General Liability Forms for Private Investigators

Coverage forms available on Private Investigators General Liability

General Liability for Private Investigators comes in multiple form variations. The choice of form affects both what is covered and how the coverage responds. The major variations to know:

• Trigger: when the policy responds to a claim (occurrence vs claims-made)
• Breadth: how comprehensively coverage applies (broad form vs basic vs special)
• Scope: what is covered by default vs requires endorsement
• Endorsements: optional add-ons that modify the base form

For workforce provider, certain form choices are standard and others are optional. Knowing the difference avoids over-buying generic coverage and under-buying trade-specific endorsements.

Occurrence vs claims-made: which form should Private Investigators buy on General Liability?

Occurrence and claims-made are two different ways an General Liability policy "triggers" — meaning, decides whether a claim is covered.

• Occurrence: the policy responds to claims arising from events during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is filed. A claim filed 5 years after the event is still covered by the policy in effect when the event occurred.
• Claims-made: the policy responds to claims filed during the policy period (regardless of when the event occurred), provided the event happened after the retroactive date. The policy must remain in force for coverage to apply.

For Private Investigators on workforce provider risks, occurrence is generally preferred for liability lines because losses can take years to surface. Claims-made requires careful retroactive date and tail coverage management.

How Private Investigators manage the retro date on General Liability

The retroactive date on a claims-made Private Investigators General Liability policy is functionally a "coverage starts here" marker. Move the retro date forward (closer to today), and you cover less prior exposure. Move it back (earlier), and you cover more.

Carriers sometimes try to advance the retro date at renewal, especially after a claim. Resisting this is important — accepting a later retro date trades long-tail coverage for short-term premium savings, often a bad bargain.

How Private Investigators handle the end of a claims-made General Liability policy

When a claims-made General Liability policy terminates (non-renewal, cancellation, carrier change, business sale), the private investigator loses the ability to file claims under that policy. Tail coverage — also called Extended Reporting Period (ERP) — preserves the ability to file claims after termination for events that occurred during the policy period.

For Private Investigators, the standard tail is 1-3 years; some policies offer unlimited tails. Cost is typically 100-250% of the final annual premium for the full tail period. Planning for tail coverage at every claims-made policy transition is essential to avoid uncovered exposure.

Replacement cost vs actual cash value on Private Investigators General Liability

Valuation form on Private Investigators General Liability property lines is one of the most consequential form choices. Two policies covering the same building with the same limit can pay dramatically different amounts at claim time based on valuation.

The recommendation for most Private Investigators: choose replacement cost on real property and important equipment; consider ACV only for items that genuinely depreciate fast or where the private investigator accepts the lower claim payment.

The endorsements that matter for Private Investigators on General Liability

Most General Liability policies on Private Investigators benefit from standard endorsements that extend coverage:

• Additional insured (blanket): lets the private investigator grant AI status to contracting parties without per-contract endorsements
• Waiver of subrogation (blanket): required by many contracts
• Primary and noncontributory: makes the private investigator's policy respond first to AI claims
• Completed operations extension: extends coverage beyond policy expiration for completed work

These typically cost $0-$500/year combined and handle the vast majority of contractual requirements without per-contract negotiation.

Which form decisions move Private Investigators General Liability premium most

Private Investigators General Liability pricing varies meaningfully with form choices, but the variation usually buys real coverage rather than just adding cost. The standard recommendations (special form, RC, occurrence, blanket endorsements) typically add 10-25% to base premium and produce materially better claim-time outcomes.

Going the other way — basic form, ACV, claims-made, scheduled — saves premium but creates exposure that often shows up at claim time. For most Private Investigators, the savings don't justify the risk.