Property Developers Insurance
Property Developers Insurance from start to finish
We understand how developers carry risk from acquisition to titling and handover.
Development
Specialists
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Decades on insurance expertise in construction sector.
35+ Years
Experience
Local claims advocacy and guidance when you need it most.
Claims
Support
Insurance programs built
around your contracts, trades, and projects.
Tailored
Cover
As a property developer, your risk doesn't end when the builder walks off site. You're carrying acquisition and planning risk before a single trench is dug, contractual risk while construction is underway, and structural and sales risk for years after settlement. A defect discovered after handover can trigger disputes with an owners corporation, delay a sunset date, or expose you to a rescission claim from an off-the-plan buyer. Standard business cover rarely reaches that far. The right program is built around your project stages, your sales structure, and how long your exposure actually runs.
Ferguson Brown specialises in the construction, property and development sectors, so we understand how a developer's exposure shifts from due diligence and DA approval through to construction, settlement, and the years covered by statutory warranty and latent defects periods.
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Planning & DA delays
The risk builders face everyday:
Off-the-plan sale disputes
Builder or contractor insolvency
Post-completion defects
Joint venture & title risk
Council conditions, objections or rezoning issues can stall a project and blow out holding costs.
Buyers can seek to rescind or claim compensation if disclosure statements or sunset dates aren't met.
A head contractor collapsing mid-project can leave a development exposed and behind schedule.
Structural or waterproofing defects can surface years after handover, well after the builder has moved on.
Disputes between JV partners or issues uncovered during due diligence can threaten a project's viability.
What the law requires of property developers:
1. Development Consent
2. Building Bond or LDI
3. Off-the-Plan Disclosure
Before work begins, most developments need consent from the relevant council or planning authority, along with any conditions attached to that approval.
In NSW, developers of residential buildings four storeys or more must lodge a building bond under the Strata Building Bond and Inspections Scheme, or arrange approved Latent Defects Insurance as an alternative for eligible buildings.
Selling before completion means preparing a compliant disclosure statement and notifying buyers of material changes, with rules varying by state and new bond regimes emerging, including Victoria's from July 2026.
Other insurance requirements for builders:
Latent Defects Insurance
Protects the finished building against structural and waterproofing defects for up to 10 years after completion, and can satisfy the NSW building bond alternative for eligible buildings.
Contract
Works
Covers physical loss or damage to the works, materials and plant on site, from fire and weather through to theft, before the project is handed over.
Professional
Indemnity
Covers claims arising from development management decisions or advice given to purchasers, financiers or joint venture partners.
Public & Products Liability
For third-party injury or property damage arising from the site, sales suite or display homes, usually required by councils and financiers.
Home Building Compensation
Required wherever residential building work over $20,000 is being carried out under contract, before any money, including a deposit, is taken.
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Strata Insurance
Covers the common property of a strata scheme from registration until the owners corporation arranges its own cover.
Management
Liability
Protects the directors and officers of the development company against claims relating to insolvency, mismanagement or breach of duty.
Cyber
Protection
Essential where buyer deposits, personal information and contracts are handled digitally through sales and settlement.