At the beginning of your architectural career, thinking that architect liability insurance is unneeded may be simple. You’re confident you’re doing a fantastic job for your clients and doing your best. Why should you protect yourself from things that are not likely to occur?
Insufficient insurance protection to safeguard you and your business can cause financial ruin. It is one of the most costly mistakes that you can make. In business, liability issues occur more frequently than you might think. Seven reasons architects should think about insurance.
1: Anyone Can Make Mistakes
The principal reason for taking the architect’s insurance is to protect you from errors in any contract you sign. It is an exact art, and even a mistake of the smallest millimeter, or even a tiny error in interpreting your plans, could result in issues that cost you thousands of dollars to set right.
Professional liability insurance protects your business from negligence claims, false representation, or document mistakes. Suppose you need to possess professional liability insurance in place. In that case, your business could have to pay for the repair of your error or compensate the customer.
2: Professional Liability Also Covers Other Kinds of Claims
Many architects get misled into thinking they are covered by professional liability insurance covering catastrophic events like building collapses. However, there is a better situation. The policies also cover minor mistakes, and other problems like failure to perform services, failing to meet deadlines, or breaking a contract.
Furthermore, architects are often accountable for the mistakes made by contractors who work on their construction projects, even if the blame may not lie solely with an architect. Claims may get made for seemingly insignificant events or even ones you feel have no bearing on you. They can be as expensive to fight in court as cases where you’re at fault. Professional liability insurance relieves the financial burden of paying the legal costs arising from such claims on your company and you while allowing you to continue your work when the case gets settled.
3: Architects Get Exposed to a Variety of Risks of Liability
Although professional liability insurance is a valuable protection for architects, there are other potential legal issues you could face when you are an architect. If a customer gets injured in your office or you cause damage to a client’s property, you may be required to pay medical bills or reimburse them. Being close to clients requires frequent visits to their workplaces, offices, and other places.
General Liability, often called general commercial liability or slip and fall coverage can be described as an insurance plan which can safeguard your company from physical injury or property damage lawsuits by third individuals. For instance, while examining the project’s progress, you smash a glass pane waiting to be put in. Your general liability insurance will pay for a replacement, meaning you won’t need to pay from your budget.
4: Commercial Leases Could Require You to Be Insured
When you establish your architectural business, you will likely need to lease an office in a commercial space. Many landlords will need evidence of the general liability insurance policy before letting your property. They usually prefer to have their name added to the policy to limit the risk of liability for themselves. Without this insurance, the landlord may be held accountable for injuries from clients or delivery personnel, vendors, and other third-party visitors to your office. General liability insurance ensures that legal and medical costs get paid in the incident.
5: While Collaborating with Other Businesses, You Could Need Protection
The architecture projects are usually too big for one firm to handle, especially for those just beginning. A lot of building projects involve several designers and architects who work together. You can get business that you would otherwise miss out on by doing this. However, it is crucial to remember that you may be held accountable for a company’s mishaps.
Exceptional architects’ liability policies offer different protection than you require. Professional Liability insurance may be a valuable option in these situations. Before you enter into a partnership with another company, check your insurance policy closely to find out what it covers blocks.
If joint ventures get covered under your policy, it is essential to protect the partner company. If not, you may be liable to your insurance for the mistakes they make that could lead to additional work and more expensive costs in the future.
It’s worth considering the possibility that you, as a partner company, ought to have an additional jointly-owned liability policy to cover all durations of your project. If you do not, you may structure the project in a way that has one company as the lead role and the other as the subcontractor. Suppose you decide to go with this option. In that case, it is essential to be aware that even if your firm assumes the part-lead contractor role, it could still be held responsible for mistakes and omissions resulting from the company acting as a subcontractor.
6: Insurance for Architects’ Liability Attracts Customers
General and professional liability insurance policies offer essential protections for your company but also convey an important message to potential customers. The fact that you have these policies does more than ensure that clients are reimbursed for any mistakes or accidents that may occur and demonstrates that you’re running an efficient operation. Architect insurance proves that you are concerned about ensuring you and your client are protected against delays in deadlines, structural issues or disputes over errors and omissions, and any other unexpected events. It is doubtful that a severe client will ever consider hiring an architect without ensuring you have the proof of an insurance policy for professional liability or a general liability assurance policy.
7: The Benefits May Outweigh the Costs
It’s appealing for a small architectural firm looking to cut expenses to cut back on professional liability and general liability insurance. It’s possible to wait to purchase these insurance policies initially, particularly if you’re only beginning and doing small-scale projects. But this is an expensive choice.
If problems arise, fixing the issue will likely be more expensive than the rates you’d have paid to cover insurance. Settlements and legal costs can amount to hundreds or even millions of dollars, based on the nature of the claim. It could be a disaster for you or your business if you do not have adequate insurance. Insurance for architects can cover legal and court costs and the cost of settlements or judgments awarded to your customers.
These will give you an idea of the importance of protecting your business in architecture against the various legal claims you may face. Contact Commercial Insurance Ottawa at (613) 454-5640 or email us at info@commercialinsuranceottawa.com.