Roofers Insurance

What You Need to Know About Roofers Insurance

Roofing is one of Canada’s most well-paying industries, bringing in contractors from all over the world. With a growing population and housing market, there are many jobs for roofing contractors, from installing shingles to membranes to slate and tile roofs and more. 

As with any business that offers a paid service, you need an insurance policy to safeguard you and your employees while on the job. And with a business as risky as roofing, you need roofing insurance that mirrors just that. Insurance Hero partners with some of Canada’s leading insurance companies to find the best coverage that protects your business and also saves you money.

Insurance Coverage Options

Every new roofing job brings a unique set of risks to the table. As such, whether you are an independent roofing contractor or a large roofing company CEO, you need business insurance to safeguard your roofing contractor business from unforeseen events and liabilities. 

Luckily, our super Insurance Hero team makes finding roofing insurance in Ontario easy. As your local insurance experts, we go above and beyond to ensure that you get the best coverage for your business. 

What is roofing insurance?

Roofing insurance is an insurance portfolio specially tailored to protect roofers from many industry-related risks. The policy begins with commercial general liability insurance, with additional policies added as needed. 

Roofing contractors should strongly consider the following types of coverage for their comprehensive insurance policy.

Commercial General Liability Insurance

Commercial general liability protects you, your business and your employees from legal liability against third-party bodily injury or property damage claims that occurred at the job site and even after the job is finished. It covers the costs of medical bills, legal fees, and repairs or replacements. This insurance policy also protects you should the above occur on your company’s premises or any advertising and reputational injuries (e.g., slander, libel, copyright infringement).

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance protects your brick-and-mortar office and the contents inside by covering the financial loss from such perils as:

  • Property damage due to natural disasters, flood, fire, vandalism or theft.
  • Property damage or theft of electronics, equipment, company documents or employees’ personal belongings.
  • Inventory theft by employees.

Commercial property insurance can also include business interruption, which protects your business should you be unable to work due to an illness or injury and have to shut it down temporarily. This helps offset ongoing costs from income losses, such as bills, employee wages, etc.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Should you or your employees use any vehicles for work-related purposes, such as transportation of materials or getting to and from job sites, you need commercial auto insurance, as personal auto insurance will not cover vehicles used for work. This includes the following:

    • Third-party liability: If you or an employee are found to be at fault in an accident while driving a commercial vehicle that leads to a third party’s property damage or injury/death, this policy will cover legal fees, repairs and medical expenses.
  • Accident benefits: This policy covers the driver, passengers, or pedestrians if injured in a vehicle accident, regardless of who is found to be at fault. These benefits include:
      • Income replacement, non-earner and caregiver benefits
      • Medical rehabilitation and attendant care benefits
      • Death and funeral benefits
      • Miscellaneous benefits
  • Uninsured automobile coverage: Should the occupants of a commercial vehicle be involved in an accident with an underinsured at-fault motorist or a hit-and-run driver, this policy covers medical expenses, lost wages and more.
  • Direct compensation-property damage: If you are found not at fault while using a commercial vehicle, this policy covers the cost of repairs or replacement of your vehicle, its contents and a rental.

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, protects your business and employees against the total cost of customer claims of negligence or inadequate work. Any company that provides a service should strongly consider having a professional liability insurance policy. It covers:

  • Errors, mistakes and oversights
  • Failure to meet deadlines
  • Failure to deliver your product to a customer
  • Professional negligence
  • Failure to meet a standard of care
  • Breach of contract

Equipment and Tools Insurance

There’s nothing more essential to a roofer than their tools. Without them, you cannot complete your job. Equipment and tools insurance covers reimbursement costs for tools and equipment that need repairs or to be replaced if lost, stolen or damaged due to theft, vandalism, fire or flood. This policy includes tools and equipment owned, leased or rented and provides coverage whether in storage, transit, or left at a job site.

Installation Floater Insurance

This insurance policy protects only the materials and tools needed for the HVAC job. It protects them during transit and while they’re being stored on-site before installation. This policy will cover replacement costs if your tools or materials are stolen. 

Who can benefit from roofing insurance coverage?

Both independent roofing contractors and companies can and will benefit from roofing insurance as there are numerous risks in the roofing industry. Therefore, skilled workers and business owners must have roofing insurance to protect themselves and their businesses from financial loss or ruin due to unexpected events. Some of these events may include:

  • Property damage or theft at your workplace or office.
  • Injuries suffered by employees while on-site.
  • Third-party lawsuits due to bodily injury or property damage that occurred during or after completing a roofing project that your business was found legally responsible for.
  • Accidents involving your commercial vehicles.
  • Third-party lawsuits due to injuries sustained by clients or visitors at your workplace or office.

Why is it important for roofers to have roofing Insurance?

Roofing involves many considerable risks; after all, roofers are at high risk of falling due to working on tall buildings and in difficult weather conditions. Therefore, roofers need to be able to protect their businesses from any accidents or unexpected events. Below are some examples of situations when it would be essential to have roofing insurance:

  • An employee slips and falls off of a roof. He is severely injured and off work for several weeks or months.
  • A tool or piece of equipment slides off of a roof and land on a parked vehicle causing damage.
  • A customer files a lawsuit after their roof is completed, claiming they are unsatisfied with the job.
  • Loose shingles fly off the roof on a windy day, one hits a pedestrian, and they file a lawsuit.

You must have enough coverage to protect yourself, your business and your employees. Don’t get held down by coverage limitations! Our Insurance Heroes are here to save the day!

Is roofing insurance required by law?

In Ontario, all contractors are required by law to have commercial general liability insurance. Therefore, as roofers are a subcategory of contractors, they must have commercial general liability insurance. Also, if your business uses any commercial vehicles, whether it is one van or a fleet of trucks, you must have commercial auto insurance. 

However, roofing insurance can safeguard you beyond the standard commercial liability, so creating a portfolio with customized, comprehensive insurance that can include coverage to protect you from property damage, workplace injuries, loss of income, and more is crucial. 

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The type of roofers insurance you need will depend on several variables, such as how large your business is and how many employees you have. Let Insurance Hero help manage your risk and insurance cost by conducting a full commercial insurance policy review to determine what kind of coverage is best for you!

For reliable, affordable Ontario roofers insurance, please request a quote online or call us at 1-855-777-4376. Our team of Insurance Heroes is happy to answer any questions you have!