What is an installation floater and do I need one?

An installation floater is inland marine coverage on property, usually equipment, being installed by a contractor. It is designed to cover that property in transit, while stored at the site, and during installation, the window where neither the manufacturer's coverage nor the owner's property policy reliably applies. It is often written on the same form used for builders risk. Terms vary by carrier and form.

Is the equipment covered by the owner's builders risk policy?

Sometimes, but not always, and relying on it without confirming is where installers get hurt. Builders risk terms differ on when materials become covered, whether off-site storage and transit are included, and whether you are named at all. Ask for the terms in writing rather than assuming your equipment is included.

If the unit I installed fails, is that covered?

Liability coverage generally responds to bodily injury or property damage resulting from a failure, rather than to the cost of replacing or reworking the failed installation itself. If you also manufacture or supply the product, a products liability exposure sits alongside the installation exposure. Coverage, exclusions and limits vary by carrier and policy form.

Part of our guide to commercial insurance.

Contractors

Installation Contractor Insurance in Missouri

Insurance for flooring, roofing, window, and installation contractors.

Installation contractors work in and on other people's property — which means high-stakes liability exposure if something goes wrong. We help installation professionals get covered quickly and affordably.

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Who We Serve

✓Flooring and tile contractors
✓Roofing contractors
✓Window and door installers
✓Kitchen and bath remodelers
✓Insulation contractors

Common Risks in Your Industry

⚠Improper installation claims
⚠Property damage during install
⚠Worker injury on job site
⚠Equipment and materials theft
⚠Vehicle incidents between job sites

Recommended Coverages

General Liability

Workers' Compensation

Commercial Auto

Inland Marine (tools & equipment)

Completed Operations coverage

Real-World Scenario

Six months after you install a roof, a leak develops and causes interior water damage. Completed operations coverage under a General Liability policy is generally aimed at the resulting damage to other property — the interior — rather than the cost of redoing the defective work itself, which the policy's own-work exclusions commonly remove.

Why BluePeak Digital

Installation work often results in completed operations claims long after the job is done. We make sure your policy doesn't expire on your liability.

Underwriting this industry

Installation contractors carry a property exposure most contractors do not, because the equipment or product being installed is usually their responsibility until acceptance, whether it is in transit, staged on site, or partially set. An installation floater is inland marine coverage written on property being installed by a contractor, and it is often issued on the same form used for builders risk. On the liability side the question is almost always whether damage came from the installed item failing or from the installation itself.

What underwriters evaluate

What is installed, typical unit value, and the maximum value at any one job site at one time
Materials in transit, and how equipment is staged, secured and protected before and during installation
Whether installation follows manufacturer specifications and whether the contractor is a certified installer
Rigging, hoisting, crane and lift use, and whether that work is performed in house or subcontracted
Heights and confined spaces crews work in, and the fall protection and entry procedures used
Occupied versus unoccupied premises, and the exposure to existing finishes, systems and contents
Whether the contractor also supplies or manufactures the product, rather than only installing it

Common claim types

Damage to the item being installed while in transit, stored on site, or partially set
Theft of staged equipment and materials from job sites before installation is complete
Property damage to the customer's building, roof penetrations, floors and finishes during the install
Bodily injury from rigging, lifting, dropped loads and work at height
Completed operations claims where an installed system later fails, leaks or detaches

Coverage gaps we see

Relying on the owner's builders risk, which may not extend to your equipment before it is incorporated
No installation floater, leaving the window between the manufacturer's shipping coverage and owner acceptance
Care, custody and control exclusions applying to the very item being installed
Faulty installation itself assumed covered, where liability forms generally respond to resulting damage
Completed operations coverage dropped once the job closes, though failures often surface later

Frequently asked questions

What is an installation floater and do I need one?: An installation floater is inland marine coverage on property, usually equipment, being installed by a contractor. It is designed to cover that property in transit, while stored at the site, and during installation, the window where neither the manufacturer's coverage nor the owner's property policy reliably applies. It is often written on the same form used for builders risk. Terms vary by carrier and form.
Is the equipment covered by the owner's builders risk policy?: Sometimes, but not always, and relying on it without confirming is where installers get hurt. Builders risk terms differ on when materials become covered, whether off-site storage and transit are included, and whether you are named at all. Ask for the terms in writing rather than assuming your equipment is included.
If the unit I installed fails, is that covered?: Liability coverage generally responds to bodily injury or property damage resulting from a failure, rather than to the cost of replacing or reworking the failed installation itself. If you also manufacture or supply the product, a products liability exposure sits alongside the installation exposure. Coverage, exclusions and limits vary by carrier and policy form.

Coverage, exclusions and limits vary by carrier and policy form. Requirements differ by state, operation and contract — review the applicable policy language.

Contractors Insurance: What You Need and What It Covers
A working guide to contractor insurance from an underwriting perspective: which coverages you actually need, how they interact, and the gaps that show up on real jobs.
Construction Project Insurance: Builders Risk to Wrap-Ups
Project-level construction risk is insured differently from a contractor's annual program. This guide covers builders risk, contractual risk transfer, additional insured and completed operations, project aggregates, wrap-ups and subcontractor default.

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