Commercial Property Insurance
Protect the buildings, equipment, inventory, and improvements your business depends on. We help establish realistic values and find coverage for both standard and complex property risks.
We shop the market for you, no broker fees
Travelers
Commercial property
Chubb
Property and business income
The Hartford
Small commercial property
Markel
Specialty property risks
Great American
Commercial property
AmTrust
Small commercial property
Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Commercial property programs
Society Insurance
Main street property
For businesses with property they cannot afford to lose
- Building owners
- Retail and hospitality
- Manufacturers
- Warehouses and distributors
What changes your premium
There is no flat rate for this coverage. These are the inputs a carrier prices against, and they are the same things the quote form asks you for.
- The insured value of the building and of the contents, separately
- Construction type, year built, roof age and number of stories
- Square footage and how the space is occupied
- Sprinklers, alarms and the distance to a fire station
- The location's exposure to wildfire, flood, wind and quake
- Whether you insure at replacement cost or actual cash value
- The deductible, including any percentage deductible for catastrophe perils
- Your loss history at that location
How it works
10 minute form
A few questions about your business or home.
We shop the market
We compare carriers and read the forms line by line.
Pick the best policy
We explain what is covered, what is not, and what it costs.
Text us. We're by your side.
What this policy covers
Buildings and improvements
Owned structures, fixtures, and eligible tenant improvements after a covered loss.
Business personal property
Equipment, furniture, inventory, and stock at your insured location.
Business income
An option that replaces lost income and continuing expenses while covered damage interrupts operations.
A burst pipe takes a machine shop offline for four months. The equipment claim is settled in weeks. The four months of orders that went to a competitor is a much larger number, and only business income coverage answers it.
Extra expense
An option that covers the added cost of staying open or reopening after a loss.
Why write property on its own?
Because packaged property is capped by class and by value. Once your building, your equipment or your stock passes what a package will carry, property moves to its own policy and gets a broader form, real valuation choices and a deductible structure you can actually negotiate.
What this covers, and what it does not
A property policy typically covers
- The building
The structure you own, its permanently installed fixtures, and usually the equipment that serves the building itself.
- Business personal property
Everything inside that is yours: equipment, furniture, stock, and the tools of your trade.
- Tenant improvements and betterments
The build-out you paid for in a space you lease. The landlord's policy does not cover it, and this is the single most common uninsured item we find.
- Business income and extra expense
Lost earnings and the cost of operating somewhere else while a covered loss is repaired.
- Property of others in your care
Customer goods and consigned property you are responsible for, subject to the form and a separate limit.
A property policy typically does not cover
- Flood
Excluded on standard forms. It needs a separate flood policy or a difference in conditions form, and in some locations a lender will require it.
- Earthquake
Excluded on standard forms. In California it is bought back by endorsement or written as its own policy, and the deductible is a percentage of the value rather than a flat figure.
- Wear, rust and gradual deterioration
A roof at the end of its life, a slow leak or a maintenance failure is upkeep. Insurance responds to sudden and accidental events.
- Property away from the described premises
Tools in a van, equipment on a jobsite and goods in transit are inland marine, not building coverage.
- Liability of any kind
This policy pays for your property. Someone else's injury or property damage is general liability.
- Employee theft
Dishonesty by your own people is a crime coverage, and it is bought separately or endorsed on.
Who looks to us for this
The tenant who assumed the landlord covered it
The landlord insures the shell. Your build-out, your equipment and your stock are yours to insure, and the lease usually says so in a clause nobody reads until there is a fire.
The owner whose BOP outgrew its limits
Package policies cap property values by class. When your building or your contents exceed what the package will carry, property moves out to its own policy and gets a broader form.
The wildfire-exposed property
Standard carriers have pulled back hard from parts of California. We look at the admitted market first, then the surplus market, and where the FAIR Plan is the answer we place the wrap policy alongside it.
The operation with property that moves
If the valuable thing is a machine on a trailer, tools in a van or goods in transit, a building policy does not follow it. Inland marine does.
How your limits and deductibles get set
We do not publish a limit or a deductible, because a number that is right for one business is negligent for the next. Here is the method instead.
- 01
Start with the contract
Leases, client agreements and general contractors usually dictate a floor. That requirement is the first constraint, not our opinion.
- 02
Then size the exposure
What a bad day actually costs you: the value at risk, the size of the jobs you take, how many people you have and what a defense would run.
- 03
Then price the step up
We quote more than one limit so you can see what the next tier costs before you decide. Higher deductibles lower premium and raise what you self fund.
- 04
Then review it at renewal
Revenue, payroll and property values move. A limit that fit two years ago is the most common gap we find on a renewal.
Related from the Menlo Library
Frequently asked questions
What does commercial property insurance cover?
It covers your building, business personal property, and inventory against covered causes of loss, with options for business income and extra expense.
Replacement cost or actual cash value?
Replacement cost rebuilds without deducting depreciation. Actual cash value pays depreciated value and costs less. The valuation you choose is the most important coverage decision.
Does it cover flood and earthquake?
No. Both are excluded from standard property forms and need separate policies, which matters for many California properties.
What drives commercial property insurance cost?
Building value and construction, occupancy, location and catastrophe exposure, deductible, and your chosen limits all move the premium.
What is a coinsurance clause?
It requires you to insure the property to a set percentage of its value. Underinsuring triggers a penalty at claim time, so accurate values matter.
Is flood covered?
No. Standard commercial property forms exclude flood, and that includes surface water and, in most forms, mudflow. It is bought as a separate policy or added through a difference in conditions form. If you have a mortgage in a mapped flood zone your lender will require it anyway.
Is earthquake covered in California?
Not on a standard form. It is bought back by endorsement or written standalone, and the deductible is stated as a percentage of the insured value rather than a flat amount, which is why the deductible conversation matters more here than on any other line.
Does it cover my tools and equipment away from the building?
Generally no. Property coverage attaches to the described premises. Tools in a vehicle, equipment on a jobsite and property in transit belong on an inland marine policy.
Does it cover someone getting hurt on the property?
No. This policy pays for damage to your own property. Injury to a customer, a vendor or a passerby is general liability.
Does it cover theft by my own employees?
No. Employee dishonesty is excluded from property forms and is covered by commercial crime insurance, which is written separately or endorsed on.
Should I insure at replacement cost or actual cash value?
Replacement cost pays to rebuild or replace with materials of like kind and quality. Actual cash value subtracts depreciation, so an older roof or older equipment settles for materially less. Replacement cost costs more up front and is what most owners actually want. We quote both so the tradeoff is visible.
Protect your property and your ability to reopen
Let us review your locations, values, and operations, then compare property markets that fit the risk.