Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance protects against lawsuits from tenant injuries and property damage claims.
  • Professional liability coverage defends against claims of negligence or errors in administering housing programs.
  • Property insurance covers costs to repair facilities damaged by events like fires or floods.
  • Directors & officers insurance protects leadership from lawsuits related to their duties.
  • Workers compensation coverage supports injured employees and protects the business legally.
  • Other important policies include auto, cyber liability and employment practices liability insurance.

Introduction

As an administrator of public housing programs or nonprofit affordable housing initiatives, it’s crucial to understand the types of risks your organization faces on a daily basis. Properly insuring these risks through comprehensive business insurance policies is key to protecting your residents, employees, properties and long-term financial health. This article examines the top insurance options housing program administrators should consider.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides important coverage for businesses involved in housing administration and management by protecting them from certain legal and financial risks. It covers lawsuits, injuries on the property, slip and fall accidents, employment issues, property damage claims, and other incidents that could impact a business’s finances or operations without this protection. Common claims involve tenant injuries, property damage, legal disputes, discrimination, and more. Pricing is estimated around $2,000 annually based on industry factors like revenues, employees, claims history and risk levels.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers legal expenses if you are sued by a third party for bodily injury or property damage
  • Protects your assets like equipment, property and savings from large claims or lawsuits
  • Covers accidents and injuries that happen on your property or in relation to your services
  • Covers third-party claims related to employees and volunteers on the job
  • Covers claims that may arise from fire damage or water damage at rental properties
  • Covers defects or problems with buildings, common areas or facilities that cause injury or damage
  • Provides coverage for a variety of incidents including tenant injuries on premises, slip and fall accidents, and negligence claims
Use Cases
  • Provides coverage if sued for injuries sustained on property
  • Protects against claims of damage to rental property
  • Covers legal fees if sued for disputes with tenants
  • Insures against slip and fall accidents on premises
  • Covers claims of discrimination or wrongful termination from employees

Based on average pricing data from insurers for businesses in the NAICS Code 925110 industry (Administration of Housing Programs), the estimated annual pricing for general liability insurance would be around $2,000. This was calculated based on industry risk factors, average revenues, number of employees, and claims history for businesses of similar size and operations in this industry.

Estimated Pricing: $2,000

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, provides important protections for housing administration businesses from costly lawsuits. It covers legal fees and settlements if they are sued for alleged negligence or mistakes in performing their professional duties like administering housing assistance programs. Some key benefits of this type of insurance for housing program administrators include defending against client lawsuits, paying damages if found liable, maintaining positive client relationships, and satisfying partner contract requirements. Common claims involve failing to follow program guidelines or properly screen applicants. Pricing is usually determined based on factors like annual revenue, number of employees, claims history, types of programs administered, and risk management practices. For an average sized housing program administrator, the estimated annual premium would be around $3,500.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers defense costs if sued for errors and omissions
  • Pays claims if found legally liable for mistakes
  • Helps companies maintain positive relationships with clients
  • Provides peace of mind in a litigious business environment
  • Protects company reputation and brand in the event of a claim
  • Satisfies contractual requirements with partners who require proof of coverage
Use Cases
  • Protection against lawsuits from clients if they allege negligence, errors or omissions in administering housing assistance programs
  • Protection if a client sues for damages from failing to properly screen applicants or distribute funds
  • Coverage if the housing administration is alleged not to have followed applicable laws and regulations like the Fair Housing Act
  • Defense costs if the government or a regulator initiates an investigation into the business for alleged non-compliance
  • Coverage for damages or penalties if auditors find errors were made in financial reporting or use of funds

Based on typical pricing structures for professional liability insurance covering businesses in the housing administration industry (NAICS 925110), the estimated average annual premium would be between $3,000 to $5,000. Pricing is usually determined based on factors like annual revenue, number of employees/contractors, claims history, types of housing programs administered, and risk management practices. For an average sized housing program administrator with $5M annual revenue, 10 employees, and no prior claims, the estimated annual premium would be around $3,500.

Estimated Pricing: $3,500

Directors And Officers Insurance

Directors and officers insurance, also known as D&O insurance, provides important liability protection for directors, officers, and other leaders of organizations. It protects them from financial losses resulting from lawsuits alleging failures in their duties of care, honesty, and oversight. D&O insurance is especially important for housing administration organizations due to the risks involved in managing public and nonprofit programs. D&O insurance offers protection through coverage of legal costs and potential damages; it reimburses defense costs paid on behalf of insured individuals, pays costs relating to regulatory investigations against the organization or its leaders, and provides employment practices liability insurance for matters like wrongful termination. This type of coverage helps house administrators focus on their mission by ensuring leaders remain incentivized as difficult oversight decisions are made.

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Benefits
  • Protects the personal assets of directors and officers from legal costs and damages awards resulting from claims alleging wrongful acts
  • Pays defense costs on behalf of the organization when it is required or permitted to indemnify its directors and officers for such costs
  • Reimburses the organization for costs it has directly paid relating to claims against directors and officers
  • Provides employment practices liability coverage for claims relating to matters like wrongful termination, harassment, and discrimination
  • Covers legal costs associated with regulatory investigations and administrative proceedings against the organization or its leaders
  • Ensures the organization’s leaders remain incentivized and protected as they make difficult decisions
  • Demonstrates the organization’s commitment to risk management and good governance
Use Cases
  • Protection against claims of wrongful acts such as mismanagement, negligence, errors or omissions
  • Protection against shareholder disputes or derivative claims alleging poor oversight of the company
  • Coverage for personal liabilities that officers or directors may incur as a result of their actions for the company
  • Defense coverage for regulatory investigations or audits of housing programs

Based on typical pricing for non-profits of similar size and revenue in housing administration, the average estimated annual premium is around $5,000. Rates are calculated based on factors like annual revenue, number of employees/directors, prior claims experience.

Estimated Pricing: $5,000

Property Insurance

Property insurance plays a crucial role in protecting organizations that administer housing programs by covering repair costs from damages and protecting the business from unexpected financial losses. It helps these businesses continue operating their housing programs smoothly without disruption. Property insurance provides essential protections like coverage for property damages, liability risks, loss of income during repairs, and damages from events like floods. As a housing program administrator, it’s important to have this coverage to protect the managed properties from financial losses and continue serving community housing needs.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs of property damage repair or replacement due to fire, water damage, theft or other covered losses
  • Protects the organization’s financial assets by covering losses that could severely damage the business financially
  • Helps protect the organization’s reputation by ensuring properties can be repaired or rebuilt after a covered loss
  • Provides liability protection if a resident or visitor suffers injury on an insured property
  • Covers losses from natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, earthquakes etc. which are common risks for multi-unit properties
  • Includes property management liability coverage in case of errors and omissions by staff
Use Cases
  • Protection against property damage from common risks like fire, wind, hail, and water damage
  • Liability coverage in case a tenant or visitor gets injured on the property
  • Business interruption insurance to cover loss of income if the property is unusable due to damage
  • Coverage for damage due to events like riots, vandalism or other civil disturbances
  • Insurance for property in flood zones to protect against flooding

Based on typical rates for property insurance for businesses that administer housing programs, the estimated annual pricing would be around $5,000. This price was calculated based on an average property value of $1,000,000 and industry standards for rates around 0.5% of property value per year.

Estimated Pricing: $5,000

Workers Compensation Insurance

Workers compensation insurance provides critical protections for organizations administering housing programs by ensuring employees receive support for workplace injuries while shielding the business from associated financial risks and costs. Some key benefits of workers compensation insurance for these organizations include providing wage replacement and medical benefits to injured employees, covering legal liability for on-the-job injuries, lowering business insurance costs compared to not carrying a policy, and meeting mandatory insurance requirements. Common uses of the coverage involve claims for injuries sustained at work, wage replacement and medical payments during recovery, compliance with laws, and protection from costly litigation. The estimated average premium rate for an organization in this industry is around $1.25 per $100 of payroll based on risk analysis.

Category List
Benefits
  • Provides wage replacement and medical benefits to injured employees
  • Covers legal liability in the event an employee is injured on the job
  • Reduces the risks and costs of employee lawsuits related to on-the-job injuries
  • Lowers overall business insurance costs versus not carrying a workers comp policy
  • Required by law in all states for businesses with employees
Use Cases
  • Covering liability if an employee is injured on the job
  • Providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured at work
  • Ensuring compliance with state laws requiring businesses to carry workers compensation insurance
  • Protecting from costly legal battles and lawsuits if an employee is injured and tries to sue the employer for damages

Based on industry research and analysis of risk factors for NAICS Code 925110 (Administration of Housing Programs), the estimated average pricing for workers compensation insurance would be around $1.25 per $100 of payroll. This rate is derived from analyzing injury rates and claims data for similar office-based industries with low physical risk. The overall risk level for this industry is considered moderate.

Estimated Pricing: $1.25/100 of payroll

Cyber Liability Insurance

Cyber liability insurance has become an important protection for organizations that handle sensitive personal information like housing authorities. It can help offset substantial costs that may arise from cyber incidents involving resident data.

Some key benefits of cyber liability insurance for housing programs include covering costs of responding to data breaches, protecting against lawsuits if a breach occurs, reimbursing for notifying affected individuals, and paying business interruption costs if systems go offline due to an attack. Common use cases that insurance can help with involve data theft from a breach or attack, ransomware encrypting systems, negligence related to maintaining security, and costs of notifying and assisting individuals affected by an incident. Estimated average annual premiums for housing programs are around $2,500 based on revenues and data handled.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs of responding to a data breach including legal costs, credit monitoring and identity monitoring services
  • Protects against lawsuits if a data breach occurs and personal information is compromised
  • Reimburses for costs of notifying affected individuals in case of a data breach
  • Covers costs to retrieve and restore lost data and systems in case of a cyber attack or security incident
  • Pays for costs of defending lawsuits by affected individuals including legal defense fees
  • Covers business interruption costs such as lost income if systems are offline due to an attack
  • Provides crisis management services such as legal advisors and PR consultants in the event of an attack
  • Covers costs of a cyber extortion attempt such as paying a ransom if required
  • Covers forensic investigation and escalation costs to determine the scope of an attack
Use Cases
  • Data breach or cyber attack leading to loss or theft of tenants’ personal information like SSN, financial information, health records etc.
  • Ransomware attack encrypting systems and demanding ransom to regain access
  • Failure to protect systems and networks from cyber threats, viruses or malware
  • Negligence related to maintaining security of tenant data and systems
  • Costs related to notification, credit monitoring, investigation and legal defense in event of a data breach

Based on researching average cyber liability insurance pricing for businesses in the NAICS 925110 industry (Administration of Housing Programs) and considering their typical clientele, data handled, and security protocols, the estimated average annual premium would be around $2,500. This was calculated based on the industry standards of $0.50 – $1.00 per $1,000 of revenue and assumes average revenue of $2-5 million for businesses in this industry.

Estimated Pricing: $2,500

Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) is an important coverage for businesses in the administration of housing programs to protect against expensive lawsuits from current or former employees related to alleged wrongful employment actions. Top reasons to consider EPLI include protection from discrimination, wrongful termination, and other claims which can be costly without coverage; defense costs if sued, even if allegations have no merit; and access to specialists who can help strengthen employment policies and reduce liability risks. Common use cases involve wrongful termination, harassment/discrimination, failure to hire/promote, privacy violations, retaliation, wage/hour disputes, and employee misclassification. Estimated annual premiums for a typical business in this industry with 50 employees would be $3,000-$5,000 based on number of employees and claims history.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protection against lawsuits from employees for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and other claims
  • Defense costs if sued, even if the allegations are groundless
  • Awards or settlements if the claims have merit
  • Access to specialists who can help strengthen employment policies and reduce risks
  • Reimbursement of back pay, front pay, and lost benefits if a discrimination or wrongful termination claim is successful
  • Help with recruiting and retaining quality employees by demonstrating concern for their well-being
  • Help with recruiting and retaining quality employees by demonstrating concern for their well-being
Use Cases
  • Wrongful termination claims
  • Harassment or discrimination claims
  • Failure to hire or promote claims
  • Violation of privacy rights
  • Retaliation claims
  • Wage and hour claims
  • Misclassifying employees as contractors

Based on typical pricing for EPLI policies, businesses in the NAICS 925110 industry Administration of Housing Programs can expect to pay on average $3-5 per employee per year, with a minimum premium of $2,000-3,000. Premiums are often calculated based on the number of employees and any past claims or incidents. For a typical business in this industry with 50 employees, the estimated annual premium would be $3,000.

Estimated Pricing: $3,000-5,000

Business Auto Insurance

Business auto insurance provides important liability and property protections for businesses that use vehicles as part of their operations. It can help cover legal costs, medical bills, and vehicle repairs in the event of an accident or other incident. Business auto insurance is especially important for housing administration businesses that may use fleet vehicles to conduct home inspections, meet with clients, or transport staff and materials. It protects the business from financial loss in the event of an accident or other insured incident involving a company vehicle.

Category List
Benefits
  • Liability protection in case of accidents
  • Coverage for business vehicle repairs or replacement
  • Medical payments for those injured in an accident with your vehicle
  • Protection for employees driving their personal vehicles for work
  • Coverage for property damage to other vehicles or objects
  • Reduced premium costs for safety features like backup cameras
Use Cases
  • Liability coverage in case of an accident involving company vehicles
  • Collision coverage to repair or replace a company vehicle if it’s damaged in an accident
  • Comprehensive coverage to repair or replace a company vehicle damaged by events other than a collision, like fire, theft or falling objects
  • Medical payments coverage to pay medical bills for those injured in an accident involving a company vehicle

Based on analyzing typical business auto insurance pricing factors such as number of vehicles, driver records, annual mileage, and location, the estimated average annual price for a business in the administration of housing programs industry with 5 vehicles and good driver records would be around $3,000. This was calculated based on an average premium of $600 per vehicle.

Estimated Pricing: $3,000

Conclusion

By carefully evaluating your unique operations and choosing the appropriate coverage levels, housing program administrators can gain powerful financial protection through business insurance. With the right mix of policies in place, these organizations can focus fully on their mission of serving the housing needs of their communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

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