Commercial & industrial
Property and liability for the risks standard markets hesitate on
Heavier occupancies, older buildings, mixed operations — the commercial and industrial risks that take explaining. Total Risk Managers looks at commercial and industrial property and liability for licensed brokers across Canada, written on a Full Value or a First Loss / Excess of Loss basis.
Full Value or First Loss
Two bases available, matched to the risk
Heavier occupancies
The classes that take explaining are the ones to send
Broker only
Submissions reach us through a licensed broker
Appetite
What we look at
These are the occupancies to send us:
- Woodworkers/Sawmills
- Plastics/Injection Moulding
- Cotton Gins/Textiles
- Recyclers/Waste Products
- Unoccupied/Court Administered Premises
- High and Low Hazard Storage including un-sprinklered locations
- Cold Stores/Composite Panel risks
- Hypermarkets/DIY Stores
- Firework/Explosives Manufacturers and Storage
- Wood Processing
- Pulp and Paper
- Packaging Manufacturers
- Warehouse Storage Risks
- Chemicals Manufacturers
- Paint Manufacturers
- Power Companies
- Petrochemical Refining
- Petrochemical Storage
- Midstream Energy (Petrochem storage and transfer)
- Cement Manufacturing
- Steel Mills
- Aluminium Manufacturing
- Glass Manufacturing
- Food Production Risks
- Restaurant chains
- Farming Risks
- Cold Storage Risks
- Railways – including the rolling stock
- Airports
- Plastics Manufacturers
- Plastics Processors
- Ferrous Recycling
- Casinos
- Tobacco Manufacture and Processing
- Munitions and Firearms Manufacture
- Explosives Manufacturing
- Catastrophe Exposed Residential and Retail Property
- Catastrophe Exposed Hotels
An occupancy not listed here is not a decline. Send the details and we will tell you.
How it works
How commercial and industrial risks are usually insured
What applies to any one risk depends on the policy issued and the risk itself.
Full Value basis
The whole value at risk is insured and the premium follows it; the straightforward basis where values are clear.
First Loss / Excess of Loss
Cover is arranged around the realistic loss rather than the total value, which is often how a large or unusual risk becomes placeable.
Property and liability together
One placement covering the building, the contents and the operation’s liability, so nothing falls between policies.
Construction and protection
What the building is made of and how it is protected drive the terms; the details belong in the submission.
Occupancy
What actually happens inside the building matters more than the label on the door; describe the operation, not just the class.
Values
Building, equipment, stock and business interruption values, and how they were arrived at.
Before you send
What to include in a commercial or industrial submission
A submission that answers these upfront can be quoted without us coming back to ask.
The operation
What the business does, in plain terms, including anything unusual about it.
The building
Construction, year built, storeys, updates to roof, wiring, plumbing and heating, and fire protection.
The values
Building, contents, equipment, stock and business interruption, with how each was set.
The liability picture
Who comes on site, what leaves the premises, and any products exposure.
History
Losses in the last five years, what happened, and what changed afterwards.
Common questions
Questions brokers ask about commercial and industrial
What makes a commercial risk hard to place?
Usually one of three things: the occupancy, the building, or the loss history; a clear explanation of which one, and what has been done about it, is what moves a file.
What is a First Loss or Excess of Loss placement?
Insuring to the realistic maximum loss rather than the full value; common where total values are very large or spread across locations.
Can property and liability be placed together?
Yes; one placement for both is normal in this class and avoids gaps between separate policies.
The building is old — is that a decline?
Age alone is not; what matters is the state of the roof, wiring, plumbing and heating, and when they were updated. Send the dates.
Who can approach Total Risk Managers about a commercial or industrial risk?
Licensed insurance brokers. Total Risk Managers is a Managing General Agent and works through brokers rather than dealing with the public.
Have a commercial or industrial risk to place?
Email the details to submissions@totalriskmanagers.com and we will come back to you. Submissions are accepted from licensed insurance brokers.
This page describes coverage in general terms. Cover, limits and conditions vary by policy and by risk. Nothing here changes or replaces the wording of an issued policy. Coverage is arranged through a licensed insurance broker. If you are a broker, contact us. If you are not, please speak to your broker.