News & Views

A few weeks ago, a builder called to get a general liability quote. I asked when his current policy expires. He replied, “oh, I let that policy go a few months ago when my last project was finished.” Are you no longer in business? I asked. “Sure,” he said, “I just don’t need insurance since I’m not building right now.” I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. Did you sell your last house then?…

You’re a general contractor, a GC.  Like it or not, you are responsible for everyone’s safety at your jobsites.  That means anyone who may be there for any reason.  Even trespassers who trip and fall over some debris left by your demo guy.  That’s right.  Even if you post  “NO TRESPASSING” signs, you have some degree of care to any member of the public who is at your jobsite for any reason and gets hurt. …

As insurance agents we hear it all the time; are certificates really that important? If my subs’ certificates aren’t current, am I on the hook for what their policies don’t cover? What about exclusions on my policy? Maybe a hypothetical claim will help provide some answers. Let’s say you contract with a roofer. He’s not the roofer you usually work with but, he has a good reputation and he gives you a certificate of insurance…

A quick Internet search revealed some alarming statistics. According to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), 81% of construction companies are having difficulty filling both hourly and salaried trades positions.  A whopping 72% of these builders expect the labor shortage to continue to be the dominant challenge to our industry this year.  Lumber prices have been falling since June.  One Internet article likened it to a bubble that has finally popped.  But that is cold…

There’s an old saying that insurance doesn’t matter…until it does.  General liability, GL for short, is fundamental to the business world.  Most everyone knows that GL protects you from suits and claims brought against you by people injured on your jobsite, or home owners who allege damage caused by defects in the way a house was built.  Beyond this things get a little fuzzy, which leads to some creative myth making.  Here are the top…

Basically, a warranty covers workmanship issues while general liability covers damage to property and/or injury to people caused by such workmanship issues. A warranty and a general liability policy actually cancel one another out. This can lead to trouble. For instance: When your general liability insurer and your warranty company aren’t affiliated, you can find yourself in a litigious situation with both parties pointing their finger at each other. A good example is a home…

It’s been said that General Liability (GL) covers your liability for just about anything that the policy doesn’t exclude.*  When a statement like that is made there’s usually some wise guy who’ll ask something like, “Oh yeah?  How about racing lawn mowers?”  Kidding aside, few questions have caused more head scratching than when are things like bulldozers and other crawler tread vehicles, powerlifts, ATVs and yes, lawn mowers covered under a GL policy?  These examples…

Ever wonder why you buy insurance?  I mean have you ever REALLY wondered?  Most states require you to carry General Liability to maintain your contractor’s license.  Everyone you work for requires proof of insurance before you begin any project.  The list of those who need proof of “third party liability” insurance is long.   If you think about it all those premium dollars spent just to satisfy the demands of others can start to get you…

So I was trying to come up with an idea for this month’s blog and I did what any 21st century man does; I surfed the Internet.  I entered “trip & fall claims” and got over 80 million hits!  There were ads on how to know if you have a valid claim, tutorials on what you must prove to win a slip and fall injury claim, “How to..” blogs on filing your claim, whether most claims…

All across the nation, things are starting to open up.  For better or worse, the economy is being restarted, but there’s a catch…follow CDC guidance, maintain social distancing.  With rules and regulations varying from state to state and even city to city, what does that mean in terms of your liability?  How does your RWC Insurance Advantage Commercial General Liability policy respond to all this?  This blog has devoted considerable space to what is covered in…