Builders risk insuranceis an important type of insurance coveragethat can help you to be protected should something happen to your job sitefrom fire to theft. You, the site owner, and the other invested parties will remain protected, so the job can be completed.
A Builders’ Risk insurance policyprotects business owners’ financials within in construction should anything happen on the job site. The insurance coveragewill include protection from fire, vandalism, theft, and extreme weather. A business ownerwill pay insurance companyabout one to four percent of the construction costs as coverage. This post is going to take a look at how builders’ risk insurance coverageworksand look into the basics of what is covered during the course of the construction as well as what you need to know to it and what will affect the cost of the coverage.
Builders Risk CoverageBasics
Builders risk covers the contractor, subcontractor, or general contractoron the project as well as the property ownerand any other party with an insurable interest. Either the contractor doing the work or the property ownerwill buy the coverage to cover the time that the site will be actively under construction. This policy protects the contractor and owner from mishap during the course of the construction project.
In general, you’ll see policies for three, six, and twelve months with the option to extend. These policies will cover all materials, fixtures, equipment that could be damaged or stolen during the course of construction. However, soft costswill be harder to ensure as you will generally need. You will also be able to cover the building itself though soft costslike money lost will be harder to cover. Finally, employee theftand extreme acts of nature are often excluded.
What’s Important When Shopping?
When looking to obtain builders risk, make sure you track your risk managementskills like the protection (fences) that you are leaving on site as this will cause your rate to lower as the risk of something happening lowers. Next, think about the location and size of the project as local risk and rates will influence how much you pay. You’ll also want to think about how much the project is worth, and your creditworthiness as those will largely influence the final cost.
Gather as much information as you can before starting the process. You never know what you will need to know to have the best quote and by having everything on hand, you will spend less time. Shopping around is another great way to help save money; you should always check more than one insurance company!
How Do You Determine the Cost?
If you’re using high-quality construction methods, better safety measurements, and work for a company with a high credit rating, your rate will be lower. On the other hand, if the construction projectyou are working on has poor temporary structuresor the company has many previous loss claims, then your cost could be much higher. Overall, expect to pay between one and four percent of the total budget on insurance costs.