Damage during the work
A broken pipe during a renovation or a botched roof repair that lets water in, covered by the contractor's liability insurance where it exists.
Florida property damage attorneys
Contractor-Caused Property Damage Lawyer
A contractor's insurance exists for exactly this situation. We help you reach it, alongside your own policy if needed. Whether the contractor was licensed shapes which path comes first.
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Contractor-caused damage claims
The contractor's own insurance is often the first place to look. Not your policy.
A licensed contractor working in your home or business is generally required to carry liability insurance that covers damage they cause while performing the job, whether it is a broken pipe during a renovation, a botched roof repair that lets water in, or damage to an unrelated part of the property.
That coverage exists separately from your own homeowners or commercial policy, and it is often the right first place to look.
Two facts shape the claim from the start: whether the contractor was licensed, and whether they carry insurance or a bond. We establish both before deciding which insurer to pursue first.
01
Whether the contractor carries liability insurance or a bond comes first.
A licensed contractor is generally required to carry it, and it exists separately from your own policy. That is the coverage a contractor-caused claim is built on.
While the job is still fresh
Photograph the work. Keep the paperwork.
The contractor's records, and yours, are the evidence in this claim. Gather them before the job site changes.
01 /
Photograph the damage
Document the affected area and the contractor's work in progress. Damage to an unrelated part of the property counts too, so capture that as well.
02 /
Get the contractor's information
Collect their license number, company name and insurance details. Those three items tell us whether liability coverage or a bond exists to pursue.
03 /
Notify both insurers
Report the damage to your own insurer and the contractor's, if known. Your own policy may respond faster while the contractor's liability claim is investigated.
04 /
Keep all contracts and receipts
Retain everything related to the job, even if it was already paid in full. Paying a contractor does not waive your right to hold them responsible for damage they caused.
Already paid the contractor in full? Paying a contractor for their work does not waive your right to hold them responsible for damage they caused, whether to the area they worked on or to another part of your property.
What a claim can address
The job site, and everything the job reached.
A contractor-caused claim covers the damage from the work itself and the damage to parts of the property the job was never supposed to touch.
The contractor's insurer, your own policy, or both. Which one pays first depends on the license and the coverage.
Damage to unrelated property
Damage to a part of the property the contractor was not working on, which their liability coverage still generally reaches.
Repairs your own policy fronts
Repairs paid under your own homeowners or commercial policy while the contractor's liability claim is investigated, with reimbursement or subrogation sorted out afterward.
Licensed or unlicensed
An unlicensed contractor changes the path, not your right to recover.
When the contractor is unlicensed, recovery gets more complicated, since adequate insurance or bonding may not exist. In those cases, your own property policy becomes the more important path, and pursuing the contractor personally may also be worth considering alongside it.
Either way, having paid the contractor does not close the door. The license, the insurance and the paperwork from the job decide which avenue leads.
License and bond
What we check on every contractor-caused damage claim
The paperwork from the job answers most of these.
01
Is there insurance or a bond?
Whether the contractor carries liability insurance or a bond that covers damage caused while working.
Whether the contractor carries liability insurance or a bond that covers damage caused while working.
02
Was the contractor licensed?
Whether the contractor was properly licensed for the work performed, since that shapes what coverage is likely to exist.
Whether the contractor was properly licensed for the work performed, since that shapes what coverage is likely to exist.
03
Should your policy respond first?
Whether your own policy should respond first while liability is sorted out, so repairs are not held up.
Whether your own policy should respond first while liability is sorted out, so repairs are not held up.
04
Does payment change anything?
Whether prior payment to the contractor affects your right to recover, which it generally does not.
Whether prior payment to the contractor affects your right to recover, which it generally does not.
How the two claims actually get coordinated. Often both insurers are involved, since your own policy may respond faster while the contractor's liability claim is investigated, with reimbursement or subrogation sorted out afterward. We help coordinate both claims so you are not left waiting on one to move forward with repairs.
How we work
You keep the receipts. We find the coverage.
A contractor-caused claim is won on paperwork. We identify the contractor's insurer or bond, confirm the license, and coordinate your own policy so repairs move while liability gets sorted out.
Talk with our team01
We identify the contractor's coverageLicense number, company name, insurance details, and the bond if one exists, pulled from the job records you kept.
02
We handle the unlicensed caseWhere adequate insurance or bonding may not exist, we look at every available avenue, including your own policy and the contractor personally.
03
We coordinate both claimsYour insurer and the contractor's, run together so you are not left waiting on one to move forward with repairs.
A simpler way forward
Three steps, starting with the job paperwork.
You do not need to know whether the contractor was licensed before you call. Bring the contract, the receipts, and what you photographed.
01
Tell us about the job
Call or write to us with the basics. We ask what the contractor was hired to do, what was damaged, and what information you have on them.
02
Hear which coverage applies
We tell you whether the contractor's insurance or bond is the path, whether your own policy should go first, or both.
03
Let us handle both insurers
If we take the claim, we deal with the contractor, their carrier and yours, while you get the repairs underway.
Contractor disappeared or turned out to be unlicensed? Call anyway. Your own policy and a claim against the contractor personally are still on the table.
Contractor-caused damage claim questions
Clear answers about contractor damage.
General answers, not advice on your facts. The contractor's license, their coverage, and the job records decide your claim.
Ask us about your situation ↗A contractor working on my home damaged something unrelated to their job. Who pays for that?
A licensed contractor is generally required to carry liability insurance that covers damage they cause while working, separate from your own homeowners policy. We help identify the contractor's insurer and pursue that coverage directly.
The contractor was unlicensed. Does that change anything?
It often makes recovery more complicated, since an unlicensed contractor may not carry adequate insurance or a bond. In that situation, your own property policy becomes more important, and we look at every available avenue, including the contractor personally.
Should I file a claim with my own insurer, the contractor's insurer, or both?
Often both, since your own policy may respond faster while the contractor's liability claim is investigated, with reimbursement or subrogation sorted out afterward. We help coordinate both claims so you are not left waiting on one to move forward with repairs.
Can I still make a claim if I already paid the contractor in full?
Yes. Paying a contractor for their work does not waive your right to hold them responsible for damage they caused, whether to the area they worked on or to another part of your property.
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