Is Negligence Covered by Builders Risk Insurance?

Builders risk insurance is designed to cover a variety of dangers that those involved in a construction project may face before the project is complete. This type of insurance can protect the construction project’s physical assets (materials, supplies, equipment, etc.) in case of damage caused by fire, explosions, hail, lightning, vehicle crashes, theft, vandalism and more. contractor marking a piece of wood next to a yellow hard hat

contractor marking a piece of wood next to a yellow hard hat

Extended policies may even cover your scaffoldings and other temporary structures used in construction, and charges from the fire department.

However, you will need a general liability policy to cover you against everything that your builders risk insurance will not. These hazards include:

Injuries on your property
Damage to rented commercial space
Damages or injury caused by you or your team

Negligence is a major concern in construction. But negligence can be a little confusing when it comes to insurance. Builders risk insurance may cover negligence while, at the same time, listing negligence as an exclusion in certain circumstances.

Generally, you can expect that your policy will cover damages caused by negligence. However, certain other costs may be incurred owing to a contractor's negligence, and your insurance policy may or may not cover these costs.

What is Not Covered by Builders Risk Insurance?
You will need both construction general liability and builders risk protection to cover your end when working on a construction project. Each policy can generally be expected to cover the gaps left by the other. However, this will still leave a few areas where you are not protected, such as:

Earthquakes
Floods

Flawed workmanship
Equipment breakdown
Construction vehicles

Your best bet for making sure that you are protected is to make sure that you understand your policy. Read it through carefully, and if you have any questions, call your agent to make sure that you understand it. If there are any major exclusions that leave you with gaps with which you are not comfortable, additional insurance can be purchased to cover most of these areas. There is a lot at risk in a construction project, and adequate coverage is of vital importance.

If you have any stake in a construction project whether you are a contractor, property owner or architect, make sure to carry builders risk insurance. Ask your insurance agent about protecting your investment in a construction project and make sure that everyone involved is reliable and understands whether or not they are covered by builders risk insurance.

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