Contract works
The works themselves, materials on site and in transit, and temporary works, from site establishment through to practical completion and the defects liability period.
Are you an Australian based builder? You're in the right place.
Construction insurance, sorted and off your desk
Not just the cheapest cover — the right cover matched to your contracts, at the right price. Residential or commercial, annual program or single project. About a minute to start.
- Residential and commercial builders, Australia-wide
- From small residential jobs to major high-rise and civil work
- Certificates same day, so sites are not held up
Backed by experience across tens of thousands of projects.
Worth knowing
Most builders don't have the right insurance.
For example: public liability does not cover the works. Liability responds when your work injures a third party or damages property that is not yours. Damage to the building you are putting up — fire, storm, theft, vandalism, water — sits with contract works, and that is a separate section. Most contracts require both, in the right names, with the right limits. Getting it wrong is usually discovered at claim time.
What you need
Two sections, and the wording that ties them to your contract
Whether you build houses or fit out office floors, the shape of the cover is the same. What changes is the scope of work, the size, the period, and whose name is on it.
Public and products liability
Your legal liability to third parties when the work injures someone or damages third-party property. Limits are usually dictated by the principal or the contract, commonly $10m or $20m.
Annual or single project
An annual program if you have several jobs running, or a single project policy for a one-off, a joint venture, or a contract that needs cover in a particular name.
Free guide
Get the 2026 Builders Insurance Guide
Ten minutes of reading to help you understand the cover.
Free — we will email it over.
- The top mistakes builders make with their insurance
- Common exclusions most never hear about until it is too late
- Simple habits that help protect your projects
- Tips for common scenarios
We will send the guide and nothing else, unless you ask.
On its way — check your inbox shortly. While you are here, start your quote; it takes about a minute.
Who you're dealing with
You're not getting a call centre. You're getting a construction insurance specialist.
I have been around construction projects since the early 2000s, and construction insurance since 2012. In that time I have been involved in tens of thousands of projects for thousands of clients, and I ran underwriting for one of Australia's largest specialist construction insurance teams. That is the side of the desk that decides what gets covered, what gets declined, and what a job should actually cost.
I started Arrange because I kept seeing the same thing. Most brokers are not construction specialists. They place the wrong cover, they miss the exposures that matter, and their client only finds out at claim time when it is too late to fix. Or they quietly pay too much, year after year.
I am an engineer by training, so I know how a build actually goes together and where it goes wrong. That is what I structure your cover around. I built this business on smart tools that keep the price down and the turnaround quick, because builders deserve better than a call centre and a template.
- Engineering degree
- Construction insurance since 2012
- Tens of thousands of projects
- Former Underwriting Manager
- You deal with a specialist, start to finish
Pricing
How builders insurance is actually priced
There is no list price, but there is a logic to it, and it is worth understanding. In a nutshell, cover is rated primarily on turnover for an annual program, or on contract value for a single project. Everything after that is a modifier.
- Modifiers — the duration of the work, the type of work you do, the excess you carry, and the structures involved. There are many more than that, and each underwriter weighs them differently, which is why the same job can price very differently from one insurer to the next.
- Additional charges — things like tools, existing structures and display homes are usually rated and charged separately.
- Your claims history — and how well the risk is presented to the insurer in the first place.
How it works
From enquiry to certificate in three steps
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Tell us about the work
A minute on the form. Annual or single project, what you build, and roughly what you turn over.
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We structure it and go to market
We approach the insurers who write your class of work and set limits, periods and insured parties to meet your contracts — usually back to you within one business day.
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Bind and build
Once you confirm, we bind cover and issue certificates of currency, with principal or joint insured wording where the contract requires it.
FAQ
Common questions
What is the difference between contract works and public liability?
Contract works covers damage to the thing you are building: the works, materials on site and in transit, and temporary works. Public liability covers your legal liability when your work injures someone or damages property belonging to someone else. They are different sections and most construction contracts require both.
Do I need an annual policy or single project cover?
If you run several jobs at once, an annual program is usually simpler and cheaper than insuring each one. A single project policy suits a one-off build, a joint venture, or a contract that requires cover in a particular name. We place both and will tell you which fits.
Does contract works cover the defects liability period?
It can, and most contracts require it. Defects liability cover is a separate extension with its own period, commonly 12 months from practical completion. We set that period to match your contract rather than leaving the policy default in place.
Can you name the principal or add joint insured parties?
Yes. Principals, developers, financiers and joint venture partners can be noted or named on the policy where the contract requires it. Send us the contract clause and we will make sure the wording matches it before the certificate is issued.
What public liability limit do I need?
Your contract or the principal usually specifies it. Ten million is common for residential work and twenty million or more is often required on commercial sites. If you are not sure, tell us in the form and we will read the requirement.
Are subcontractors and labour hire covered?
Your liability policy generally responds to work performed on your behalf, but the detail matters, and subcontractors should carry their own cover. The split between employees, subcontractors and labour hire also affects your rating, so it is worth getting right at placement.
How fast can I get a certificate of currency?
Once cover is bound, certificates are typically issued the same day, including principal or joint insured wording where the contract requires it.
Claims examples
A few of the situations contract works and liability policies are commonly asked to respond to, kept deliberately high level.
- Weather damage to the works. Storm or water damages work in progress before practical completion.
- Fire or theft on site. Completed work, materials or temporary works are damaged or taken.
- Damage to third-party property. Your work damages a neighbouring building or a service.
- Injury to a third party. Someone outside your business is injured and your liability is alleged.
These are simplified illustrations, not real claims, and not advice. Whether a claim is paid always depends on the policy wording, the limits and excesses in place, and the circumstances at the time. Talk to a broker and we will walk you through how a policy would actually respond on your job.
Get started
Ready to get it off your desk?
A minute now, and a specialist reads your requirement instead of a call centre reading a script.
Questions
Prefer to message us?
Got a contract clause you want checked, or a renewal coming up? Send a note and we will come back to you. For anything urgent, call 03 9933 4664.
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