HVAC Contractor Insurance

Almost always a certificate of insurance showing general liability, usually $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate, with an endorsement naming them as additional insured. On commercial work that often has to include completed operations, plus primary and non-contributory wording and a waiver of subrogation. Expect them to ask for proof of workers' comp and auto liability too. Property managers on commercial buildings may want both the owner and the management company named. The smart move is to send us the insurance section of the contract before you sign it, so we can confirm your policy actually matches. Once you're insured with us, certificates go out the same day in most cases — usually while you're still loading the van.

Carriers look at a handful of things, and they weigh them differently. On workers' comp, it's your payroll and how it's classified, plus your claims history and experience mod. On general liability, it's your revenue, your residential-to-commercial split, and how much of your work is service versus new installs. Rooftop work and crane picks get extra attention. Your limits and deductibles matter, and so does whether you hire subcontractors and whether they carry their own insurance. Commercial auto depends on your vans, where they're parked at night, and your drivers' records. Tools coverage follows the value of your equipment. Because every carrier reads that same file a little differently, we shop it to several and show you real options side by side.

It matters a lot. A service-heavy shop makes a lot of short visits to occupied homes and businesses, so the exposure is property damage while you're there, slips and trips, and miles on the vans. New construction installs carry a longer tail: you're handing over a full system, and a problem with ductwork, venting, or a condensate line can surface long after the GC has signed off. That's completed-operations exposure, and GCs will want it reflected in your additional insured wording. Change-outs sit somewhere in between. Tell us your honest split. Carriers price for it, and if your year-end audit shows different work than your application described, you can end up with a bill nobody wanted.

Generally not for fixing your own work. General liability is built for the damage your work causes to other people's property and for injuries, not for going back to redo an install. Here's how that plays out: if a condensate pan you installed overflows and ruins drywall and flooring, your GL policy may respond to the drywall and flooring. Replacing the pan and the labor to reset the unit usually fall on you or the manufacturer's warranty. Exact wording varies by policy, which is why we walk through yours with you. Good start-up records help in either case — pressures, temperature split, venting checks, photos of the finished install. They're your best evidence if a claim comes back months later.

Not under your auto policy. Commercial auto covers the van itself, not what's inside it. Your gauges, recovery machine, vacuum pump, brazing setup, and power tools need tools and equipment coverage, also called inland marine. That policy follows your gear to the jobsite, the shop, and the truck. Theft claims typically require signs of forced entry, and some carriers limit coverage for tools left in an unattended vehicle overnight, which matters if your techs take vans home. We'll ask how your crew actually stores equipment and pick a policy that fits. We can also schedule big-ticket items individually and set replacement-cost valuation so a claim buys new gear, not depreciated gear.