Over half of small business owners lack enough commercial property insurance to cover reconstruction costs after disasters, often discovering gaps only when filing claims. Rebuilding typically costs more than the original construction due to higher labor and materials, and owners rarely update policies after improvements or equipment purchases.
Chapters
Thousands of small business owners in every part of the country submit insurance claims for property losses or damage every year caused by fire, flood, hurricane, tornado, or earthquake. However, a recent national survey found that more than half of them are unprepared to pay for reconstruction, repair, or replacement expenses that are not covered by their insurance due to gaps, exclusions, or limitations in their policies. Unfortunately, these business owners do not discover this until after they file a claim. There are two reasons for this. One, the cost to rebuild or repair structures will almost always exceed the original construction value due to the higher cost of labor and materials, as well as changes in building code requirements. And two, most business owners fail to update their coverage after making improvements to their property or replacing their equipment and machinery. What's more, the definitions of coverage, terms and conditions can significantly affect what is paid