Terrapin Insurance Group is a fully appointed US Assure agent serving Maryland, DC, and Virginia. US Assure is purpose-built for builders risk and new construction — the policy that protects a home while it's being built, before it's eligible for a standard homeowners policy. Maryland's residential build market, particularly in Montgomery, Frederick, and Howard counties, runs on US Assure for owner-builders, custom builders, and renovation projects. We quote, bind, and manage US Assure policies through the entire build, then convert to a permanent homeowners policy at completion.
Why Maryland Builders and Owners Choose US Assure
US Assure's strongest play in Maryland is purpose-built builders risk. Standard homeowners policies don't cover a structure under construction — there's no certificate of occupancy, the building is exposed, materials are on-site, and the exposures (theft, vandalism, weather, fire from construction activities) are different from a finished home. US Assure's builders risk form is designed for exactly those exposures.
The policy includes materials at the site, in transit, and in temporary storage, which matters as much as the dwelling itself. For a Maryland custom build, the lumber, HVAC equipment, cabinets, and fixtures sitting at the site or in transit from a supplier are a meaningful exposure that a standard homeowners form won't cover.
Soft costs coverage — extra interest on construction loans, additional design fees, and other indirect costs triggered by a covered loss — is available as an endorsement and matters more than most owners realize on a 9-12 month build.
US Assure handles 6, 9, and 12-month policy terms with extensions available if the build runs long. Terms can be sized to the construction schedule rather than forced into a 12-month annual cycle.
At completion, the builders risk converts cleanly to a permanent homeowners policy through one of our appointed carriers (Erie, AIC, or Chubb for high-end builds), so the owner has continuous coverage without a gap on day one of occupancy.
US Assure Insurance Products We Write in Maryland
Builders risk — new construction — ground-up residential builds, custom homes, spec homes, and tract construction. Coverage for the structure during construction, materials at the site and in transit, and soft costs. 6, 9, and 12-month terms with extensions available.
Builders risk — renovation and remodel — major Maryland renovations where the existing structure plus new work needs coverage. Particularly relevant in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac, where teardown-rebuild and major renovations are common.
Theft, vandalism, and burglary — built into the form, with appropriate sub-limits. Job-site theft of materials and tools is a real exposure in Maryland's residential construction market; US Assure handles it.
Wind, hail, fire, and weather perils — covered on a named-perils or all-risk basis depending on the policy structure. We'll size the perils package to the project type and location.
Conversion to permanent homeowners — at certificate of occupancy, we convert from builders risk to a permanent HO-3 with one of our appointed homeowners carriers. The handoff is coordinated so there's no coverage gap.
How US Assure Compares to Other Options
US Assure is one of the most reliable builders risk markets in the country, and it's typically our first-pull market for Maryland residential construction. For large commercial construction or unusual project structures (multi-phase, mixed-use), we'd compare US Assure against USLI's surplus-lines builders risk market to find the right fit.
Standard homeowners carriers like Erie and AIC don't write builders risk — they're for finished, occupied homes. There's no "Erie builders risk" alternative. US Assure or a surplus-lines specialty market is the answer for a structure under construction.
For commercial builders risk on larger projects, MGT or USLI may be the right placement. For residential, US Assure is the standard.
Service Areas in Maryland
We write US Assure policies across Maryland from our Rockville office. Most of our US Assure placements are residential builds and major renovations across Montgomery, Frederick, and Howard counties — custom Bethesda teardowns, new construction in Potomac and Clarksburg, and large renovations across the close-in MoCo market.
See our local insurance pages for Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Potomac, and Germantown. US Assure is appointed in all of these markets and is the carrier we lean on hardest for Maryland builders risk.
Why Use an Independent Agent for US Assure (vs. Buying Direct)
US Assure distributes through appointed agencies — there's no consumer-direct channel. So the comparison isn't US Assure direct versus Terrapin; it's Terrapin versus another agency.
What we bring is the handoff. A builders risk policy is a stage — it covers the project from groundbreaking through certificate of occupancy. After that, the structure needs a permanent homeowners policy, with the right limits, endorsements, and dwelling valuation. We coordinate the conversion from US Assure builders risk to a permanent Erie, AIC, or Chubb homeowners policy with no coverage gap on day one of occupancy. That handoff is where most consumer-direct builders risk experiences fall down. We don't.
Ready to get a US Assure Insurance quote? Request a free quote today, or call us at 240-243-0042. We'll shop US Assure alongside our other appointed carriers and present the best fit for your situation.