Commercial Property Insurance for Buildings and Contents

We write property as part of a BOP when the class fits, and as a monoline policy when it does not. Either way the questions are the same: what is the replacement cost, what causes of loss do you need, and what happens to payroll and rent if the location is unusable for four months?

Valuation is where property claims go wrong. A $900,000 market value on a Tukwila warehouse is not the same as the cost to rebuild it to current code. We push for replacement cost on buildings and business personal property, and we talk through ordinance-or-law coverage in older masonry and mixed-use buildings.

Special-form (open-perils) coverage is the default we seek. Named-perils forms leave gaps for water, theft, and other everyday losses. We also look at deductibles that match your cash position, wind/hail treatment in Texas and Arkansas, and water-backup endorsements that many base forms exclude.

Business income, extra expense, spoilage, valuable papers, and accounts receivable belong on the same worksheet as the building limit. A food manufacturer's refrigeration, a hotel's ordinary payroll, and a lessor's rental income are different income problems.

• Building and tenants' improvements Owned real property and the build-out you paid for in a leased space.
• Business personal property Inventory, furniture, tools, computers, and equipment at the described premises.
• Business income and extra expense Continuing expenses and lost earnings after a covered shutdown.
• Ordinance or law Demolition and increased cost of construction when code will not let you rebuild as-was.