What Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Requirements Apply in District of Columbia?
In a D.C. home sale, a requested report from a licensed engineer, surveyor, home inspector, or other expert can support the seller's disclosure only for matters within that expert's license or expertise. The report must identify which disclosure items it covers; ask your broker to match insured professional services to that written scope.
What Is Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance?
Professional liability can help pay defense costs and covered losses when a client says your advice or service caused financial harm. If customers rely on your work, list every service you provide and check the claims-made reporting and prior-work terms. Read the national Professional errors and omissions (E&O) guide.
What to Watch for With Professional Liability (E&O) in District of Columbia
Name the Disclosure Items
An expert responding to a buyer's request may state in writing that the report is intended to fulfill the seller-disclosure chapter and must identify the items or parts it covers. Ask whether your policy's professional-services description includes those exact inspection, engineering, or survey tasks. 1
Seller Knowledge Can Still Matter
A third-party report does not protect a transferor who actually knows of a contradictory defect or condition and knowingly fails to disclose it. If your firm prepares a transaction report, document its information sources and boundaries rather than treating it as a replacement for seller knowledge. 1
Disclosure Timing Can Affect the Sale
The transferor's written disclosure is generally due before or when the buyer signs the purchase agreement. Late delivery can give the buyer a five-calendar-day termination right, subject to earlier waiver events; confirm urgent transaction work and delivery dates are within your insured workflow. 2
Providers With District of Columbia License Records
These providers publish a national listing for Professional errors and omissions (E&O); the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in District of Columbia. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.
At-Bay
At-Bay Insurance Services LLC
At-Bay’s license page lists P&C producer and surplus-lines broker license numbers for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These are company disclosures and do not establish product availability in each jurisdiction. 11
At-Bay offers primary miscellaneous professional liability insurance.
Coalition
Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc.
Coalition’s license page lists producer and surplus-lines licenses for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc. in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The page separately lists insurers; this record covers the brokerage entity only. 12
Coalition offers miscellaneous professional liability as an addition to eligible Active Cyber policies.
Corgi
Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.
Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 13
Corgi lists miscellaneous errors and omissions coverage for service-based businesses.
ERGO NEXT Insurance
Next First Insurance Agency, Inc.
ERGO NEXT’s current license table lists Next First Insurance Agency, Inc. in 50 jurisdictions, including Washington, DC; New York is excluded because its table rows name Next Insurance Services and AP Intego, not Next First. The table is company-reported; it does not establish product availability or provide state-regulator verification for each entry. 15
ERGO NEXT lists professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions insurance.
Hiscox
Hiscox Insurance Company Inc.
Hiscox’s U.S. company information states that Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is company-reported insurer authority for this entity and does not establish which company issues every Hiscox-branded product. 14
Hiscox offers professional errors and omissions insurance for small businesses.
TechInsurance
Specialty Program Group LLC
TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 16
TechInsurance arranges professional errors and omissions insurance for small businesses.
Vouch
Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC
Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 17
Vouch lists errors and omissions among the core coverages in its professional-services programs.
Who Regulates Insurance in District of Columbia?
District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking
DISB licenses and supervises insurance companies and producers, enforces District insurance laws, and provides consumer complaint assistance. Its licensing search covers insurance entities and representatives; consumers can contact the agency’s complaints unit for help. 4,5,7
Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in District of Columbia
Reported tax rate. Generally 2% of gross premium, including qualifying placement fees 6,8,9,10,3
When the District is the insured’s home state, surplus-lines agents and brokers generally owe a 2% tax on gross premium, including necessary fees incidental to placement when separately itemized. An agent or broker procuring insurance on behalf of the District government is exempt for that government business; claiming the exemption requires identifying its allocation in the required affidavit and does not waive other statutory duties. Ask the broker which taxes and fees your agreement passes through to you. DISB generally requires a diligent effort to place risks with authorized insurers. For a purchaser meeting the federal exempt-commercial-purchaser definition, the broker may skip that search only after disclosing that insurance may or may not be available from the admitted market, which may provide greater protection with more regulatory oversight, followed by the purchaser’s written request for nonadmitted placement. This record does not state a District-specific guaranty-fund conclusion.
Questions to Ask Before You Buy Professional Liability (E&O) in District of Columbia
- Does my policy schedule cover the report types and professional disciplines I provide for D.C. residential transfers?
- How should I record which seller-disclosure checklist items the report addresses and which it does not?
- Does the application identify transaction work with short delivery deadlines and services subcontracted to another expert?
Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance in District of Columbia: FAQ
Can a D.C. expert's report satisfy a home seller's disclosure duty?
It can support the seller's disclosure for matters within the expert's license or expertise, when the buyer requests it and the report identifies the disclosure items it addresses. It does not erase a seller's actual knowledge of contradictory conditions. 1
What happens if a D.C. seller gives the disclosure statement after the buyer signs?
The buyer generally has five calendar days after receipt to terminate, unless that right ends earlier through a specified event such as applying for financing or settlement. 2
Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Guides for Other States
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Other coverage in District of ColumbiaEvery coverage guide for District of Columbia, plus the regulator and surplus-lines details.17 documents, numbered as cited. Open the sources