Roofing Insurance in Canada

Roofing combines three hazards that most trades face one at a time: height, open flame and an exposed building. A worker can fall. A torch can ignite the deck or the insulation below it. A roof stripped in the morning can let a storm into the building in the afternoon. Underwriters price all three, and many restrict or decline the class.

That is why a roofer cannot buy a generic contractor policy and assume it fits. The wording has to name roofing, describe the methods you use and match the buildings you work on. Roofing sits inside our wider construction and contractors program, but the class has its own exclusions, its own appetite and its own claim patterns. The rest of this guide covers them in the order an underwriter asks about them.

A roofing program has more moving parts than most trade programs. Each line below answers a claim we see roofers face.

The scenarios below are hypothetical, but they reflect the losses underwriters ask about on every roofing application.

Our guide to how a business insurance claim works explains reporting, adjusters and the documents you will be asked for.

Torch-applied membranes, hot asphalt kettles and heat welding are where roofing's largest liability claims start. Insurers that write roofers usually do one of three things: exclude hot work entirely, cover it with a list of conditions, or price it as a separate rated exposure. A policy that excludes it can leave a flat-roof contractor uninsured for the work it does most.

Where hot work is covered, the conditions are part of the contract, and a breach can affect the claim. Typical conditions include:

Read the hot work endorsement before you quote a flat-roof job, and keep the records that prove you followed it. The owner's builder's risk or property policy may also impose its own hot work rules.

Water is the second big roofing exposure, and it arrives two ways. During the job, a roof left open overnight or a tarp that lifts in the wind lets rain into the building. After the job, a missed flashing or poor fastening leaks through the first thaw. The first is an operations claim. The second is a completed operations claim, and it can arrive years later.

In both cases, a CGL policy pays for damage your work causes to other property: ceilings, drywall, flooring and contents. It usually does not pay to replace your own faulty work. That is the faulty workmanship exclusion, and it is the most misunderstood line in a roofer's policy. If a roof fails, the client's interior damage is a liability claim. Re-roofing is a warranty cost for your business.

Some roofing policies also carry a specific exclusion or high deductible for water damage while the roof is open. Ask before you buy, and plan temporary protection for every tear-off.

Fall rules are not insurance rules, but they decide how an underwriter views your business. In Ontario, O. Reg. 213/91 (Construction Projects) applies its fall protection sections when a worker may fall more than 3 metres, among other hazards. An employer must ensure a worker who may use a fall protection system is trained in its use and also meets the working at heights training requirements of O. Reg. 297/13. That training must be an approved program from an approved provider, and it is valid for three years. Other provinces set their own rules, so check with your provincial safety regulator.

Workers' compensation is the other half. The WSIB says people who own or run a construction business in Ontario, with or without employees, must have coverage, including independent operators and sole proprietors. A principal hiring you for construction work must obtain a WSIB clearance certificate before the work begins. Other provinces run their own boards with different rules for owner-operators. Our post WSIB is not enough explains where workers' compensation stops and liability insurance starts.

Commercial roofing contracts set the insurance you need, often more than the size of your company would suggest. On CCDC contracts, the CCDC 41 insurance schedule sets general liability at $10,000,000 per occurrence for the contractor, and many general contractors pass similar terms down to subcontractors. Property managers and condo corporations write their own requirements.

On larger projects the owner or general contractor may carry builder's risk on the building under construction. Ask for its wording and deductible. A fire or water loss you cause can be charged back to you up to the deductible, or pursued by the insurer if you are not named. On home jobs, the homeowner's own policy may respond first, and its insurer may then seek recovery from you. Roofers who work for renovation contractors should expect the renovator to ask for the same certificate terms it gives its own clients.

Fewer insurers write roofing than write most other trades, and those that do draw lines around the work. Common restrictions include residential only or commercial only, a maximum building height or number of storeys, no hot work, no work on certain roof types, a cap on the share of work subcontracted, and higher deductibles for water claims. A loss history with water or fire claims narrows the market quickly.

This is where a broker earns the fee. We know which insurers on our panel will consider each kind of roofing, and we present your safety program, training records and contracts so the underwriter sees the business as it is. If you also do siding, eavestroughs or general repairs, list them. Unlisted work can fall outside the policy.

Roofing CGL is usually rated on payroll or revenue, and roofing sits in one of the more expensive construction classes. The underwriter then adjusts for:

Tools, floater and auto premiums are driven by values and vehicles. The wider commercial market has softened. Marsh's Global Insurance Market Index put overall Canadian commercial rates down 6% in the third quarter of 2026, but roofing is priced more on its own class and loss record than on the market. A clean file with documented hot work procedures is the best lever you have.