Insurance for architects.

Architects professional liability, general liability that works beside it, and office coverage, for residential studios and commercial practices, with the certificates owners accept.

What architects usually carry

Architects professional liability
General liability
Project-specific professional policies
Business owner’s policy
Workers’ comp
Employment practices liability
Hired and non-owned auto

Watch for these in an architect’s policy

The design exclusion on general liabilityMost general liability sold to architects carries a professional services exclusion, often CG 22 43. Injury from a design error falls to your professional policy, so carry both.
A duty to defendOwner contracts often ask you to defend them from any claim, up front. Professional policies usually cover only liability from your negligence, not that duty.
Design-buildMost architects’ policies exclude construction work. If you join a design-build team or build what you design, that side needs its own coverage.
Promised ratings and energy resultsPromising a green building rating or an energy result can fall outside coverage. Describe goals, not outcomes, in your agreements.
Claims after you closeDefect claims can arrive years after a building opens. Plan a tail when you retire or close, since a claims-made policy stops answering when you stop buying it.

What owners and developers ask architects for

Professional liability limitsOwners and developers often set a per-claim limit by project size, and ask you to keep it for years after completion.
Additional insured on general liabilityProfessional policies usually cannot name the owner. Offer additional insured status on your general liability instead.
A project-specific policyLarge projects may want one policy for the whole design team, with its own limit that no other job can use up.
Consultant coverageOwners expect your engineers and other consultants to carry their own professional liability, with certificates on file.

Questions architects ask

Straight answers.

The questions we hear most, answered plainly.

How is architects’ professional liability priced?

On your billings, the kinds of projects you design, your contracts, and your claims. Condominium work usually rates higher than most other building types.

Can I get defense costs outside my limit?

Many carriers offer it for design firms, so a long defense does not eat the money for a settlement. Some also offer first-dollar defense, where your deductible applies only to damages.

Will my policy cover a project I finished before I bought it?

Only if your retroactive date is earlier than the work. When you switch carriers, keep the same date; on a first policy, ask about prior acts coverage.