5.1 Building and Personal Property (BPP) Coverage Form
Key Takeaways
The ISO Building and Personal Property Coverage Form (CP 00 10) establishes three core coverage divisions: Coverage A (Building), Coverage B (Your Business Personal Property), and Coverage C (Personal Property of Others).
Coverage A encompasses the structural shell, completed additions, permanently installed machinery and equipment, and maintenance personal property such as fire extinguishers and outdoor furnishings.
Coverage B protects the insured's commercial contents, furniture, fixtures, stock, and tenant improvements and betterments, while Coverage C insures personal property of others in the insured's care, custody, or control up to the limit shown in the Declarations, with loss payable to the owner.
Core Additional Coverages include Debris Removal (25% of direct physical loss plus up to an additional $25,000), Preservation of Property (30 days open perils), Fire Department Service Charge ($1,000), Pollutant Clean-up ($10,000 annual aggregate), and Increased Cost of Construction (lesser of 5% of building limit or $10,000).
Coverage Extensions require an 80% or higher coinsurance clause or a value reporting symbol on the declarations, granting supplemental limits for newly acquired property, valuable papers, off-premises property, and outdoor property.
Architectural Overview of the CP 00 10 Form
The Building and Personal Property Coverage Form (CP 00 10), developed by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), constitutes the foundational contract for insuring commercial real and personal property in the United States. Designed for use either as a standalone monoline policy or integrated within a multi-line Commercial Package Policy (CPP), the CP 00 10 establishes the operational insuring agreement, property definitions, coverage extensions, and loss adjustment valuations for commercial risks.
To construct an enforceable commercial property contract, the CP 00 10 must be assembled alongside several interdependent modular components:
- Commercial Property Declarations Page: Schedules the named insured, policy term, premises descriptions, coverage limits, coinsurance percentages, deductibles, optional coverages, and mortgageholders.
- Common Policy Conditions (IL 00 17): Governs cancellation, policy changes, examination of books and records, inspections and surveys, premium payments, and transfer of rights (subrogation).
- Commercial Property Conditions (CP 00 90): Establishes universal property terms including concealment, misrepresentation, or fraud; control of property; legal action against the insurer; other insurance; policy period and territory; and rights of recovery.
- Causes of Loss Form: Dictates the perils insured against, attaching either the Basic (CP 10 10), Broad (CP 10 20), or Special (CP 10 30) form.
The Three Core Property Coverages
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| ISO BUILDING AND PERSONAL PROPERTY COVERAGE (CP 00 10) |
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| Coverage A: Building |
| - Described structural buildings, completed additions, outdoor fixtures|
| - Permanently installed machinery, equipment, & servicing appliances |
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| Coverage B: Your Business Personal Property (YBPP) |
| - Furniture, fixtures, machinery/equipment not permanently installed |
| - Stock (raw materials, in-process, finished goods), Tenant I&B |
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| Coverage C: Personal Property of Others |
| - In insured's care, custody, or control within 100 feet of premises |
| - Base sublimit: $2,500; loss payment disbursed directly to owner |
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Coverage A — Building
Coverage A insures the commercial buildings or structures designated on the declarations page. Its scope extends significantly beyond bare walls and roof framing, incorporating several distinct subcategories of real property:
- Completed Additions: Structural extensions constructed after initial occupancy.
- Fixtures and Permanently Installed Machinery and Equipment: Integrated physical plant infrastructure, such as commercial boilers, overhead cranes, walk-in coolers, passenger elevators, central HVAC units, and built-in lighting systems.
- Personal Property Used to Maintain or Service the Building or Premises: Items owned by the named insured used for facility upkeep, including fire extinguishing apparatus, outdoor furniture, floor cleaning equipment, snow blowers, lawnmowers, and landlord-supplied commercial appliances (such as refrigerators and stoves furnished in leased residential or office units).
- Additions Under Construction, Alterations, and Repairs: Materials, equipment, supplies, and temporary structures located on or within 100 feet of the described premises used for making additions, alterations, or repairs to the building, provided the insured does not carry builder's risk insurance.
Note
The fundamental test for whether an apparatus falls under Coverage A versus Coverage B hinges upon permanence of installation and building functionality. An overhead crane mounted to structural steel framing is Coverage A (permanently installed machinery), whereas a forklift operating within the warehouse is Coverage B (machinery not permanently installed).
Coverage B — Your Business Personal Property (YBPP)
Coverage B insures commercial personal property owned by the named insured and utilized in the conduct of business operations. To be covered, the property must be located in or on the described building, or in the open (or in a vehicle) within 100 feet of the building or 100 feet of the described premises boundaries, whichever distance is greater. Coverage B encompasses seven classes:
- Furniture and Fixtures: Desks, display cases, executive chairs, filing systems, shelving, and unattached retail display gondolas.
- Machinery and Equipment: Freestanding production machinery, computer servers, point-of-sale registers, pneumatic tools, and forklifts.
- Stock: Merchandise held in storage or for sale, raw materials, goods in process, and finished goods, including supplies consumed in their packing or shipping.
- All Other Personal Property Owned by the Insured and Used in the Business: Office supplies, marketing collateral, small tools, and consumable operations inventory.
- Labor, Materials, or Services Furnished or Arranged by the Insured on Personal Property of Others: The economic value of work performed by a service or repair business (e.g., an auto body shop or watchmaker) on client property prior to a loss.
- Tenant's Improvements and Betterments (I&B): Fixtures, alterations, installations, or additions made to a leased building by a tenant insured at their own expense, which cannot legally be removed under the terms of the commercial lease (e.g., custom acoustical ceilings, track lighting, commercial carpeting, partitioned offices).
- Leased Personal Property: Property leased to the named insured for which the insured carries a contractual responsibility to procure insurance, unless specifically scheduled under Coverage C.
Important
Tenant Improvements and Betterments (I&B) Adjustment Rules: Under Section 7 of CP 00 10 loss conditions, if a tenant insured promptly repairs or replaces damaged I&B at their own expense, loss settlement is based on Replacement Cost Value (RCV) or Actual Cash Value (ACV) as designated on the declarations. However, if the damaged I&B is not repaired or replaced promptly, the policy pays an unrecovered economic value fraction: original cost multiplied by the remaining unexpired lease term divided by the period from installation date to lease expiration date. If repairs are performed at the landlord's expense, the tenant's insurer pays nothing.
Coverage C — Personal Property of Others
Coverage C reimburses physical loss to property belonging to third parties that is in the named insured's care, custody, or control, situated within the described building or within 100 feet of the premises.
- Limit: Coverage C applies only when a limit is shown in the Declarations. Without one, the insured can rely only on the Personal Effects and Property of Others coverage extension, which pays up to $2,500 at each described premises when the coinsurance or reporting conditions for extensions are met.
- Adjustment and Payment Mechanics: A public adjuster must recognize that Coverage C is intended for the legal benefit of the property owner, not the named insured. The insurer reserves the contractual right to adjust the loss directly with the owner and make payment directly to that third party. Such payment discharges the insurer's liability for that property.
Property Not Covered
Section A.2 of the CP 00 10 explicitly lists property items excluded from coverage. These exclusions prevent moral hazard, eliminate catastrophic non-insurable risks, and channel specialized exposures into dedicated inland marine, commercial auto, or crime forms.
| Excluded Property Category | Specific Contractual Scope & Exceptions |
|---|---|
| Money and Securities | Accounts, bills, currency, deeds, evidences of debt, money, notes, securities, or food stamps (requires Crime / Financial Institution bond). |
| Animals | Excluded, unless owned by others and boarded by the insured, or owned by the insured and held as "stock" for sale (e.g., retail pet store). |
| Motor Vehicles and Aircraft | Autos held for sale; licensed motor vehicles, trailers, semi-trailers, or aircraft (covered under Commercial Auto or Aviation forms). |
| Contraband | Contraband, or property in the course of illegal transportation or illicit trade. |
| Earth, Land, and Water | Land (including land upon which the building is located), water, growing crops, or lawns. |
| Underground Physical Plant | Foundations of buildings, structures, machinery, or boilers if their foundations are below the lowest basement floor or the surface of the ground. |
| Subsurface Infrastructure | Underground pipes, flues, or drains. |
| Paved Surfaces & Bulkheads | Bridges, roadways, walks, patios, or other paved surfaces; retaining walls that are not part of the described building; bulkheads, pilings, piers, wharves, or docks. |
| Outdoor Property | Outdoor grain, hay, straw, or other crops; outdoor fences, radio or television antennas (including satellite dishes), trees, shrubs, or plants (except via Coverage Extensions). |
| Outdoor Signs (a limit, not an exclusion) | Covered, but the most paid for outdoor signs, attached to a building or not, is $2,500 per sign in any one occurrence under the Limits of Insurance; higher values need a scheduled limit or a signs floater. |
| Electronic Data | Information, audio, video, or software records stored electronically, except as provided under the Electronic Data Additional Coverage. |
Additional Coverages
Additional Coverages are built directly into the CP 00 10 insuring agreement. They provide specialized coverage buckets that automatically apply without requiring an additional specific premium or satisfying separate coinsurance benchmarks.
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| CP 00 10 ADDITIONAL COVERAGES |
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| Debris Removal | 25% of covered loss + $25,000 extra limit |
| Preservation of Property | 30 days open perils at temporary location |
| Fire Department Service | Up to $1,000 (No deductible applies) |
| Pollutant Clean-up | Up to $10,000 annual aggregate per location|
| Increased Cost of Constr. | Lesser of 5% of building limit or $10,000 |
| Electronic Data | Up to $2,500 annual aggregate |
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1. Debris Removal
Debris removal reimburses the reasonable expense of clearing debris of covered property damaged by a covered peril. The calculation follows a two-step contractual ceiling:
- Base Percentage: Capped at 25% of the total amount paid for the direct physical loss to the covered property plus the applicable deductible.
- Additional $25,000 Limit: An extra $25,000 is available if: (a) the combined direct loss and debris removal expense exceeds the policy limit of liability, or (b) the actual debris removal expense exceeds the 25% base limitation.
- Notification Window: Expenses must be reported to the insurer in writing within 180 days of the date of direct physical loss.
Important
Debris Removal Calculation Example: A building valued at $500,000 with a $500,000 policy limit and a $1,000 deductible sustains $400,000 in direct fire damage. The insured incurs $125,000 in debris removal costs.
- Direct loss paid: $400,000 - $1,000 deductible = $399,000.
- Base debris limit: 25% × ($399,000 + $1,000) = 25% × $400,000 = $100,000.
- Total direct loss plus base debris: $399,000 + $100,000 = $499,000 (leaving $1,000 unused under the $500,000 policy limit).
- Excess debris removal expense: $125,000 actual - $100,000 base = $25,000 excess.
- Additional debris removal limit: Up to $25,000 is activated, fully covering the $25,000 excess.
- Total recovery: $399,000 (direct) + $100,000 (base debris) + $25,000 (additional debris) = $524,000.
2. Preservation of Property (Removal)
If it is necessary to move covered property from the described premises to preserve it from direct damage by a covered peril, the policy covers that property while being moved and for up to 30 days while stored at another location. Coverage during this 30-day window operates on an open-perils basis, even if the underlying policy utilizes Basic or Broad named perils.
3. Fire Department Service Charge
Reimburses the insured for fire department service charges when called to save or protect covered property from a covered cause of loss, up to $1,000 per occurrence, provided the liability is assumed by contract prior to loss or required by municipal ordinance. No deductible applies to this coverage.
4. Pollutant Clean-up and Removal
Pays the insured's expense to extract "pollutants" from land or water at the described premises if the discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, or release of the pollutants is caused by or results from a covered cause of loss. The coverage is subject to a strict sublimit of $10,000 annual aggregate per location and requires written notification within 180 days.
5. Increased Cost of Construction
Provides limited compliance coverage for the increased cost incurred to comply with enforcement of municipal building ordinances or land-use laws during repair, rebuilding, or replacement of damaged building components. The limit is the lesser of 5% of the Coverage A building limit or $10,000. It applies only if Replacement Cost optional coverage is selected and the building is actually repaired or rebuilt.
6. Electronic Data
Provides up to $2,500 annual aggregate to replace or restore electronic data corrupted or destroyed by a covered cause of loss. Specified causes of loss under this provision include computer viruses, defectively coded software, and malicious cyber attacks.
Coverage Extensions
Coverage Extensions operate as supplementary insuring agreements that become active only if a coinsurance percentage of 80% or higher, or a Value Reporting symbol, is scheduled on the declarations page. Unlike Additional Coverages, Coverage Extensions provide additional amounts of insurance above the declared policy limits.
| Coverage Extension | Operational Terms and Monetary Limits |
|---|---|
| Newly Acquired or Constructed Property | Buildings under construction or newly acquired locations: up to $250,000 per building. Business Personal Property at newly acquired locations: up to $100,000 per location. Coverage terminates at the earliest of 30 days, when values are reported, or policy expiration. |
| Personal Effects and Property of Others | Covers personal effects owned by the insured, officers, partners, or employees (excluding loss by theft), and personal property of others in the insured's care, custody, or control: up to $2,500 per described premises. |
| Valuable Papers and Records | Reimburses the cost to research, reconstruct, or replace lost information on paper records, deeds, and blueprints: up to $2,500 per described premises (higher limits can be purchased by endorsement). |
| Property Off-Premises | Covers covered property temporarily located away from premises: up to $10,000 for property at exhibitions, trade shows, in storage at leased premises, or in transit in vehicles owned/operated by the insured. |
| Outdoor Property | Insures outdoor fences, radio/TV antennas, trees, shrubs, and plants: up to $1,000 total per occurrence, with an internal cap of $250 per individual tree, shrub, or plant. |
| Non-Owned Detached Trailers | Covers non-owned trailers used in the insured's business on premises where the insured has a written contractual duty to insure: up to $5,000. |
Warning
Outdoor Property Peril Limitation: The Outdoor Property extension covers only five named perils: Fire, Lightning, Explosion, Riot or Civil Commotion, and Aircraft. It never covers windstorm, hail, weight of ice/snow, or vehicular damage. If a severe windstorm uproots $10,000 worth of decorative commercial landscaping trees, the loss is completely excluded under standard commercial property forms.
A commercial policyholder insures an industrial warehouse under an ISO CP 00 10 form with a Coverage A limit of $800,000 and a $2,500 deductible. A catastrophic fire causes $700,000 in direct structural damage to the building. The policyholder incurs $210,000 in debris removal expenses to haul away structural debris. Under the Debris Removal Additional Coverage terms, what is the total amount payable for the entire claim?
$825,000
$800,000
$722,500
$910,000
A retail tenant leases commercial space in a shopping plaza and spends $60,000 installing custom architectural lighting, display partitions, and high-grade commercial carpeting. Two years into a five-year lease, a fire destroys the retail interior. The tenant elects not to repair or rebuild these improvements and vacates the premises. Under Section 7 (Loss Conditions) of the CP 00 10 form, how is the tenant's claim for Improvements and Betterments adjusted?
The insurer pays the full $60,000 Replacement Cost Value because the policy was written with Replacement Cost coverage.
The insurer calculates an unrecovered economic value fraction based on the original cost multiplied by the remaining unexpired lease term divided by the period from installation to lease expiration.
The insurer pays nothing because tenant improvements and betterments are considered real property that automatically reverts to the building owner upon lease termination.
The insurer pays the Actual Cash Value based on 50% physical depreciation, regardless of the remaining lease term.
A business owner insured under a CP 00 10 form with an 80% coinsurance clause maintains mature ornamental shade trees on the commercial premises. A violent thunderstorm causes lightning to strike one tree, destroying it, while 70 mph wind gusts topple three adjacent ornamental trees. Replacement of each tree costs $1,500. How does the Outdoor Property Coverage Extension respond to this loss?
The policy pays $1,000 total because the full $1,000 limit applies across all four destroyed trees.
The policy pays nothing because live trees, shrubs, and plants are permanently excluded under Section A.2 of the CP 00 10 form.
The policy pays $250 for the tree struck by lightning, and denies coverage for the three wind-damaged trees because windstorm is not a covered peril for outdoor property.
The policy pays $6,000 under the Special Causes of Loss form because the lightning and windstorm occurred concurrently.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.