Builders Mutual Insurance Company
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Builders Mutual remains a construction-only carrier focused on residential, commercial, and trade contractors, distributed through select independent agencies. Current published guidance shows its core footprint in FL, GA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, and VA, with incidental employee exposures considered outside the footprint including DC; Florida-domiciled operations must be written by Florida-resident agents. The verified public underwriting/appetite document is still the Agent Quick Reference Guide PDF currently hosted on the carrier site. Preferred/target classes called out in the appetite section include core construction and construction-related trades, with best-performing workers’ compensation classes including commercial/interior/residential carpentry, door/sash erection, electrical wiring, excavation, floor covering, insulation, painting/paperhanging, and roofing. Publicly listed acceptable/considered classes also include remodelers with limited scope, siding, cabinet/interior trim/countertop work, acoustical ceiling installation, concrete flatwork and low-rise concrete, drywall, non-industrial electrical, fencing, grading with no logging/tree removal/demolition, gutter installation, HVAC dealers/installers/service, janitorial limited to construction-related work, landscaping with no DOT work, masonry under three stories, decorative/non-structural metal work, and similar contractor classes. Operational restrictions repeatedly emphasize low-rise/light construction parameters: exterior operations generally three stories or less for Trade Contractor eligibility; no mobile homes for modular housing; no fire or water restoration or major renovation for remodelers; no work above 480 volts or industrial electrical work for electrical classes; no logging/tree removal or demolition for grading/excavation; no residential/office janitorial for janitorial classes; and limits on height/overhead exposure for communication/cable classes. Any class not listed in the appetite guide should be treated as undesirable and referred to underwriting before binding. Trade Contractor Program guidance remains important: three years of prior experience is desired, minimum annual payroll per owner/officer varies by state, exterior operations must be three stories or less, subcontracted work must be under 25%, and eligibility is subject to underwriting review. The Trade Contractor Program also removes the subcontracted-work property damage exclusion from GL and the corresponding umbrella exclusion, which is a notable placement feature for eligible trade contractors. For account handling, Builders Mutual segments underwriting by size: Express Account Underwriters handle accounts up to $400,000 payroll and up to $4 million subcontracted costs, while Mid-Market handles larger accounts; a separate Large Market page highlights dedicated underwriting, audit, claims, and risk management support for larger contractors. Submission/broker notes available publicly: when in doubt, agents are instructed to consult underwriting prior to binding; during quoting in Builders Online Business, screening questions determine whether a risk fits Standard GL or the Trade Contractor Program; Builders Mutual encourages multi-line placement and notes better retention on multiline accounts; appointed agents can register for restricted agent resources, agency management, and marketing materials through the portal; non-appointed agencies must complete the partnership application. Additional operational requirements include Florida pre-surveys for framing, roofing, siding, drywall, masonry, concrete, and other high-hazard classes. Property/wind geography remains material: Florida offers workers’ compensation only; coastal wind/property restrictions apply in GA, MD, MS, NC, SC, and VA per detailed county/ZIP rules in the guide, with some coastal zones ineligible for wind coverage or property coverage and certain inland/coastal areas subject to a standard 2% wind deductible. The guide also notes coastal restrictions do not apply to business-personal-property-only risks valued at $25,000 or less, subject to underwriting approval. North Carolina has a notable producer/policyholder requirement: all NC policyholders must join and maintain local HBA membership, and agencies can track status through the My HBA Expressway system. Billing/service notes that affect submissions and renewals include Monthly Self-Reporting for workers’ compensation based on actual payroll, expense constant due with application, and payment-plan changes allowed only at renewal.