Risk management is not just a commercial line thing. Homeowner-insureds have to practice risk management also. No work should be engaged, no contractor or sub-contractor allowed to begin, until there is proof of existing workers' compensation and general liability insurance and all required licenses and permits are in place. Otherwise, this is what can happen:
The insured had a tenant homeowners policy and was building a new house, acting as his own contractor. He hired an excavator who, while driving to the insured's property with a load of gravel, went left of center and caused a serious accident in which one person was killed and another injured. In the resulting lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that our insured's negligence in not hiring a driver with a commercial drivers license (CDL) was the cause of the accident. Our insured did not know the driver did not have a CDL; he actually contracted with a heavy equipment firm whose driver did not have the necessary license.
Would there be any personal liability coverage under the HO policy?
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