Builders Insurance

Contract Works insurance covers the project itself while it is being built. It is commonly used to protect materials, labour, and works in progress against insured events before practical completion or handover.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

This cover is often important for smaller builders carrying out single homes, renovations, extensions, and one-off projects where damage to the build could affect cash flow and completion time.

• Can cover materials, labour, and works in progress during construction
• Often suited to single builds or smaller project values
• Useful where lenders, developers, or clients want evidence of cover before work starts
• Can help reduce the financial impact of damage before handover

Larger Contractors

For larger contractors, Contract Works cover often needs to support multiple jobs at once, larger contract values, and more detailed reporting obligations. It may also need to align with design exposure, subcontractor involvement, and contract-specific conditions.

• Annual policies can cover multiple concurrent projects
• Suitable for multi-site, staged, or higher-value construction work
• Can be structured to align with liability and design-related exposures
• Often reviewed closely where project values, durations, or declarations are critical

Your cover may include:

• Fire, storm, theft, and malicious damage
• Materials on site, in storage, or in transit
• Subcontractor and equipment exposure while work is underway
• Single project or annual project policy structures
• Existing structures or principal-supplied materials where available and required

We help structure policies that match your contracts, reporting obligations, and project pipeline, not just standard templates.

Tools & Equipment insurance helps cover the gear you rely on to keep jobs moving. For builders, that can include anything from hand tools and ladders through to larger site equipment and scheduled machinery.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

For smaller builders, losing essential gear can stop work immediately. This cover can help protect the tools and site equipment you use every day across residential jobs and smaller commercial work.

• Hand tools, power tools, ladders, and trade kits
• Theft from vehicles, sheds, or job sites where conditions are met
• Protection for gear that travels between jobs
• Useful where replacing tools quickly is important to keeping work on schedule

Larger Contractors

Larger building businesses often carry more expensive and more varied equipment across multiple sites. That increases the importance of accurate sums insured, correct item scheduling, and cover that reflects transport and site exposure.

• High-value equipment, specialist site gear, and larger scheduled items
• Multi-site exposure and transport risk between jobs
• Broader administrative need to track insured equipment properly
• Greater potential downtime if equipment is stolen or damaged

We help make sure your sums insured reflect the real value of your gear so claims can be handled properly and replacements can be organised faster.

Commercial Vehicle insurance can help protect the utes, vans, trucks, and trailers your business depends on. For builders, vehicles are often carrying tools, materials, and people between sites, so downtime can affect both productivity and project timing.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

Smaller builders often rely on one or two core vehicles to keep the business running. If a vehicle is damaged or stolen, the impact is usually immediate.

• Suitable for a single ute, van, truck, or small fleet
• Can help protect vehicles used for day-to-day building work
• Often relevant where tools, trailers, or work equipment travel with the vehicle
• Useful for businesses that need simple, reliable vehicle cover without unnecessary complexity

Larger Contractors

Larger contractors often need a more coordinated approach across multiple vehicles, trailers, drivers, and financed assets. Fleet-style arrangements can help reduce admin and make renewals easier to manage.

• Fleet policies across multiple vehicles
• Trailers, toolboxes, and mounted equipment may need to be considered
• Broader driver exposure across supervisors, staff, or changing operators
• Useful where vehicles operate across depots, worksites, and transport routes

We can help structure cover for vehicles operating across worksites, depots, and transport routes, including changing fleet requirements as the business grows.

Workers Compensation insurance is generally required if you employ staff. For builders, one of the biggest issues is making sure your workforce is classified correctly and your declarations reflect how the business actually operates.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

For smaller building businesses, Workers Compensation is often about getting the basics right from the start. That includes setting up the right policy, declaring wages properly, and understanding who counts as a worker.

• Basic compliance setup for employed workers
• Help with wage estimates and annual declarations
• Useful where the team is small but roles still vary from site to site
• Can help reduce the risk of audit issues or policy mismatches later on

Larger Contractors

Larger contractors often deal with more complex workforce structures, including multiple crews, subcontractor overlap, labour hire, apprentices, and working directors. That can create extra compliance and premium pressure if it is not managed properly.

• Complex workforce structures and changing job roles
• Subcontractor and labour hire considerations
• Claims management and premium control become more important as the business grows
• Greater need for accurate classification and ongoing policy review

We can help you review your workers compensation arrangements, manage declarations, and support the claims process to help reduce unnecessary disruption to your business.

Professional Indemnity insurance can become relevant where your responsibilities go beyond physical construction and extend into advice, design input, project coordination, or compliance sign-off.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

Smaller builders may need to look at this where they provide advice, make recommendations, or take on responsibilities that go beyond the physical build itself.

• Occasional advisory or compliance exposure
• Relevant where you sign off on certain aspects of work or provide technical input
• Useful where contracts push more responsibility onto the builder

Larger Contractors

For larger contractors, Professional Indemnity is more commonly relevant where projects involve design and construct obligations, consultant coordination, or broader contractual responsibility for technical outcomes.

• Design and construct contracts
• Managing consultants, engineers, or technical advisors
• Broader documentation, compliance, and advice-related exposure
• Longer-tail risk where issues may emerge after project completion

We help align Professional Indemnity with your Contract Works and Liability cover so the insurance structure better reflects your actual project exposure.

Builders Warranty insurance is the state-based residential building protection cover that may be required for certain residential building work. The name and rules vary by state or territory, including Home Building Compensation cover, Domestic Building Insurance, Home Indemnity Insurance, Building Indemnity Insurance, Residential Building Work Insurance, and Residential Building Cover.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

For smaller builders, this cover is often relevant when taking on residential building work above the applicable state or territory threshold. It is usually arranged for the benefit of the homeowner, rather than as general business protection for the builder.

• May be required before starting eligible residential building work
• May be needed before accepting a deposit or progress payment
• Applies differently depending on your state or territory
• Commonly relevant for new homes, renovations, extensions, and certain residential projects
• Usually sits alongside Public Liability and Contract Works insurance, not instead of them

Larger Contractors

For larger residential builders, warranty and indemnity obligations can become more complex across multiple projects, contract values, project types, and jurisdictions. The key issue is making sure the correct cover or certificate is arranged before work starts or payment is accepted, where the law requires it.

• Multi-project builders may need state-specific warranty processes
• Eligibility, limits, project values, and documentation requirements need to be managed carefully
• Builders working across borders may face different rules for each jurisdiction
• Documentation may be needed for owners, lenders, regulators, councils, or permit processes

We can help with:

• Identifying whether state-based residential building cover may apply
• Understanding how Builders Warranty, Home Indemnity, Domestic Building Insurance, or similar schemes fit into your broader insurance program
• Coordinating this cover alongside Public Liability, Contract Works, Tools, and Workers Compensation insurance
• Supporting builders who need documents quickly before work can commence

Builders Warranty insurance does not replace your business insurance. It is usually a consumer protection requirement for eligible residential work, while your own business may still need cover for liability, works in progress, tools, vehicles, workers, and contract conditions.

Management Liability insurance can help protect building businesses and their decision-makers against certain claims linked to how the business is managed. This becomes more relevant as your business grows, hires staff, manages subcontractors, takes on larger contracts, or operates through a company structure.

Unlike site-based risks, these exposures often stem from leadership decisions, oversight responsibilities, and internal conduct. Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions.

Typical components may include:

• Directors & Officers Liability — protection for individuals in leadership roles against claims related to business decisions
• Employment Practices Liability — for certain disputes involving unfair dismissal, discrimination, or workplace conduct
• Statutory Liability — where fines or investigations under WHS, tax, or corporate law may be insurable by law
• Crime Cover — for certain losses from internal fraud or employee dishonesty
• Tax Audit Cover — support for professional costs during ATO or regulatory reviews

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

For smaller builders, Management Liability may become relevant once the business starts employing staff, taking on larger financial commitments, or operating through a company rather than as a sole trader.

• Useful for small building companies with directors or office holders
• Can help with certain employment-related claims, subject to the policy
• May support the business where there are allegations against management decisions
• Can be relevant where the business is growing beyond owner-operated work

Larger Contractors

For larger builders, Management Liability can form part of the wider insurance program. More staff, more contracts, more compliance obligations, and greater financial exposure can increase the potential for claims against the company or its directors.

• Directors & Officers cover for claims linked to business decisions
• Employment Practices Liability for certain staff-related disputes
• Statutory Liability where fines, penalties, or investigations may be insurable
• Crime cover for certain losses involving employee theft or fraud
• Tax Audit Cover for professional costs during ATO or regulatory reviews
• Support for businesses with multiple directors, entities, worksites, or management layers

This cover may be relevant where your business is exposed to:

• Employment disputes
• Regulatory investigations
• WHS-related management issues
• Alleged breaches of director duties
• Internal fraud or employee dishonesty
• Shareholder, partner, or management disputes

All Trades Cover helps building businesses assess whether Management Liability should sit alongside Public Liability, Workers Compensation, Professional Indemnity, and other core construction policies.

Corporate Travel insurance (also known as Journey Insurance) may be relevant for building businesses where directors, project managers, supervisors, estimators, consultants, or staff travel for work. This can include interstate site visits, supplier meetings, client meetings, project inspections, training, or business-related travel.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

For smaller builders, Corporate Travel insurance may be useful where the owner, director, or key staff member travels for work and a disruption could affect project timing or business continuity.

• Relevant for interstate site inspections or client meetings
• Can help where directors or staff travel for supplier, training, or project purposes
• May cover certain travel delays, cancellations, medical events, or lost items, subject to the policy
• Useful where travel is occasional but still important to the business

Larger Contractors

Larger builders may have more frequent travel across regions, states, suppliers, project sites, and offices. Corporate Travel cover can help provide a more structured approach rather than relying on ad hoc travel policies for each trip.

• Suitable for directors, project managers, supervisors, and staff who travel for work
• Can support businesses with interstate or regional project exposure
• May help cover business equipment, documents, or personal items taken on work trips
• Can reduce admin where multiple people travel during the year

Your cover may include:

• Emergency medical expenses while travelling for business
• Travel cancellation, disruption, or delay costs
• Lost or damaged baggage, business items, or documents
• Rental vehicle excess
• Personal accident benefits while travelling for work
• Cover for directors, employees, or nominated travellers, depending on the policy

We can help assess whether Corporate Travel insurance (Journey Insurance) is relevant to your building business, especially where travel forms part of project delivery, management, procurement, or client servicing.

Project-Specific Endorsements are policy adjustments or confirmations that may be needed to satisfy the exact insurance wording in a building contract. They are common on commercial, government, council, infrastructure, industrial, and larger residential projects.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

Smaller builders may still come across project-specific insurance requirements when working for developers, councils, strata managers, head contractors, schools, commercial landlords, or government buyers. Even if your core policy is suitable, the contract may ask for specific wording before you can start work.

• May be required before site access is approved
• Can apply where a client or principal needs to be noted on the policy
• Often needed for council, strata, commercial, or head contractor work
• Useful where the Certificate of Currency must match the contract wording exactly

Larger Contractors

For larger builders, project-specific requirements can become a major part of insurance management. A standard policy may not automatically satisfy every contract, especially where the project involves higher limits, principal protections, design obligations, or multiple insured parties.

• Higher Public Liability limits may be required
• Principal’s Indemnity, Cross Liability, or Waiver of Subrogation clauses may be requested
• Interested parties, principals, financiers, or asset owners may need to be noted
• Contract Works wording may need to align with project value, duration, and scope
• Professional Indemnity requirements may apply for design and construct projects

Project-specific requirements may include:

• Contract-compliant Certificates of Currency
• Principal’s Indemnity clauses
• Cross Liability clauses
• Waiver of Subrogation clauses
• Interested party notation
• Higher liability limits
• Project-specific Contract Works details
• Professional Indemnity requirements
• Policy extensions for specific scopes of work

We help review the insurance requirements in your contract and work with insurers to confirm whether your current policies can meet them. This can help reduce delays with site access, contract execution, progress payments, and compliance documentation.

Tax Audit insurance can help cover certain professional fees if your building business is audited or reviewed by the ATO or another government revenue authority. For builders, this can be relevant because construction businesses often deal with GST, PAYG, payroll tax, superannuation, contractor payments, vehicle deductions, equipment claims, and complex business structures.

Smaller Contractors (1-5 Employees)

For smaller builders, an audit can still create a major cost and admin burden, even if your records are in order. Tax Audit insurance can help reduce the financial pressure of paying accountants or advisers to respond to an eligible audit.

• Useful for builders managing GST, BAS, PAYG, and contractor payments
• Can help with professional fees linked to eligible tax audits or reviews
• Relevant where the business claims vehicles, tools, equipment, materials, and other work-related expenses
• May help reduce disruption if the ATO or another authority requests detailed records

Larger Contractors

For larger builders, tax and revenue compliance can become more complex. Multiple employees, subcontractors, entities, vehicles, payroll obligations, and project-based accounting can increase the time and cost involved in responding to an audit or investigation.

• Relevant for businesses with larger payroll and contractor arrangements
• Can assist with professional fees for eligible audits, reviews, or investigations
• Useful where the business has multiple entities, vehicles, assets, or worksites
• May support cash flow by reducing the out-of-pocket cost of professional advice during an audit

This cover may assist with professional fees connected to:

• ATO income tax audits
• GST and BAS reviews
• PAYG and payroll tax reviews
• Superannuation guarantee reviews
• Fringe benefits tax reviews
• Contractor payment reviews
• WorkCover or revenue authority checks, where covered by the policy

Tax Audit insurance does not remove the need for proper records, bookkeeping, or tax advice. It can, however, help reduce the professional cost of responding to an eligible audit or review.