get paid for the extra work required to complete the project. Similarly, he would want compensation for damaged or stolen equipment. You, as the owner, want protection from damage caused by wind and fire, but also by the contractor — for example, if roof trusses collapse because they were not properly braced.
To protect both parties and spell out who is compensated for what type of loss, the insurance policy and the construction contract have to work together. Standard industry contracts such as AIA contracts cover these issues to some degree. For example AIA A201 states that the owner “shall purchase and maintain . . . property insurance written on a Builder’s Risk ‘all-risk’ or equivalent policy… This insurance shall include the interests of the Owner, Contractor, and Subcontractors…”
AIA and similar industry-standard contracts also contain “waiver of subrogation” clauses which limit the rights of the parties to sue one another, limiting the potential costs and delays of litigation, and allowing the insurance company to sue the responsible party if necessary to recover its losses.
Builders risk insurance is complicated and each policy is a different, as are the state laws governing construction contracts and insurance. It is worth the effort to get both properly written. The clearer these issues are spelled out in the contract and insurance policy, the quicker things get resolved in the event of a loss and with less risk of litigation — and that benefits all parties involved. Given the complexity, you should definitely discuss this with one or more insurance agents with experience in construction coverage, and maybe with a lawyer as well.
One exception is a situation where you are purchasing the house and land as a package from a developer. In this case, you don’t typically take possession until the house is complete and don’t need Builder’s Risk coverage, which is only in effect during construction.
Bear in mind that the largest potential risk in construction projects is usually your personal liability from an accident at the construction site, so make sure you have adequate coverage through your own or the builder’s general liability insurance, with you as a named insured. It is also important that your contractor have proper Worker’s Comp coverage to protect you if a worker is injured. If you have substantial assets, you should also look into an umbrella policy which wraps around all your other liability insurances and increases the upper limit to $1 million or more. It’s usually pretty cheap and lets you sleep better at night.
Jacob says
Is Contractor’s Builder’s Risk Policy Acceptable by Bank?
We are seeking for builder risk policy for a new construction project. The builder has a builder risk policy. The lender/bank requires I provide them one. Since builder has one, would there be a reason I need one as well?
buildingadvisor says
It is more common for the owner to take out this policy, but builders can as well. If your builder’s policy covers you as a “named insured,” there’s a good chance that the bank will accept it.
However, each policy is different and the bank may require that it complies with their standards and may want to review a copy of the policy. They make the rules regarding their own lending practices, so you really need to ask your loan officer for details.
Mark says
Who Should Pay for General Liability Insurance?
I have a cost estimate from an independent local GC on new home construction at Cedar Creek Lake, Texas. Included in the cost is $3156 for general liability insurance. The GC is charging 18% markup for overhead and profit. Should I be paying GL insurance or the GC? He told me he could pay it but would mark up overhead and profit to 20%. I would think this would already be part of his overhead?
buildingadvisor says
General liability insurance for contractors varies a great deal based on the area of the country and the size and type of business. A lot of contractors spend under $1,000 a year for this coverage, while some spend several thousand dollars or more. Also, some cities and states require that GCs carry this coverage.
It is more typical for a contractor to cover this as part of overhead, but billing it as a direct cost to you has the same end result. It sounds like you are working with a contractor who is fairly transparent in his pricing, which is a good thing. Many contractors will simply quote you a price without any breakdown for overhead and profit.
At the end of the day, however, what is most important is the final price, not how the contractor got there, as every contractor has his own recipe for calculating his costs and mark-up. So if the price is competitive and you believe that the contractor is competent and trustworthy, then I wouldn’t worry about the insurance cost.
However, make sure that you are covered as a “named insured”. Also check with your own insurance agent to see what liability protection your current Homeowner’s policy provides. You agent can also advise you about possible gaps in your contractor’s coverage and questions to ask about his policy. You may still want to consider beefing up your own liability coverage for the duration of the project, for example, with an umbrella policy.
Insurance is a topic that puts most people to sleep, myself included – until there is a claim. Then you wish you had read the fine print.
Read more on contractors’ General Liability Insurance at this link.
Best of luck with your new home!