Capabilities

Coverage is not a product list. It is a set of decisions about how your operation is described.

Every line below is written around the roofing issue behind it: what the exposure actually is, what underwriters concentrate on, and where roofing programs commonly fall short. The definitions are available anywhere. The context is not.

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Casualty

The liability structure of a roofing program, and the place where wording differences produce the largest swings at claim time.

General Liability

Roofing general liability is defined less by its limits than by what has been carved out of it. Completed operations, water intrusion arising from open roof conditions, residential work, subcontracted labor, height, and action-over claims brought by an injured subcontractor employee are all routinely restricted by endorsement. Two policies with identical declarations pages can respond very differently to the same loss.

We read the form, not the proposal summary. Exclusions are compared against the operation and against the insurance exhibits in your contracts, and differences are put in writing before you bind.

What underwriters focus on

Percentage of work subcontracted, and whether written agreements are in place
Residential versus commercial mix, and tract versus custom exposure
Maximum height and whether steep-slope work is performed
Open roof and temporary weather protection procedures
Completed operations loss history, including warranty and leak claims
Contract requirements you routinely accept from general contractors

Where programs fall short

Subcontractor warranty endorsements the contractor cannot actually satisfy
Action-over or employer's liability exclusions that defeat the point of the limit
Residential or height exclusions that do not match how the company operates
Open roof exclusions written broadly enough to remove water damage entirely
Additional insured forms narrower than the contracts already signed

Workers' Compensation

Roofing class codes carry some of the highest rates in construction, so classification accuracy and experience modification management move real money. Uninsured subcontractors become your payroll at audit, and a single fall claim can influence pricing for three policy years.

We audit the modification worksheet, review payroll allocation before audit rather than after, and build the claims narrative that explains what changed after a bad year.

What underwriters focus on

Class code assignment and payroll allocation by operation
Experience modification, its trend, and the claims driving it
Fall protection program and supervisor accountability
Subcontractor certificate discipline and audit exposure
Return-to-work capability and average claim duration
Turnover, crew tenure and language of instruction

Where programs fall short

Clerical or supervisory payroll left in the roofing code
Experience modification errors never audited against the rating worksheet
No return-to-work program, so medical-only claims become lost time
Subcontractor certificates that lapse mid-project and surface at audit

Umbrella & Excess Liability

Contract requirements drive limit demands, but fleet severity and subcontractor controls decide whether markets will support them. Excess capacity for roofing is finite, and the first question above the primary layer is usually about drivers and subcontractors rather than roofs.

We build the tower deliberately, confirm following-form language layer by layer, and present the controls that make excess markets willing to compete.

What underwriters focus on

Auto loss severity and large-loss history
Driver qualification standards and MVR criteria
Subcontractor agreement and verification controls
Primary limit adequacy and following-form integrity
Attachment point relative to the exposure being transferred

Where programs fall short

Excess layers that do not follow form over auto or employer's liability
Limits bought to satisfy one contract while others go unmet
Capacity assembled from markets that will not stay through a bad year

Automobile

For most roofing contractors, fleet is the largest severity driver in the program and the fastest way to lose market support.

Commercial Auto & Fleet Liability

Loaded trucks, trailers, dump bodies, boom and crane units, early starts and long drives between job sites produce the claims that most concern excess markets. Nuclear verdicts in trucking have reset how carriers price contractor fleets, and driver files are now read as closely as loss runs.

We help formalize driver standards and accident review, then present the fleet program as evidence rather than assertion when markets evaluate the account.

What underwriters focus on

MVR standards, hiring criteria and how often records are re-pulled
Telematics adoption and whether the data changes behavior
Vehicle age, maintenance records and pre-trip inspection discipline
Radius of operation and personal use of company vehicles
Accident review process and post-accident procedure
Hired and non-owned exposure, including personal vehicles on company errands

Where programs fall short

No written driver qualification standard, so exceptions become the norm
Hired and non-owned exposure left uncovered while crews run parts in personal trucks
Telematics installed but never reviewed, which underwriters treat as no program
Unscheduled units discovered at audit

Property

Buildings, yards, staged materials and the equipment crews depend on to produce revenue.

Commercial Property

Shops, offices and yards look straightforward until a loss exposes valuation and coinsurance decisions made years earlier. Material price movement has left many roofing contractors underinsured on stock without realizing it.

We revisit values and business income assumptions annually rather than rolling them forward.

What underwriters focus on

Construction, protection class and catastrophe exposure
Stock values and how often they are updated
Yard security, lighting and material storage practice

Where programs fall short

Replacement cost values never revisited after construction inflation
Coinsurance penalties discovered only at the time of loss
Business income limits unrelated to actual dependency on the shop

Inland Marine & Contractors Equipment

Kettles, hoists, conveyors, generators, trailers and hand tools move daily between yard, road and roof. Coverage gaps usually appear in transit, in unattended trailers overnight, or in the difference between scheduled and unscheduled property.

We reconcile the schedule against the equipment list and rental agreements before renewal.

What underwriters focus on

Equipment schedule accuracy and valuation basis
Theft history and jobsite security practice
Leased and rented equipment obligations under contract

Where programs fall short

Rented equipment obligations exceeding the limit carried
Small tools sublimits set years ago
Installation floater absent while materials sit staged on a roof

Builders Risk & Installation

On new construction and major re-roof work, the exposure is the building below the open deck. Water damage from an incomplete roof is the defining builders risk claim in this trade, and the wording that governs it varies widely.

We review owner-procured policies you are asked to rely on, not just the ones you buy.

What underwriters focus on

Project values, duration and open roof exposure
Weather monitoring and temporary protection procedures
Who procures the policy and whether you are named on it

Where programs fall short

Owner-procured policies naming the general contractor but not the roofer
Water damage sublimits far below the exposure
Coverage ending at substantial completion while punch work continues

Specialty & Executive Risk

Exposures tied to materials, data, leadership decisions and contractual obligations.

Contractors Pollution Liability

Hot work, adhesives, solvents, fumes drifting into rooftop air intakes, asbestos-containing material in tear-off and silica dust are pollution events under most general liability forms, which exclude them.

We align pollution wording with the systems the company actually installs.

What underwriters focus on

Hot work and torch-down procedures, including fire watch
Tear-off practices and hazardous material protocols
Air intake shutdown coordination with building owners

Where programs fall short

Assuming general liability responds to fume or mold claims
No coverage for completed operations pollution after project close

Professional & Contractors Errors and Omissions

Design-assist, system selection, detail recommendations and consulting on existing conditions create professional obligations that general liability does not cover.

We identify where the company is giving professional advice without recognizing it as such.

What underwriters focus on

Scope of design-assist or specification work performed
Contractual professional services obligations accepted

Where programs fall short

Design-assist performed informally with no coverage in place

Cyber Liability & Crime

Contractors move large progress payments and are a standing target for funds transfer fraud and business email compromise. Ransomware against project management and payroll systems stops work.

We size funds transfer and social engineering limits against actual payment volume.

What underwriters focus on

Payment verification controls and dual authorization
Multi-factor authentication and backup practice
Employee training against social engineering

Where programs fall short

Social engineering sublimits far below a single progress payment
Crime coverage absent while cyber is purchased, or the reverse

Management & Employment Practices Liability

Wage and hour, classification, harassment and hiring claims across a distributed field workforce are the most common executive exposures in roofing. Private equity involvement adds directors and officers exposure.

We structure executive lines around the company's ownership and workforce reality.

What underwriters focus on

Employee count, turnover and states of operation
Wage and hour practice and classification discipline
Ownership structure and transaction history

Where programs fall short

Wage and hour defense sublimits that do not reflect field headcount
Directors and officers coverage absent after an investment event

Surety & Bonds

Bonding capacity constrains growth as often as it satisfies compliance. Sureties underwrite the balance sheet, the work-in-progress schedule and the management team.

We work alongside your CPA and bank to build capacity ahead of the projects that need it.

What underwriters focus on

Working capital, net worth and CPA relationship quality
Work-in-progress reporting accuracy and margin fade
Bank line availability and continuity planning

Where programs fall short

Capacity built reactively, one bond at a time
Financial statement presentation that understates real capacity

Roofing Coverage Intelligence

One operating fact usually moves several lines at once.

Coverage problems rarely sit inside a single policy. Select an operating characteristic to see how it travels through the program.

One decision, four lines of coverage.

Moving crews off payroll reduces workers' compensation exposure on paper and increases it everywhere else. Underwriters treat subcontracted labor as the single most informative fact about a roofing contractor's control environment.

General Liability: subcontractor warranty endorsements and additional insured adequacy
Workers' Compensation: uninsured subs charged as payroll at audit
Umbrella: excess markets price the verification program, not the intention
Claims: the tender fails when the agreement and the certificate disagree

How the program is built

Structure follows the operation, not the renewal calendar.

Limits, retentions, attachment points and wording are decided against exposure and balance sheet, then taken to the markets that fit the risk.

Exposure and contract review before any market is approached
Form comparison at the endorsement level, not the proposal summary
Retention and deductible analysis against loss history and cash flow
Excess tower constructed for following-form integrity
Certificate and additional insured obligations mapped to real contracts
Audit exposure identified before the audit, not after

Request a Risk Diagnostic Subcontractor Risk Center Risk management practice

Coverage availability, terms, limits, endorsements and pricing vary by account, carrier, underwriting result and jurisdiction. Policy language governs in all cases. This page is a general description of coverage issues common to roofing operations. It is not legal advice, not a statement of coverage and not an offer of insurance.

Alternative Risk Solutions

The objective is not to force every account into the traditional market.

The objective is to evaluate the most appropriate method of financing risk. For some roofing contractors that remains a guaranteed-cost program. For others — typically those with scale, stable operations and credible loss performance — an alternative structure deserves evaluation.

Captives
Group captives
Large deductible programs
Loss-sensitive programs
Self-insured structures where appropriate
Other alternative risk-financing mechanisms

Roofers Specialty and The Duncan Group evaluate these structures alongside captive and alternative-risk specialists where the analysis calls for it. Alternative risk financing is not appropriate for every roofing contractor, and collateral, cash flow and loss volatility are examined before any structure is recommended.

Discuss alternative risk

Program review

Have your current program read line by line.

Send us what you have. We will tell you what the forms actually do and where the gaps are.