Construction Insurance
Protect your projects, people, and equipment with insurance built specifically for Australian construction, civil, and contracting businesses.
Insurance Solutions Built for Construction Businesses
Construction work creates high exposure to physical loss, third-party risk, subcontractor activity, and contractual obligations. These are the core policies construction businesses rely on to keep work sites protected and compliant with project requirements.
Public Liability Insurance
Covers your business if a third party suffers injury or property damage caused by your work on a construction site. This includes incidents involving tools, machinery, subcontractors, and job-site activities.
This policy is essential for construction contractors because most commercial builders, developers, and principal contractors won’t allow you on site without it. It protects you if you damage neighbouring structures, underground assets, or accidentally injure someone during construction activity.
- Covers injury and property damage caused to third parties
- Required for most commercial and civil construction contracts
- Can extend to products liability for completed works
- Protects against claims involving subcontractors (depending on wording)
Contract Works Insurance
Protects the physical works under construction against theft, fire, storm, vandalism, accidental damage, and loss of building materials. Coverage can apply to residential builds, commercial projects, extensions, renovations, and multi-storey developments.
This policy is essential for builders and contractors because lenders, developers, and head contractors often require it as part of project conditions. It covers materials on-site, in storage, and in transit, keeping your project protected from unexpected disruptions.
- Covers physical loss or damage to the works during construction
- Includes materials on-site, in storage, or in transit
- Complies with lender and principal contractor requirements
- Optional cover for tools, scaffolding, temporary structures and hoardings
Plant, Equipment & Tools Insurance
Protects your machinery, tools, and equipment from theft, fire, accidental damage, breakdown (optional), and vandalism. This includes excavators, skid steers, loaders, generators, power tools, and trailers used throughout construction projects.
Construction businesses rely heavily on machinery and portable tools losing them can stop an entire project. This cover ensures you stay operational, whether you own, lease, or hire your equipment to others.
- Covers owned and hired-in machinery and tools
- Optional breakdown insurance for critical equipment
- Wet hire and dry hire conditions available
- Can include finance protection and agreed value cover
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Protects you from claims arising from professional advice, design, certification, project supervision, estimation errors, inspections, or documentation failures related to a construction project.
Builders, project managers, construction consultants, certifiers, surveyors, and design-and-construct contractors face financial risk if advice or documentation causes a loss. PI insurance covers legal costs, compensation, and investigations relating to those claims.
- Covers financial loss caused by advice, design or documentation
- Required for many commercial contracts and government tenders
- Helps protect against claims of negligence or incorrect certification
- Includes legal defence costs
Commercial Motor & Heavy Vehicle Insurance
Protects you from claims arising from professional advice, design, certification, project supervision, estimation errors, inspections, or documentation failures related to a construction project.
Builders, project managers, construction consultants, certifiers, surveyors, and design-and-construct contractors face financial risk if advice or documentation causes a loss. PI insurance covers legal costs, compensation, and investigations relating to those claims.
- Covers financial loss caused by advice, design or documentation
- Required for many commercial contracts and government tenders
- Helps protect against claims of negligence or incorrect certification
- Includes legal defence costs
Business Pack & Portable Property
Protects your office, storage yards, sheds, equipment, documents, and small tools against fire, theft, accidental damage, or breakdown. Also includes portable property cover for items used across multiple work sites.
Construction businesses often operate across multiple locations and move between jobs daily. This policy provides flexible protection for tools, laptops, site materials, and day-to-day operational equipment.
- Covers tools, laptops, documents and business assets
- Optional theft, breakdown, and accidental damage cover
- Portable Property cover for equipment used on multiple job sites
- Can include property, stock, and general contents
Supporting Every Area of the Construction & Civil Sector
Coverite works with small trades, specialist contractors, principal builders, and large-scale civil operators across Australia. Our policies are tailored to your type of work, your equipment, and your contractual requirements.
Protecting Australia’s Construction Industry
Construction & trade businesses supported
Businesses Protected
Real Results for Real Builders & Contractors
From sole traders and residential builders to major civil contractors, Coverite helps construction businesses recover quickly from project delays, material damage, machinery breakdowns, and contract disputes. We understand how a single incident on site can stall progress, impact timelines, and increase costs which is why having the right cover makes all the difference.
Construction Insurance FAQs
Common questions from contractors, operators, and hire businesses about construction insurance in Australia.
What does construction insurance cover?
Construction insurance typically covers physical loss or damage to the works, site materials, tools, and equipment during a construction project. It also includes liability coverage for third-party injury, subcontractor activity, property damage, and in certain circumstances, defects. Depending on the policy, it may include temporary structures, scaffolding, formwork, goods in transit, and project-related materials. For civil work, coverage can extend to earthworks, trenching, retaining structures, and underground services.
How much does a construction insurance policy cost?
Pricing varies based on contract value, annual turnover, type of construction work, location, subcontractor involvement, machinery usage, and past claims. Residential construction is generally lower cost, while civil construction, steel work, structural works, and commercial high-rise activity attract higher premiums due to their risk categories. Providing accurate details ensures competitive and compliant pricing.
Can I obtain construction insurance instantly or online?
We provide fast construction insurance quotes, but instant online cover is not always appropriate due to project complexity. Insurers require contract values, construction methods, subcontractor breakdown, machinery involvement, project duration and safety processes. We handle the submission process, ensuring insurers receive accurate details resulting in stronger coverage and better pricing.
Do subcontractors need their own insurance?
Some subcontractors are covered under your policy depending on the policy wording and your contract structure. However, many high-risk trades such as roofing, electrical, plumbing, scaffolding and steel erection typically require their own Public Liability or Professional Indemnity coverage. We help you determine which subcontractors require independent cover so your policy responds correctly in the event of a claim.
Do you handle construction insurance claims?
Yes. We manage claims from start to finish: collecting site evidence, preparing documentation, communicating with loss adjusters, negotiating with insurers, and ensuring timely settlement. Construction claims are often complex due to timelines, subcontractors and project dependencies, so having a adviser manage the process significantly reduces business disruption and improves outcomes.
Where Coverite Supports Construction Businesses Across Australia
Coverite provides complete construction and civil insurance solutions for builders, trades and contractors across every state and territory in Australia.
Queensland (QLD)
QLD construction includes coastal weather exposure, major infrastructure work, large subdivisions, and extensive residential development across Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. We help contractors secure cover suitable for variable weather, high machinery use and subcontractor-heavy projects.
New South Wales (NSW)
NSW construction involves commercial towers, industrial refits, road and rail upgrades, and major government works. We assist builders and trades in meeting insurance requirements for tenders, principal contractor agreements and large construction contracts.
Victoria (VIC)
VIC projects include multi-storey construction, transport infrastructure and commercial fit-outs. We provide policies that address metropolitan density, equipment movement, subcontractor coordination, and regulatory requirements.
Western Australia (WA)
WA construction overlaps heavily with mining, industrial projects and remote commercial work. We secure cover that protects contractors operating in high-heat regions, remote sites, and heavy-equipment-based environments.
South Australia (SA)
SA construction includes commercial and industrial development across Adelaide, as well as government architectural projects and regional civil works. We help builders and trades obtain reliable and compliant insurance solutions.
Tasmania (TAS)
TAS construction faces weather variation, regional site access challenges and limited equipment hire availability. We provide tailored cover to ensure projects remain protected throughout changing conditions.
Northern Territory (NT)
NT projects carry exposure to weather extremes, labour shortages and remote-site operations. We help civil and construction businesses obtain cover that meets tender and government contract requirements.