A framing sub bids your project at $15,000 below the next competitor. The bid looks clean. Then you pull the insurance certificate and see a $500,000 GL limit from a carrier you have never heard of.

Cheap contractor insurance is not automatically bad insurance. But in construction, the lowest premium usually means the narrowest coverage. And narrow coverage on your jobsite becomes your financial problem.

Here are the 8 red flags that signal a sub's cheap policy could leave you exposed.

1. Per-Occurrence Limits Below $1,000,000

The single clearest indicator of a budget policy is a sub-$1M per-occurrence limit. In 2025, the average bodily injury claim on a commercial construction site hit $127,000. A fall-from-height claim averaged $312,000.

A $500,000 limit gets exhausted by one serious injury. Everything above that limit flows to your policy.

What adequate coverage looks like: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate at minimum. Trades with higher risk profiles (roofing, steel erection, demolition) need $2,000,000 per occurrence.

2. Surplus Lines Carriers with No AM Best Rating

Surplus lines carriers serve a legitimate role in the construction insurance market. They write coverage for risks that admitted carriers decline.

The problem starts when a sub uses a surplus lines carrier purely because the premium is 40-60% cheaper than admitted market options. These bargain surplus lines policies often come from carriers with no AM Best rating or ratings below B+.

If the carrier has no AM Best rating, you cannot verify its financial ability to pay claims. In 2024, two unrated surplus lines carriers writing construction GL policies became insolvent, leaving GCs holding $47 million in uncovered claims.

3. Excluded Operations That Match Your Scope

Cheap contractor insurance policies achieve low premiums by excluding specific operations from coverage. The exclusions are buried in endorsement schedules that most people never read.

Common exclusions on budget policies:

Work above 15 feet (eliminates fall coverage on multi-story projects)
Hot work (welding, torch cutting, soldering)
Work near underground utilities
Residential operations on a mixed-use project
EIFS, synthetic stucco, or exterior cladding installation
Work involving lead, asbestos, or mold

A sub with a "no work above two stories" exclusion on your five-story project has zero coverage for 60% of the jobsite. That exclusion saved them $3,000 in annual premium. It could cost you $300,000 in a single claim.

4. Low Aggregate Limits Relative to Revenue

The general aggregate is the maximum the policy pays in a single policy period. Cheap policies often carry a $1,000,000 aggregate, which sounds like a lot until you consider the sub's annual workload.

A sub doing $5 million in annual revenue with a $1,000,000 aggregate runs a high probability of exhausting that limit across all their projects. Once the aggregate is gone, there is no more coverage for the remainder of the policy year.

Sub Annual Revenue	Recommended Minimum Aggregate	Budget Policy Aggregate	Gap
Under $500K	$1,000,000	$500,000	$500,000
$500K-$2M	$2,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000
$2M-$5M	$4,000,000	$1,000,000	$3,000,000
$5M-$10M	$5,000,000	$2,000,000	$3,000,000
Over $10M	$10,000,000+	$2,000,000	$8,000,000+

Ask for a loss run. If the sub has had $400,000 in claims this year against a $1,000,000 aggregate, only $600,000 remains for your project.

5. Restrictive Additional Insured Endorsements

Being named as an additional insured on a sub's policy is foundational to your protection. But not all additional insured endorsements are created equal.

Cheap policies often use restrictive AI endorsements that limit coverage to situations where the sub is solely negligent. If you share any fault (even 1%), the endorsement provides nothing.

Endorsements to watch for:

CG 20 09 (limits AI coverage to the sub's sole negligence)
CG 20 33 (ongoing operations only, no completed operations)
Manuscript endorsements with unusual restrictions

The gold standard is CG 20 10 (ongoing operations) combined with CG 20 37 (completed operations). If the sub's carrier refuses these standard forms, the policy is likely too restrictive for your needs.

6. No Completed Operations Coverage

CGL policies cover two phases: ongoing operations (while work is in progress) and completed operations (after the sub finishes and leaves).

Budget policies sometimes exclude completed operations entirely or carry a separate, lower limit. Since most construction defect claims surface 2-5 years after project completion, this gap creates long-term exposure.

34% of construction liability claims are filed after project completion. Without completed operations coverage, the sub has no policy to respond to those claims.

Require completed operations coverage for the full statute of repose period in your state. That ranges from 4 years (Alaska) to 15 years (Mississippi).

7. High Deductibles Disguised as Low Premiums

A $50,000 deductible on a CGL policy can reduce the annual premium by $8,000-$15,000. The sub saves money on premium but must pay $50,000 out of pocket before the policy responds to any claim.

If the sub cannot cover the deductible, the claim sits unpaid. The injured party or property owner then comes after you.

Acceptable deductible ranges for construction subs:

Small subs (under $1M revenue): $1,000-$5,000
Mid-size subs ($1M-$5M revenue): $5,000-$10,000
Large subs (over $5M revenue): $10,000-$25,000

Any deductible above $25,000 on a GL policy should trigger a financial review of the sub's ability to self-fund that amount.

8. Annual Policies That Won't Be Renewed

Some cheap policies are one-year placements designed to get a certificate, with no intention of renewal. The carrier offers a low introductory rate, collects the premium, and non-renews at expiration.

The sub gets the certificate they need for your bid. You get a sub whose coverage disappears mid-project.

Warning signs:

The policy was placed within 30 days of your bid submission
The sub cannot name their broker or agent
The carrier has a history of non-renewals in construction lines
The policy term exactly matches your project duration

What Cheap Contractor Insurance Actually Costs by Trade

Understanding normal price ranges helps you spot outliers. If a sub's premium is 50% below the trade average, ask why.

Trade	Average Annual GL Premium (2025)	"Cheap" Threshold	Risk Level
Electrical	$4,500-$8,000	Below $2,500	High
Plumbing	$3,800-$7,000	Below $2,000	Medium-High
HVAC	$3,500-$6,500	Below $2,000	Medium
Framing	$6,000-$12,000	Below $3,500	High
Roofing	$8,000-$18,000	Below $5,000	Very High
Concrete	$5,000-$10,000	Below $3,000	High
Painting	$2,500-$5,000	Below $1,500	Medium
Drywall	$3,000-$6,000	Below $1,800	Medium

These ranges apply to subs with $500K-$2M in annual revenue. Premiums scale with revenue, payroll, and claims history.

How to Evaluate a Sub's Budget Policy

Not every affordable policy is a bad policy. Follow this evaluation process before rejecting a sub based on premium alone.

Step 1: Request the full policy declarations page, not just the certificate. The dec page shows limits, deductibles, and listed endorsements.

Step 2: Get copies of the additional insured and waiver of subrogation endorsements. Read the actual endorsement language.

Step 3: Review the exclusion schedule. Cross-reference each exclusion against your project scope.

Step 4: Check the carrier's AM Best rating. Require A- VII minimum.

Step 5: Request a three-year loss run. Claims history tells you more than premium price.

Step 6: Verify the policy aggregate has not been eroded by other claims.

If all six checks pass, the sub found a legitimately good rate. If any check fails, the cheap premium is hiding a coverage gap that could land on your balance sheet.

FAQs

Is cheap contractor insurance always inadequate? No. Some subs earn low premiums through strong safety records, favorable experience mods, and competitive market conditions. The premium alone does not determine adequacy. The policy terms, limits, endorsements, and carrier strength determine whether coverage is sufficient.

What should I do if a sub cannot afford my insurance requirements? You have three options: decline the sub, adjust requirements for low-risk scopes (reduce umbrella limits on small contracts), or explore owner-controlled or contractor-controlled insurance programs (OCIP/CCIP) that wrap subs under a project policy.

Can I require a sub to upgrade their insurance? Yes. Your subcontract can specify minimum coverage requirements. If the sub's existing policy falls short, they must obtain endorsements or purchase additional coverage to meet your standards. Most brokers can add endorsements or increase limits within 24-48 hours.

How do I verify that a cheap policy is actually active? Use a combination of state database lookups, NAIC carrier verification, and direct carrier contact. Automated platforms like SubcontractorAudit run continuous verification against carrier data so you know within hours if a policy lapses.

What is a surplus lines carrier and should I accept their policies? Surplus lines carriers write coverage for risks the admitted market will not insure. They are legitimate but operate outside state guaranty fund protections. Accept surplus lines policies only from carriers rated A- VII or higher by AM Best. Reject unrated surplus lines carriers.

Who pays if a sub's cheap insurance denies a claim on my project? If the sub's carrier denies the claim due to a policy exclusion or exhausted limits, the claim escalates to your CGL or umbrella policy. You then face premium increases and potential deductible exposure. In many cases, the GC absorbs the full loss if the sub has no assets to pursue.

Stop guessing whether your subs' policies are adequate. Track and verify every certificate automatically with SubcontractorAudit.