Why Some Designers Face Ever-Higher Professional Liability Insurance Costs
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What insurers say adds to their risks—and to your costs.
NewsBusinessRisk Why Some Designers Face Ever-Higher Professional Liability Insurance Costs Several insurers are wary of large complex infrastructure and structural engineering By Richard Korman, Elaine Silver designer491/Getty Images What insurers say about rates and limits and what it means for future costs. March 13, 2026 Eight of 15 designer liability insurers reported in a recent survey that they started charging higher rates in 2025, but five insurers kept them the same and two were actually lowered. Of those that raised rates, most sought increases of 5% or lower.In other words, according to the annual professional liability insurance market survey by broker Ames & Gough, overall, the market and prices for designer professional liability insurance is stable. Beneath the surface, however, there is pain and pressure. Even without a rate increase, design firms are being forced to buy more coverage and higher payout limits, often demanded by their customers, for the risks posed by bigger claims and higher legal defense costs. Those pressures—according to a separate survey by three major design professional associations—the American Council of Engineering Cos., National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Institute of Architects—are leading insurance carriers to charge more to insure designers involved with apartments and condominium projects since these are a familiar sources of losses. as well as to structural engineers and firms thst work on large, comp...
