General Liability and Property (BOP)
General liability is built for injury and property damage claims: a client trips in your office, or a site visit damages someone’s property. It is also the policy most contracts want to see on your certificate.
For many firms it is packaged with property coverage for computers, equipment and your space in a business owner’s policy (BOP).
What It Is Built For
Injury at your office
A visitor, client or delivery driver is hurt on your premises.
Damage on site
Your staff damage property during a site visit or survey.
Contract requirements
Additional insured, waiver of subrogation and primary and noncontributory wording that owners and landlords require.
Your equipment
Computers, plotters, scanners and furniture, in the office and often in transit.
The Gray Area: Injury Claims That Name the Designer
If the claim says your design caused the injury, professional liability may respond. If it has nothing to do with your design, it may not, and general liability is the policy built for it.
The ones that are not are why most firms carry both.
That coverage is built for claims arising from the contractor’s work, not your own.
The Bag on the Job Site.
An engineer sets a laptop bag down during a site walk. A visitor trips over it and breaks a wrist, then sues the owner, the contractor and the engineering firm.
Nothing about the engineer’s design is in question, so this is a general liability claim. Without a general liability policy, the firm may be paying for its own defense.
Hypothetical example for illustration. Coverage for any claim depends on the policy terms and the facts.
Contract Language to Watch.
The most common requirement. Larger projects often add a per project aggregate and umbrella limits.
Needs the right endorsements on the policy, not just a line on the certificate.
General Liability & Property (BOP): Common Questions
Does general liability cover mistakes in my designs?
No. Errors in design or advice are professional liability claims. Most general liability policies for design firms specifically exclude professional services.
What is a BOP?
A business owner’s policy packages general liability and property coverage together, often at a lower cost than buying them separately.
Why does my lease require general liability?
Landlords want to know a claim from your space will not land on them. Most leases require them to be named additional insured.
Do I need general liability if I work from home?
It matters less without an office and with few site visits, but clients and contracts often ask for it. Homeowners policies often limit or exclude business property and business liability, so check yours.
What is the products-completed operations aggregate?
A separate limit in general liability for injury or damage that happens after work is finished. It usually shows as its own line on certificates and quotes.
Can my employees’ driving be covered here?
Hired and non-owned auto can often be added to a BOP for a small cost. It protects the firm when staff drive rented or personal cars for work.
Tell Us About Your Firm. We’ll Tell You What We See.
Starting out or renewing, with a policy in hand or not. If something is worth discussing, we’ll call. If not, we’ll say so.