GuideConstruction & Contractors
Comprehensive Guide to Course of Construction Insurance Canada
Everything builders and construction managers need to know about protecting their projects with proper insurance coverage.
4 min read
Industries/
Construction & Realty Insurance
From general contractors to property managers — coverage that keeps pace with your projects. Builder's risk, CGL, wrap-ups, bonding, and the restricted-trade placements standard markets keep declining.
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The Challenges
Risks unique to construction and realty.
Project Complexity
Each project has unique risks, timelines, and contractual requirements.
Subcontractor Exposure
You’re often liable for subcontractor work and their insurance gaps.
Weather & Delays
Unforeseen events can derail timelines and trigger costly claims.
Certificate Management
Property managers and GCs juggle dozens of COIs at any given time.
35,000+
Construction injuries recorded in Canada in 2024
32%
Of workplace deaths occur in construction (only 5% of workforce)
872
Fatalities in the construction sector in 2024
Who We Insure
Construction isn't one risk profile. We insure each sub-segment differently.
A GC managing forty subs and a strata manager holding trust funds share an industry label but almost nothing else about their exposure. Each program starts with which part of the built world you actually work in.
General Contractors
Commercial GCs, design-build firms, construction managers, residential builders
- CGL structured around completed-operations tails that outlive the project by years
- Subcontractor default exposure — you carry their gaps unless contracts and COIs are airtight
- Contractors E&O for design-build and construction-management delegated design
Trade Contractors
Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, concrete, steel erection
- Trade-specific CGL appetite — roofing and structural trades face restricted markets most brokers can’t place
- Hot-work, height, and torch-applied exclusions hidden in standard wordings
- Tools and equipment floaters priced for jobsite theft, not warehouse storage
Developers & Owners
Real estate developers, project owners, joint ventures, spec builders
- Builder’s risk from groundbreaking to occupancy — including delay-in-completion and soft costs
- Wrap-up programs (OCIP) that unify coverage across every contractor on site
- D&O and entity coverage for development JVs, limited partnerships, and syndications
Property Managers & Realty
Property management firms, commercial landlords, condo/strata managers, realty brokerages
- E&O for tenant placement, trust accounting, and strata management decisions
- Habitational property programs — a segment many standard carriers have exited
- Certificate management across dozens of properties, vendors, and lender requirements
The Construction Stack
Four core lines, one coordinated program.
These coverages form the core insurance stack for construction and realty. We structure them together — plus wrap-ups, equipment floaters, and contractors E&O where needed — so wording lines up, gaps close, and certificates satisfy owners, lenders, and GCs the first time.
Commercial General Liability
Premises, operations, and completed-operations liability — structured around your trades, contracts, and completed-work tail.
Learn moreBuilder’s Risk
Covers the structure from groundbreaking to occupancy — fire, weather, theft, vandalism, and optional delay-in-completion.
Learn moreSurety Bonding
Bid, performance, and labour & material bonds — the facility that decides which projects you can even bid on.
Learn morePollution Liability
Jobsite pollution conditions, mould, and environmental exposures that standard CGL wordings exclude.
Learn moreMarket Access
Three routes to market. One submission.
Restricted trades, habitational realty, and post-claim contractors don't get abandoned — they get re-routed. Summit places construction programs through direct carriers, wholesale markets, and Lloyd's-backed specialty capacity.
Direct Carriers
Established relationships with carriers that hold real construction appetite — matched to your trade, project size, and loss history rather than forced to fit.
Wholesale & MGA Markets
For hard-to-place risks — roofing, structural trades, habitational realty, post-claim accounts — we access managing general agents and wholesale markets that direct-only brokers can't reach.
Lloyd's-Backed Specialty Capacity
Summit Commercial Solutions is a Lloyd's coverholder, giving us direct access to Lloyd's-backed specialty capacity for non-standard construction risks and higher limits.
Speed to Bind
As fast as your risk allows. Never slower than it should be.
Timelines depend on the complexity of the risk — a straightforward artisan contractor CGL moves much faster than a wrap-up program or a restricted trade requiring Lloyd's capacity. What's consistent is how we work:
24-Hour Broker Review
Every submission — simple or complex — receives a licensed broker's technical risk assessment within 24 hours, as a hard commitment.
Parallel Marketing
Direct, wholesale, and Lloyd's markets are approached simultaneously — not one at a time — so declines never restart the clock.
Same-Day Binding
Once you accept terms, we bind same-day and issue certificates that match your owner's or GC's wording the first time.
The Submission Package
What a strong construction submission looks like.
Most declines are a presentation problem, not a risk problem. This is what we prepare with you before your risk ever reaches an underwriter's desk.
Completed application and 5-year loss runs
Including context on any prior incidents — underwriters read narratives, not just numbers.
Project pipeline and contract values
Current and planned projects, typical contract size, and your largest project over the next 12 months.
Subcontractor management program
How you vet subs — written contracts, insurance requirements, COI collection, and hold-harmless wording.
Safety program and COR status
Safety manual, training records, WCB clearance, and COR certification if held — underwriters price discipline.
Revenue split by trade and project type
Residential vs. commercial, new construction vs. renovation, and any work at height, hot work, or structural scope.
Bonding history and financial statements
For surety — reviewed financials, work-in-progress schedules, and existing bonding facility details.
Common Questions
Construction insurance FAQs.
What is builder’s risk insurance and when do I need it?+
Builder’s risk covers structures under construction against damage from fire, weather, theft, and vandalism. It is typically required from groundbreaking until project completion or occupancy.
Who is responsible for subcontractor insurance?+
General contractors are often held liable for subcontractor work. Contracts should specify insurance requirements, and GCs should verify coverage before subs begin work.
What is a wrap-up insurance program?+
A wrap-up (OCIP or CCIP) provides unified coverage for all contractors on a project. It can reduce costs, eliminate coverage gaps, and simplify claims handling on large projects.
How quickly can I get certificates of insurance?+
We typically issue COIs within 24 hours for standard requests. Rush requests for project deadlines can often be accommodated same-day.
My trade keeps getting declined by standard carriers. Can Summit place it?+
Often, yes. Roofing, structural, demolition, and other restricted trades are placed through wholesale markets, MGAs, and Lloyd’s-backed specialty capacity that direct-only brokers can’t reach. Every submission — simple or complex — receives a technical risk assessment from a licensed broker within 24 hours.
How fast can Summit bind construction coverage?+
It depends on the complexity of the risk — but every submission gets a broker’s technical risk assessment within 24 hours as a hard commitment. Standard, low-complexity CGL can bind the same day. Complex programs — wrap-ups, restricted trades, large builder’s risk — are marketed in parallel across direct, wholesale, and Lloyd’s markets, with same-day binding once terms are accepted.
Explore other industries
Declined, non-renewed, or priced out? Start with our hard-to-place practice.
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