Wherever you are in Florida, we come to you. A licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property within hours — no need to visit an office. Serving Florida property owners since 2006, in English and Spanish. New Jersey: statewide.
Builders Risk Claims: Hard Costs, Soft Costs and Delay
A storm, fire or water intrusion during construction damages the work, and then the schedule, the financing and the opening date. Builders risk pays for each of those only if it is proved, and the claim belongs to whoever holds the insured interest: the owner, the developer or the contractor.
If you need help with a builders risk claim on a building under construction or renovation in Florida or New Jersey, Homeland Public Adjusters handles exactly this kind of claim. Homeland is a licensed public adjusting firm (Florida W818638; New Jersey 3003982360) with 20 years in the industry (since 2006) and a network of experts in Florida and New Jersey ready to take on any loss. In Florida we come to you within hours, wherever you are. Call (305) 783-3777 (Florida) or (732) 517-3777 (New Jersey), 24/7, English or Spanish.
Reviewed by Nelson Avila, Licensed Florida Public Adjuster (License G332385) · Florida Certified Contractor · Property Insurance Appraiser & Umpire · Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: November 2026
What a Builders Risk Policy Covers
Builders risk (course of construction) insurance covers a building while it is being built or renovated: the structure, materials and supplies on site, in transit or in storage for the project. Many policies also offer soft costs and delay in completion — the extra interest, lost rents, permits and other costs of finishing late — as options (Verisk ISO builders risk program). Builders risk can be written on a commercial property form or as inland marine; Florida’s statutes count only marine builders’ risks (vessels) as wet marine insurance (Fla. Stat. 624.607).
| Part | What it pays | Where claims go wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Hard costs | Repairing or replacing the damaged work and materials | Damage blamed on faulty workmanship; resulting damage left out |
| Soft costs | Extra interest, financing fees, permits, professional fees, taxes and insurance for the added time | Not bought, or limited to named insureds; costs not tied to the delay |
| Delay in completion | Lost rents or income from opening late | The delay must come from direct physical loss to insured property; delays from redesign, funding or contract penalties are excluded |
| Materials in transit and storage | Project materials off site, up to the sublimits | Theft without proof of what was delivered |
| Contractor’s tools and equipment | Usually not covered; that is a contractor’s equipment policy | Cranes and scaffolding pushed from one policy to the other |
On delay coverage, the wording matters: it generally requires a delay caused by direct physical loss or damage to insured property, and excludes delays from redesigning, rectifying defects, inadequate funding and contract fines (Merlin Law Group).
Common Builders Risk Denials and How They’re Answered
“Faulty workmanship is excluded”
The defective work itself may be excluded, but many forms pay for the resulting damage to other work. An engineer’s report that separates the defect from the damage it caused is the answer.
“The project wasn’t secured for the storm”
Some policies carry storm-preparation conditions. Daily logs, photos and the hurricane plan show what was done, and when.
“The delay would have happened anyway”
A schedule analysis (baseline versus as-built, on the critical path) shows how much of the delay the loss caused.
“You’re not the insured for that cost”
Owner, developer, general contractor, subs and lender can each have a different interest. The policy’s named insureds and the construction contract’s insurance exhibit decide who claims what.
How Homeland Works a Builders Risk Claim
Homeland brings 20 years in the industry (since 2006), in-house Xactimate estimating and a network of experts in Florida and New Jersey ready to take on any loss: engineers, construction schedulers and forensic accountants for soft costs and delay.
- Confirm who holds the claim. Named insureds, additional insureds and the contract’s insurance exhibit, before anything is filed.
- Map hard costs, soft costs and delay. Each part has its own limit, deductible and waiting period.
- Separate damage from defect. An engineer documents the cause and the resulting damage.
- Price the repair. A line-item estimate of the damaged work, at current material and labor prices.
- Prove the delay and the soft costs. Schedule analysis and month-by-month soft costs: interest, fees, lost rents.
- Ask for partial payments, then negotiate. Undisputed hard costs keep the project moving while the rest is negotiated.
Builders Risk Claim Denied? Construction Attorney or Public Adjuster: Who to Call First
Before you hire a builders risk attorney, separate the claim from the construction dispute. The insurance claim is won on cause, scope, schedule and cost documentation; contract disputes between owner, contractor and subs are legal work.
- Scope, delay period and soft-cost disputes: call Homeland first.
- Contract claims between the parties, liens and coverage litigation: your construction attorney, and we work alongside them on the claim file.
If it becomes a legal fight, we work alongside your attorney. Commercial claim support for law firms · lawyer or public adjuster: who to call.
Builders Risk Claim Checklist (Printable)
- Builders risk policy, declarations and every endorsement
- Construction contract and its insurance exhibit
- Baseline schedule and the current or as-built schedule
- Daily logs, site photos and drone footage before and after the loss
- Hurricane or storm-preparation plan and what was done
- Pay applications, invoices and delivery tickets for materials
- Loan agreement and interest statements (soft costs)
- Pro forma rents or sales and the planned opening date (delay)
- Police report for theft of materials or equipment
- Every insurer letter, including any reservation of rights
Request a Builders Risk Review
A licensed Homeland public adjuster reviews the builders risk policy, the loss and the schedule and calls you back, in English or Spanish.
Damage happening right now? Call (305) 783-3777 · New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24/7.
Builders Risk Questions
Does builders risk cover lost rent if the opening is delayed?
Only if the policy includes delay in completion (or soft cost) coverage, and only for delay caused by direct physical loss to insured property. Delays from redesign, funding or contract penalties are typically excluded.
Who can file the builders risk claim, the owner or the contractor?
Whoever the policy names as insured for that interest. Often both the owner and the general contractor are named, and the construction contract says who buys and adjusts the policy.
Does builders risk cover my contractor’s tools?
Usually not. Tools, cranes and equipment are normally insured under a contractor’s equipment (inland marine) policy.
The insurer says the water came in because of bad workmanship.
The defective work may be excluded, but resulting damage to other work is often covered. An engineer’s cause report and a line-item estimate that separates the two are the response.
Can Homeland help in New Jersey?
Yes. New Jersey’s public adjuster rules expressly include inland marine policies, and Homeland is licensed in New Jersey (firm license 3003982360).
What Property Owners Are Asking in the Forum
Threads answered by a licensed public adjuster. Reply with your own experience, or post a question of your own.
Am I covered for this?
Nelson Avila, PA: It depends on your policy's wording: what perils it covers, what it excludes, your deductibles and any sublimits or endorsements.
Reply ›Insurers & PoliciesHow do I file a claim, and can my premium go up?
Nelson Avila, PA: Start by calling a licensed public adjuster before you file, so the claim is documented, valued and presented right from day one.
Reply ›Claims & SettlementsDo I need a public adjuster or a lawyer?
Nelson Avila, PA: It depends on where your claim is. A licensed public adjuster works for you to document, value and negotiate the claim with your insurer.
Reply ›Related Pages
Sources
- Verisk: ISO commercial inland marine builders risk program
- Merlin Law Group: delay in completion losses under a builders risk policy
- Fla. Stat. §624.607: marine and transportation insurance defined
THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR BUSINESS. IF YOU HAVE HAD A CLAIM FOR AN INSURED PROPERTY LOSS OR DAMAGE AND YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH THE PAYMENT BY YOUR INSURER, YOU MAY DISREGARD THIS ADVERTISEMENT.
Who This Is For
Homeland handles this kind of claim for:
Verify Homeland
Check us before you hire anyone. Every license below links to its public record on the Florida Department of Financial Services licensee search.
- Serves all of Florida: Yes — every city and county. A licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property — no need to visit an office. Call (305) 783-3777, 24/7.
- Homeland Public Adjusters Corporation: Florida public adjusting firm license W818638 · New Jersey public adjuster firm license 3003982360
- Yeni Martinez, President: Florida public adjuster license P103370 (licensed since 2007) · New Jersey 3003714097 · designated primary adjuster
- Alberto Enriquez: Senior licensed public adjuster, Florida P112658
- Yisel Dieguez: Licensed public adjuster and Xactimate estimator, Florida W873884 · New Jersey 3003714335
- Nelson Avila: Florida adjuster license G332385 · Florida Certified Contractor CRC1331322 · property insurance appraiser and umpire
- Complaints and reputation: 5.0★ on Google · BBB A+ rating
- Since 2006: Homeland Public Adjusters, Corp. was incorporated in Florida on December 11, 2006. Our President, Yeni Martinez, has held Florida public adjuster license P103370 since 2007. When Florida began requiring adjusting firms to hold their own firm license (a 2021 law, Senate Bill 1598; DFS began licensing adjusting firms in November 2021), Homeland was issued firm license W818638 on January 11, 2022. Each adjuster’s appointment with Homeland appears on that adjuster’s own DFS record.
- English and Spanish. Office: 8004 NW 154th Street, Suite 609, Miami Lakes, FL 33016 (visits by appointment). Florida (305) 783-3777 · New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24/7.