When homeowners start planning a remodeling project, most focus on experience, timelines, and cost. Some might ask whether a contractor is licensed. But one of the most important questions is often missed: Are you hiring an insured contractor, and what insurance do they actually carry?

Insurance isn’t just paperwork. Hiring an insured contractor protects your home, your finances, and your long-term insurance standing. When something goes wrong on a jobsite, insurance is the difference between a resolved issue and serious financial exposure for the homeowner.

Workers’ Compensation: The Most Critical Coverage

If homeowners remember only one thing, it should be that workers’ compensation insurance is the most important coverage an insured contractor can carry.

In Ohio, remodeling contractors with one or more employees are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance through the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC). However, sole proprietors and some partnerships are exempt, while some contractors who should carry coverage, simply don’t. That creates significant risk for homeowners.

If a worker or subcontractor is injured on your property and the contractor does not have workers’ compensation insurance, the homeowner may be held financially responsible even though the injured person is not their employee.

That responsibility can include:

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost wages
  • Long-term or ongoing care for serious injuries

Many homeowners assume their own insurance will step in if something happens. While that may be true in certain cases, using your homeowner’s insurance for a claim that should have been covered by an insured contractor can have lasting consequences.

Insurance companies track claims history. A serious claim can result in:

  • Higher premiums at renewal
  • Difficulty maintaining coverage
  • Non-renewal of your homeowner’s policy

Those impacts can follow a homeowner for years, long after the remodeling project is complete.

General Liability Insurance: Protecting Your Home

General liability insurance is another essential component of working with an insured contractor. This coverage protects against property damage, bodily injury, and accidents that occur as a result of construction activity.

If something is damaged or someone is injured, general liability insurance helps ensure the homeowner is not pulled into costly repairs, disputes, or legal action.

Without this coverage, homeowners may be left financially responsible for issues that were completely outside their control.

Vehicle and Transportation Coverage: An Overlooked Risk

One risk homeowners rarely consider involves transportation. If a contractor is involved in a vehicle accident while delivering materials, transporting tools, or traveling between job sites for your project, the homeowner could potentially be pulled into the claim.

An insured contractor carries proper auto and umbrella coverage to help ensure:

  • Injuries are covered
  • Property damage is paid for
  • Homeowners are protected from legal and financial exposure

What Contractor Accreditation Really Means

At J.S. Brown & Co., insurance isn’t something we simply claim, it’s something we verify.

We are a National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Accredited Remodeling Contractor, and currently the only accredited remodeler in Central Ohio. Maintaining this accreditation requires ongoing proof that we carry the proper insurance coverage to protect our clients, our team, and their homes.

This process goes beyond minimum requirements. It’s designed to ensure homeowners are working with an insured contractor who takes risk management and professionalism seriously.

For homeowners, accreditation provides confidence that:

  • Insurance coverage has been independently vetted
  • Risk is being responsibly managed
  • Professional standards are consistently upheld

 

Hiring an Insured Contractor Is About Protection, Not Distrust

Asking about insurance doesn’t mean you expect something to go wrong. It means you understand that remodeling involves real risk, and that responsibility should never fall on the homeowner.

Hiring an insured contractor helps protect:

  • Your home
  • Your finances
  • The people working on your project

At J.S. Brown & Co., we believe professionalism means planning not only for what we expect, but for what’s possible. When you invite a contractor into your home, the stakes are higher than many homeowners realize, and proper insurance makes all the difference.

Ready to Work With an Insured Contractor You Can Trust?

If you’re planning a remodeling project and want the peace of mind that comes with working with a fully insured, accredited contractor, we’re here to help. Contact J.S. Brown & Co. today to start a conversation about your project and learn how we protect our clients, our team, and your home every step of the way.