BI/PD stands for Bodily Injury and Property Damage. Most Real Estate E&O policies include some measure of BI/PD coverage, such as limited lockbox coverage or open house coverage, but the broadest E&O policies include BI/PD coverage across the policy form. So in addition to coverage for your use of a lockbox or hosting an open house, the BI/PD coverage extends to property management services, REOs, foreclosures and relocation services, as well as residential sales.

The reason the E&O policy extends to provide coverage for Bodily Injury and Property Damage is that most General Liability insurance policies exclude coverage for claims arising from professional services. That said, most E&O policies do require you to have a General Liability policy in force before your E&O BI/PD coverage will respond to a claim.

So if you are listing a foreclosure and don’t turn off the water, and the pipes freeze, the General Liability policy won’t respond and there is no homeowner’s policy to make a claim under. The same applies if you lease an apartment and the tenants then become sick due to mold in the unit. Everyone is familiar with the nightmare scenario when the agent fails to advise the buyer of the rickety stairs and the buyer ends up injured or the foreclosure cleanout that occurred at the wrong house. The inclusion of BI/PD coverage in your E&O policy addresses these situations before a lawsuit is filed so when you are reviewing your E&O insurance policy be sure to check the coverage terms that apply to the BI/PD coverage.

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