Commercial Insurance by George Chemedi
Your Ontario Business First
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Course Of Construction Insurance
It should not come as a surprise that there is no automatic coverage for major renovations, additions, or construction to your property while the work is in progress. After a project has been completed, most will remember to contact their insurance professional and report the work so that their coverage can be revised to reflect the enhanced property value.
However, this means that there can be a sizable risk exposure while the work itself is ongoing and underlines the need for Course of Construction insurance.
Course of Construction (COC) or Builder’s Risk insurance is coverage meant
to protect property owners, developers, and contractors while major renovation/construction work is being completed — and in some cases for a specified period of time afterwards.
Considering the values typically associated with these projects, it only makes sense to protect your investment with COC insurance. Through its purchase, all project stakeholders are protected in the case of loss and when a rebuild is required.
Although it can be assumed that the property owner needs to purchase COC insurance, contractors, project managers, or even engineers can all purchase the insurance. This is due to the fact that COC insurance provides coverage to a number of different parties involved in construction projects and not just the owner.
If your contractor expects you to bear the cost of COC insurance, you should ensure the coverage is adequate for the project scope and that this cost is reflected favourably in your contractor’s actual job estimate.
