After my Office Building was Damaged by a Fire in Lakewood, CO, a Local Ordinance Required an Upgrade to Meet Code Requirements. Why Doesn’t my Insurance Cover This?

Commercial insurance is designed to address a variety of concerns in Lakewood, Colorado, but it does not always offer the coverage that you expect. When your office building is damaged in a fire, you may be covered for the cost of basic repairs or rebuilding in your policy. Unfortunately, changes to the building code requirements by a local ordinance may not be covered under your policy because they did not exist at the time that you obtained your current plan.

Your Responsibility

A key reason that you may be required to upgrade the standards of your building beyond your policy is your personal responsibility as the business owner. You are required to put in the work to keep your building up to code and the legal standards.

Since the upgrade is a normal part of maintaining your property, it may not be covered by your policy.

Details of your Policy

Although a damaged building may be covered by your commercial policy, you may not be covered for every aspect of the repairs. Read your policy to determine how much coverage is available and what is covered. In some cases, you may have some protection in case legal changes occur that require an upgrade to the building. In other situations, your insurer may exclude any upgrades that are required by new laws when a fire occurs.

A variety of factors can contribute to your ability to make a claim on your policy. Depending on the coverage that you purchase, you may or may not be covered for upgrades to your office building. Contact us to speak to an independent agent to learn more about commercial insurance policies.