Decennial liability

Decennial liability is mandatory insurance for any building company, covering structural damage that compromises the solidity of the works or makes them unfit for purpose for 10 years after handover.

This duty, from the 1978 Spinetta Act, applies to all construction actors — structural works, finishing trades, project management. Without it, directors face criminal sanctions and the company is barred from many contracts, especially public ones. It is also the product with the widest price and cover dispersion: premium depends heavily on declared activities, claims history and project type (refurb vs new build, height, technical complexity).

It is usually the entry product for a construction relationship, because it is the one cover that is strictly non-negotiable to operate.

McLer compares terms across 30+ specialist construction insurers to optimise price versus cover — especially complex here because of how technical activity declarations are.