Roofing Contractor Insurance
Sutherland Insurance places roofing contractor insurance for Ontario roofers, covering general liability, completed operations, tools and equipment, and commercial auto. It is an independent brokerage that has placed commercial business from Guelph, Ontario since 1870. An in-house claims representative is available to every client who has a claim.
- Line
- Commercial insurance
- Area served
- All of Ontario
- Claims support
- In-house claims representative available to every client on a claim
Who needs roofing contractor insurance?
Roofing contractor insurance applies to residential and commercial roofers, subcontractors and independent operators working for general contractors, and businesses carrying out storm damage and emergency repair work.
Roofing is rated as one of the harder construction classes, for two reasons that compound each other. Work at height drives the severity of injury claims, and a roof is the building element whose failure lets water into everything below it, so a completed-operations claim on a roof is rarely small. Property owners and general contractors require proof of cover before work starts, and for a subcontractor the certificate is frequently the condition of being awarded the job.
What can an Ontario roofing contractor insurance policy cover?
What a policy can cover
- Commercial general liability: third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from operations
- Completed operations: claims arising after a job is finished and handed over
- Tools and equipment: theft of or damage to portable tools and equipment away from the premises
- Commercial auto: vehicles registered to the business and driven for business purposes
- Inland marine: specialist equipment in transit or at a temporary site
- Hired and non-owned auto: liability arising from vehicles the business does not own but directs
Commonly excluded under standard Ontario roofing contractor insurance wordings
- The cost of correcting faulty workmanship itself, as distinct from resulting damage
- Workplace injury to the business’s own employees, which falls to WSIB coverage in Ontario
- Wear, tear and gradual deterioration
- Liquidated damages or penalties accepted under contract
- Gradual pollution and contamination
Exclusions vary by insurer and by policy form; the issued policy governs.
Frequently asked questions
Does liability cover water damage after a roof leak?
The cost of correcting the defective roofing work itself is excluded. Damage to the building interior and its contents caused by water entering through that defect falls to the liability section, subject to the policy wording and the limit selected.
Is hot-work roofing rated differently?
Torch-on and other hot-work processes are declared when the policy is written and rated separately from mechanically fastened or shingled work, because the ignition risk differs materially. Insurers attach conditions to that cover, commonly covering fire-watch periods after the torch is shut down and the maintenance of extinguishing equipment on site.
Do subcontractors need their own policy?
A general contractor’s policy insures the general contractor, not the trades working under it. Subcontracted roofers carry their own liability cover, and general contractors ordinarily require a certificate naming them as an additional insured before allowing a subcontractor onto the site, with a minimum limit set in the subcontract.
Get a roofing contractor insurance quote
A licensed Sutherland Insurance broker compares the available markets on every quote request.
Get a roofing contractor insurance quote Call 519-822-0160
A real person answers, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.