Designing or renovating a building poses significant challenges and risks for your architectural firm. If a client sues over scope creep, or a design flaw leads to an injury, your business could face a lawsuit. Insurance for architects protects against legal costs, medical bills, and other losses.
With Insureon, architects can get insurance coverage the same day they apply for quotes.
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These insurance policies cover the most common risks for building design professionals like architects.
Professional liability coverage helps pay for legal defense costs related to your professional services, such as an error in a blueprint. It's also called errors and omissions (E&O) insurance.
Commercial general liability insurance covers basic risks, including customer slip-and-fall injuries. Bundle it with property insurance for savings in a business owner’s policy (BOP).
A business owner's policy, or BOP, is a cost-effective way for architects to buy commercial property insurance and general liability coverage together.
Workers’ comp is required in almost every state for architecture businesses that have employees. It also protects sole proprietors from work injury costs that health insurance might deny.
Cyber liability insurance helps architects recover from data breaches and cyberattacks. It's strongly recommended for any small business that handles sensitive information.
This policy helps cover the cost of property damage and injuries in an accident involving a vehicle owned by an architecture firm. Each state has its own requirements for auto liability insurance.
A small business with a few architects will pay less for insurance than a large company with a construction manager and several subcontractors.
Factors that insurance company underwriters look at when calculating your architect insurance premium includes:
It's easy to get architect business insurance coverage and surety bonds if you have your company information on hand. Our application will ask for basic facts about your company, such as revenue and number of employees. You can buy a policy online and get a certificate of insurance with Insureon in three easy steps:
Insureon's licensed insurance agents work with top-rated U.S. providers to find the right coverage for your architecture firm, whether you work independently or hire employees.
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Review frequently asked questions about liability insurance for architects and more.
While not usually required by state law to secure your architecture license, architect insurance coverage can safeguard your business, as well as qualify you for business contracts and commercial leases.
However, your local and county governments may have different insurance requirements, so it's best to check with their licensing offices for the specifics. Additionally, some clients won't sign an agreement with you unless you have the right insurance coverage.
Typically, architects must complete the following to obtain their architect license:
There's also typically an application fee, and architects must usually renew their license after a certain number of years have passed.
When building the risk management plan for your architecture firm, there are two types of business insurance you should consider carrying: general liability and professional liability.
Although not generally required by state law, carrying both general liability and professional liability policies will greatly protect you from many risks. This includes construction problems, client miscommunications, shifting project scopes, and other setbacks.
In order to fully protect your architecture business, you may need additional types of coverage, including:
It's also important to know that no single policy covers construction defects outright. However, certain policies—like professional liability and general liability insurance—may offer limited protection depending on the nature of the defect and how it occurred.