General Liability Insurance for commercial landlords
Premises liability protection for the building owner — slips and falls in common areas, parking-lot injuries, and third-party claims arising from the property you own and lease out to commercial tenants.
What it covers
- Bodily injury to visitors, tenants' customers, and the public
- Slips, trips, and falls in common areas and parking lots
- Property damage to third parties caused by the premises
- Defense costs and legal fees when you're named in a lawsuit
- Medical payments to minor injured parties
- Additional-insured status for lenders and partners
Who it’s for
- Commercial building owners and landlords
- Owners responsible for common areas and parking
- Property owners whose tenants' customers visit the premises
- Any owner who could be named in a premises-injury lawsuit
Why CCA
- Premises liability that addresses the common-area exposure
- Additional-insured endorsements issued fast for lenders
- Limits scaled to your building value and tenant traffic
Common questions about general liability insurance
GL covers third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from the premises you own and lease out — a tenant's customer slipping in your parking lot, a visitor falling in a stairwell, or damage to a neighbor's property. It does not cover the building itself (property) or your employees (workers' comp).
Often yes — a full Lessor's Risk Only program bundles premises liability with the property coverage. Standalone GL is also available. Either way, we make sure the common-area and third-party exposure is addressed, not just the tenant suites.
Yes. Parking lots, entrances, hallways, stairwells, and other common areas you control are exactly where premises-liability claims arise. We place GL that covers these areas specifically, including snow/ice and trip-hazard exposures.
Injuries from the tenant's own operations should be covered by the tenant's general liability — which is one reason your lease must require the tenant to carry GL and name you additional insured. We help you set up those lease requirements and certificate tracking.
Most carry $1M per occurrence / $2M general aggregate, with a $2M–$5M umbrella when building value or tenant traffic warrants. Lenders often require minimum limits. We size limits to your building, tenants, and lease requirements.
Yes — strongly. Your lease should require every tenant to carry GL and name the building owner additional insured on a primary, non-contributory basis. That way if a claim arises inside the tenant's operations, their policy responds first. We provide a sample lease clause.
GL typically includes limited coverage for fire damage to premises you rent to others, but the building itself should be covered under commercial property / LRO. We coordinate all three so a tenant-caused fire is fully handled regardless of which policy responds first.
GL for commercial landlords is usually rated on square footage leased, building type, and exposure (common-area size, tenant traffic). Documented maintenance, lighting, and security programs improve both terms and price.
Most commercial building owners pay $750–$2,500 a year for base Lessor's Risk Only, with the full program (LRO, property, equipment breakdown, umbrella) running $2,500–$9,000. Cost depends on building value, construction, tenant mix, and location. We quote the full program in about 15 minutes.
Yes. Contractors Choice Agency is licensed in all 50 states and writes lessor's-risk and commercial property programs from the Sun Belt and Texas to the Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast.
About 15 minutes for a standard program. Once bound, we turn around certificates of insurance and additional-insured endorsements for lenders, tenants, and partners — usually within minutes.
LH-1 is the ISO class code for a Lessor's Risk Only building — a commercial property leased to tenants where the owner's only occupancy is as a landlord. Correct LH-1 classification keeps premium fair and ensures claims aren't denied for misclassification.
Yes — that is the central purpose of Lessor's Risk Only. If a tenant's operations cause a fire that damages the building or other tenants, LRO covers the owner's property loss and liability. Generic policies often mishandle this exact exposure.
Standard commercial property excludes internal breakdown. We add equipment-breakdown (boiler & machinery) coverage so failed HVAC, boilers, chillers, elevators, and electrical panels are covered, including the resulting business-interruption loss.
Most carry $1M/$2M on liability with a $2M–$5M umbrella, and property limits equal to the building's full replacement cost. We size limits to your building value, tenant exposure, and lender requirements.
If you or your maintenance crew drive company vehicles between properties, yes — personal auto excludes business use. We also add hired/non-owned coverage if employees drive personal vehicles for property work.
Often, yes. We have excess-and-surplus (E&S) and specialty markets for buildings with loss runs, high-hazard tenant mixes, older construction, or other exposures that standard markets decline.
Yes — your lease should require every tenant to carry general liability and name the building owner additional insured on a primary, non-contributory basis. We provide a sample lease clause and help track certificates.
You reach a person with context, not a queue. We respond within 2 hours, help you document the loss, and manage the claim with the carrier so it's paid correctly and your building keeps operating.
Commercial property leased to tenants has a specific risk profile that generic carriers exclude or misprice. A specialty broker knows the LH-1 class code, the markets that write each tenant mix, and how to manage a tenant-caused claim.
Pair it with related coverage
Ready to protect the building you own?
Get a 15-minute quote from specialists who understand commercial property — LRO, commercial property, premises liability, equipment breakdown, and umbrella.