Most of epites.biz is about the world of contractors and principals – this article is the exception: it's written for the homeowner who's about to renovate. Because the tradespeople's cover is one side of it; the other is what happens, in the meantime, to your own home insurance, and what's worth sorting out before the work starts.
- A renovation can be a notifiable circumstance for home insurance purposes – depending on the wording.
- Home insurance handles some losses during construction only to a limited extent – especially once the building has been opened up.
- Asking tradespeople-contractors about their cover isn't impolite – it's normal practice.
- For major work affecting the structure, project cover (CAR) can come up in a residential setting too.
Your own home insurance: what should you know?
Three questions are worth clarifying with your own insurer (or through your broker) before work starts: Does the renovation need to be notified – and for which types of work? How does the cover operate during the works – for example with a stripped roof, a disconnected alarm, or a period when the home is unoccupied? And what does the increase in value mean – raising the sum insured once the renovation is finished, so it doesn't slide into under-insurance? The details for the residential side live on the sister site lakas.biz – it has its own article there on the "before and during renovation" topic.
The tradespeople's cover: what should you ask?
Two simple questions are enough: "Do you have contractors' liability insurance?" (this cover typically responds to damage caused to the neighbour, or to parts of your home not affected by the work) – for damage to the actual subject of the work, though, many wordings only respond with a separate clause (product or completed-work liability), so it's worth asking about that specifically. And, for bigger jobs: "Is the job itself insured (CAR)?" It's worth backing up the answers with a certificate of insurance – a decent contractor won't take that as an insult, but as routine. The logic of checking is the same as on a large scale: what to look for on the policy – just at a smaller scale.
When does project cover come up at home?
The dividing line is the nature of the work: painting and tiling typically doesn't call for separate project insurance; but re-roofing, adding a storey, or alterations affecting the load-bearing structure already border on CAR territory – there, the risk from an opened-up building and to neighbours is project-sized: the small-project article, roof renovation, existing property. And for house-building under a main contractor, the family-home article shows the picture.
The good script
Before the renovation: agree the position with your own home insurer, get a certificate from the tradespeople, take photos to record the condition (especially of party walls – so the neighbour's peace of mind is covered too: the logic of the cracks article, on a small scale). After the renovation: notify the increase in value, add the new fittings to the policy. If you need help with this, a consultation is available on the residential side at lakas.biz and on the project side at epites.biz – the two meet at the same broker.
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