A contractor needs general liability for the next job. The application asks for the current carrier, and the answer is blank. Before deciding where to send the account, the retail agent needs to establish what that blank means.
The business might be opening next week. It might have worked uninsured for three years. Or its previous policy might have ended last month while projects continued. Calling all three “no prior insurance” leaves out the facts that explain the placement.
Can a contractor get GL without prior coverage?
An agent can bring an accurately described account to a wholesaler for an appetite review. Whether a market will consider it, require more information or offer terms depends on the operation and its history. Neither a new venture nor a lapse creates an automatic E&S solution.
The initial request should state the business start date, uninsured periods and desired effective date. Then explain why coverage is needed now. A first contract, a customer requirement and replacement of a canceled policy are different circumstances.
The following scenarios are hypothetical preparation examples, not Nomos placements or statements of carrier eligibility.
Scenario 1: A new business with an experienced owner
An electrician has worked for an employer for eight years and is opening a contracting business. The owner has experience, but the new entity has no insurance or operating history of its own.
Keep those histories separate. Identify the owner’s previous responsibilities, the new company’s planned services and who will supervise jobs. Avoid assigning the former employer’s entire project portfolio or loss record to the new business.
Prepare:
- The entity’s formation date, planned first day of work and requested coverage start.
- The owner’s relevant trade experience, licenses and supervisory responsibilities.
- Expected jobs, customers and geographic area, including any residential work.
- First-year estimates for revenue, payroll and subcontracted work, with assumptions.
- Contract insurance requirements and any work already accepted or started.
Ask whether the market can review a new venture on that information and which application it needs. If there are no previous policies, explain why loss runs do not exist. Our missing-loss-runs guide separates that situation from records that have simply not arrived.
Scenario 2: An established business that has operated uninsured
A remodeling contractor has completed kitchen and bathroom projects for three years without GL. A new customer now requires coverage before signing a contract.
The submission needs the three-year operating history. A recently formed LLC or a new trading name should not erase earlier work, predecessor businesses or disclosed responsibilities. Explain why insurance was absent and what the contractor wants to insure going forward.
Prepare:
- A timeline of business names, ownership and uninsured operations.
- A project list showing dates, types of work, customers and subcontractor involvement.
- The current job schedule and any unfinished work carried into the proposed policy period.
- Known damage, complaints, demands, disputes or incidents, with supporting correspondence.
- The new contract’s requirements and the requested effective date.
“No reported insurance claims” does not answer whether a customer has alleged faulty work. A Kinsale contractor application illustrates the distinction: it asks about claims and separately about circumstances that could lead to a claim, including workmanship disputes. Answer the actual application’s questions completely.
Scenario 3: Coverage ended while work continued
A roofing contractor’s policy ended six weeks ago. The crew continued repairs, and the agent is seeking replacement coverage for upcoming projects.
Start with exact dates and documents. “A short lapse” does not tell an underwriter whether the policy expired, was canceled for nonpayment or ended for another reason. The same Kinsale application asks about cancellation and nonrenewal history, including nonpayment.
Prepare:
- Prior declarations, cancellation or nonrenewal notices, and available loss runs.
- The date and stated reason coverage ended; distinguish confirmed facts from an unresolved dispute.
- A list of jobs and incidents during the gap, including unfinished projects.
- What changed after the lapse, such as responsibility for renewal follow-up or payment arrangements.
- The actual desired start date and the customer’s deadline for evidence of insurance.
If records are missing, identify the request owner and status. Published requirements vary: Kinsale’s construction page requests currently valued company loss runs and a detailed operations description. It is an example of a market’s requirements, not a promise that Kinsale or Nomos can place this hypothetical account.
A new policy does not automatically fill an earlier gap
Keep the placement question separate from a coverage determination about previous work. The California Department of Insurance’s commercial guide distinguishes occurrence and claims-made policies. On an occurrence GL form, the timing of covered injury or damage matters; the day a demand arrives alone does not identify the responsive policy.
Earlier work can also raise questions about prior-work exclusions, completed operations and known damage. A policy starting today should not be presented as retroactive protection. Nationwide’s claims guidance explains that claim facts, policy language, exclusions and applicable law determine its coverage decisions.
Before recommending terms, ask the wholesaler to identify the relevant forms and unresolved questions in writing. Use the additional-insured and completed-operations guide when a project contract adds obligations for owners or general contractors. A customer’s certificate deadline does not resolve those terms.
Give the account a clear introduction
Lead the submission with a short chronology: what the contractor does, when it began, when it had insurance, what happened during any gap and what coverage is requested now. Attach the documents that support those dates. Flag missing answers so the next person knows what remains open.
For class-specific preparation, use our general contractor and roofing contractor pages. Historical placements can illustrate other obstacles, such as operations outside an agent’s admitted options; their outcomes do not establish eligibility for an uninsured contractor.
Send Nomos the real operation and its full coverage history so the next discussion can address the account in front of you.
