Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Over the last few years, contractors have started to see rate increases on multiple lines of coverage within their insurance program. And, the difficulty insurance companies are having in the property market, especially here in California with the wildfire risk, has been pretty well publicized. We have seen both homeowners and commercial landlords forced away from the standard property market and into surplus lines, or, worst case scenario, the California Fair Plan. We are also seeing commercial auto policies come under pressure due to increases in litigation, costs to repair vehicles and social inflation.