Roofing contractors are exposed to the risk of falling from high places and suffering bodily injuries or accidentally causing damage to a customer's roof while working. As unfortunate as such events might be, they can land roofing contractors in trouble.
With roofing contractor's insurance, you ensure compliance with local laws, while protecting your business from financial liabilities arising from accidents and any subsequent claims and lawsuits.
Why Do Roofing Contractors Need Insurance?
As with any contracting profession out there, roofing contractors also need insurance to protect themselves against possible injuries while at work. In case of an accident, the right insurance policy can help pay for the costs, liabilities, and protect the company’s financial stability.
Since roofing contractors specialize in fixing, installing, or renovating roofs, they are at risk of falling from great heights. This can either lead to extensive bodily injuries or death.
Insurance for roofers can pay for medical bills, including emergency room expenses, and some of the lost wages of the employee. It can also protect the owner of the business against claims or lawsuits arising from accidents at work, even if there is a fatality at the site of work.
In some cases, a client can get injured at the construction site or their property can accidentally get damaged by an employee during the roofing repair work. In such cases, an insurance policy can help cover all costs regardless of the accident at hand.
And in other cases, roofing contractors are legally required by state law to have a certain level of cover before they can get their contracting license and begin work.
What Types of Insurance Do Roofing Contractors Need?
For roofing contractors, there are numerous insurance policies to choose from. The level of coverage you get would depend on factors such as the type of services your business offers, types of properties you serve and equipment you use, the number of cars and employees your business has, and more.
For a detailed overview of the recommended insurance policies for roofing contractors, please take a look below.
How Much Does Roofers Insurance Cost?
The premium of roofing contractors’ insurance will depend on numerous factors.
But, generally speaking, you can expect to pay on average about $300 per month on general liability insurance for roofers, which totals $3,590 per year. This policy will provide protection for your business against property damage, third-party injuries, and other related claims and lawsuits.
If your roofing business employs staff, you can expect to pay $810 per month on workers’ compensation insurance, which is a total of $9,690 per year. This roofers insurance policy is required in almost every state for businesses with employees. It can help pay for the contractor’s hospital expenses, and some of the wages lost while recovering from an injury at work.
If your business owns cars, you can expect to pay about $140 per month, totaling $1,685 per year, for commercial auto insurance. With this policy, your vehicles, staff, and any third party involved will be protected.
And finally, roofing contractors can expect a premium of around $40 a month for contractor’s tools and equipment insurance, or a total of $500 annually. Having this policy in place can help your business cover the cost of repairs or replacements of any tools that have been stolen, gotten lost, or damaged beyond repair.
Typical Roofing Contractors Insurance Claims
Roofing contractors are constantly at risk of encountering accidents and other hazards while working.
Generally speaking, roofing contractors make insurance claims related to bodily injuries, loss of wages as a result of workplace injury, third-party property damage, and vehicular accidents.
Whatever the case may be, having the right insurance policy in place will provide a level of protection for your business against lawsuits, and help ease the financial burden that may arise in the event of an accident.