What It Covers

Garagekeepers Liability covers damage to customer-owned vehicles, trailers, or equipment that has been left in your care, custody, or control for the purpose of welding, fabrication, or repair work. It responds when the customer's property is damaged while in your possession — whether from fire, theft, vandalism, collision, or other causes — regardless of whether your business was at fault. Coverage options include legal liability (pays only when you're legally at fault) and direct primary (pays regardless of fault), with direct primary providing broader protection for shops that want to avoid fault disputes with customers.

Why It Matters for Welding Businesses

The standard General Liability policy contains a 'care, custody, or control' exclusion that specifically removes coverage for damage to property in your possession — including customer vehicles and equipment left for welding work. Without Garagekeepers Liability, a customer's truck that catches fire during frame welding, a trailer that's damaged during repair welding, or a piece of equipment stolen from your lot while awaiting work creates a significant uninsured exposure. For shops that regularly accept customer vehicles and trailers, this is a meaningful coverage gap.

Who Needs It

Welding and fabrication shops that accept customer vehicles, trailers, or equipment for on-site repair, frame welding, modification, or custom fabrication work. This includes auto frame shops, trailer repair specialists, agricultural equipment repair businesses, and general-purpose welding shops that regularly have customer property on their premises.

Common Triggers

Accepting customer vehicles or trailers for welding repair or modification; fabrication shops that work on client-owned equipment in the shop; businesses that store customer property overnight or for extended periods.

Welding Industry Examples

• A customer's truck frame catches fire during repair welding — the GL policy excludes the loss under its care, custody, or control exclusion, but Garagekeepers responds.

• A client's custom trailer is damaged when shop equipment falls on it while the trailer is in the bay for welding modification.

• A customer's commercial vehicle is stolen from the shop parking lot overnight while waiting for a frame repair — Garagekeepers covers the vehicle value.

• A customer's agricultural equipment is damaged by an unexpected fire in the shop while it's in for repair welding.

• A vehicle left for body and frame welding is damaged by another vehicle that loses control in the shop parking area.