Blitz Insurance is a technology-driven managing general underwriter that designs, prices and binds small commercial excess and surplus lines programs, then places them on paper issued by a rated insurance carrier. The company describes itself as a "full-stack MGU" based in Lakewood, New Jersey, offering nine programs, and says its policies are "issued on A- (Excellent) XV rated insurance paper."[1][2] Trade coverage describes it as a technology-driven platform "specializing in small commercial property and casualty risks," with an automated system that "generates bindable quotes in under five minutes."[3] Blitz does not sell directly to the public; it works through appointed brokers, and in California it transacts through Blitz Insurance Agency, LLC, California license number 6003828.[1]
For a California owner, developer or contractor, Blitz matters most for two things: builders risk on new construction and renovation up to $5 million per location, and vacant commercial building coverage, the two exposures the standard market most often declines.[4][5] Menlo Insurance Services is a licensed California broker with access to multiple markets, including Blitz's builders risk and vacant commercial building programs. If you have a project or an empty building to insure, request a builders risk quote and we will shop Blitz alongside the other markets that fit.
Managing general underwriter (MGU)
An organization granted authority by one or more insurers to underwrite and administer insurance programs on their behalf, often including appointing agents, binding and issuing policies, collecting premiums and handling claims. IRMI notes MGUs are typically used for specialty lines and operate within the surplus lines market.[6]
Who is Blitz Insurance?
Blitz is a specialty insurance platform focused on the small commercial excess and surplus lines market. Its website lists nine programs: Commercial Lessor's Risk, Builder's Risk, Contractors, Retail & Services, Special Events, Auto Services, Cannabis Operators, Vacant Commercial Buildings and Restaurant.[1] The company says it works with "33,000+" producers, offers agency bill or direct bill, and handles surplus lines taxes and filings for the broker.[1] Its office is at 1985 Cedar Bridge Avenue, Lakewood, New Jersey.[2]
Public reporting on the company is thin, and it is worth being precise about what is and is not verified. A July 2023 announcement of a payments partnership with Ascend described Blitz as "a specialty insurance carrier" funded "with $25M from its founder & CEO," and quoted Brandon Murphy as Chief Distribution Officer; the founder was described as a Forbes-listed serial entrepreneur but not named.[8] A January 2025 announcement covered wholesale broker London Underwriters adding Blitz to its LU ONE platform for cannabis, lessor's risk, contractors and builders risk business.[3] Blitz's own site does not publish a founding year or the name of the carrier behind its "A- (Excellent) XV" paper.[1][2]
What does the Blitz builders risk program cover?
The builders risk program is the one most relevant to California owners and contractors, because ground-up and renovation projects are what push people into the E&S market in the first place. Our builders risk insurance guide covers how the coverage works in general; the table summarizes what Blitz publishes for its program.[4]
| Feature | What Blitz publishes |
|---|---|
| Eligible projects | Residential and light commercial: new construction, additions and minor remodels, non-structural and structural renovation, with existing-structure coverage available |
| Eligible insureds | Property owners, general contractors, developers and tenants |
| Maximum values | Up to $5 million total insured value per location; one structure per policy |
| Liability option | General liability at $1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate, with premises liability including or excluding construction operations |
| Structure | Monoline property, monoline GL or a package; property written on inland marine forms |
| Policy terms | 3, 6, 8, 10 or 12 months, with options for terms over one year |
| Minimum premium | From $500 |
| Optional coverages | Contractors equipment, installation floater, delay in completion, business income, rental value, soft costs, ordinance or law (A, B and C), enhanced catastrophe wind and hail |
| Mortgagees and loss payees | Added at no charge |
| States | 47 states, excluding Hawaii, Idaho and Louisiana |
Blitz also publishes the situations that send a submission to an underwriter instead of the automated quote: construction already started, a delayed or stalled project, occupancy before completion, existing structural damage, claims in the past three years, temporary storage above 15 percent of values, protection class 5 or worse, load-bearing renovation, and permission to occupy.[4] None of those are automatic declines, but each one is a question to answer in the submission rather than discover after a quote fails. For the optional coverages, our guides on ordinance or law coverage, business income insurance, contractors equipment insurance and inland marine insurance explain what each add-on does.
What do the vacant building, special events and contractors programs offer?
Vacant Commercial Buildings. Blitz writes vacant commercial property as a package or monoline, with general liability at $1 million or $2 million aggregate and a maximum TIV of $5 million per location, on 3- to 12-month terms, in all states and the District of Columbia except Hawaii, Idaho and Louisiana.[5] It lists blanket and scheduled additional insured and primary and noncontributory wording at no charge. Ineligible risks include habitational buildings, condemned, foreclosed, abandoned or scheduled-for-demolition buildings, modular structures and trailers, contamination exposures, vacant land, and parcels over five acres.[5] If your empty building is a house or apartment rather than a commercial structure, this program is not the fit; see our surplus lines insurance guide for how the vacant dwelling market works.
Special Events. Commercial general liability for events of up to five days including set-up and tear-down, at $1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate, with premiums starting at $65 plus taxes and fees, in all states except Idaho, Louisiana and Hawaii.[9]
Contractors. General liability up to $1 million / $2 million for paper general contractors (those subcontracting all work) and artisan trades, with a $1 million follow-form excess option, an additional insured bundle (blanket additional insured, primary and noncontributory, waiver of subrogation) at no charge, and eligibility limits of $3 million payroll, $15 million sales and $5 million TIV per location. Minimum premiums are $500 for GL and $750 for a package, plus taxes and fees, and the program limits residential builders to 25 new homes per year (15 in states Blitz designates for construction defect exposure), with limited availability in Colorado and New York.[10] Our waiver of subrogation guide explains why that bundle matters on a subcontract.
Who is Blitz a good fit for?
| Good fit | Look elsewhere | |
|---|---|---|
| Project type | Residential or light commercial construction, renovation or an empty commercial building up to $5M TIV | Large commercial towers, infrastructure, or projects above $5M per location |
| Timing | Coverage arranged before construction starts and bound quickly | Projects already under way or stalled, which go to referral |
| Buyer priority | Speed and certainty of a bindable E&S quote | Admitted paper with guaranty fund backing and filed rates |
| Vacant buildings | Vacant commercial structures on a short term while repositioning or selling | Vacant houses and apartments, condemned or abandoned buildings, large acreage |
| Contractors | Artisan trades and paper GCs within the payroll, sales and TIV caps | Heavy self-performing GCs or high-volume residential builders |
The trade-off is the one that comes with any surplus lines placement: flexibility and speed on one side, non-admitted paper on the other. IRMI describes E&S as coverage "placed with a nonadmitted insurer," typically for risks "difficult to place in the standard market."[7] Our admitted vs non-admitted carriers guide lays out what that means for a claim. For a builders risk policy on a 9-month project, most owners accept that trade; for a permanent property policy, it deserves more thought.
How do you get a Blitz quote?
Blitz appoints brokers, not policyholders. Its broker onboarding page describes a 15-minute call, an application, a copy of the broker's license and errors and omissions certificate, a producer agreement, and credentials issued within 24 to 48 hours of approval.[11] A business buyer therefore works through an appointed broker, who submits the risk on Blitz's platform and returns the quote.
Gather the project facts
Address, construction type, total insured value including materials, start and completion dates, whether work has begun, whether the structure has existing damage, and any claims in the last three years. These match Blitz's referral triggers, so answering them up front keeps the submission in the automated path.[4]
Decide on the structure and add-ons
Monoline property, monoline GL or package; policy term; and which optional coverages (soft costs, delay in completion, ordinance or law, equipment) the lender or the project budget requires.[4]
Submit through a broker with Blitz access
Menlo can quote Blitz builders risk and vacant commercial building programs through its market access, and shops them beside other builders risk markets so you see the comparison, not a single number. Start the builders risk form to begin.
Review the issuing carrier and the surplus lines disclosures
Confirm the carrier name and rating on the quote, the surplus lines taxes and fees, and the non-admitted disclosure your broker is required to give you in California.
Bind before work starts
Blitz refers projects already under way, and lenders generally want the certificate before the first draw. Line up the binder with the construction schedule.[4]
What should you ask before you bind?
- Who is the issuing carrier, and what is its rating today? Blitz publishes the rating class of its paper but not the carrier's name.[1] Get the name and check it.
- Is the policy admitted or non-admitted in California? Blitz states that its non-admitted insurers are not licensed in California and New York; understand what that means for guaranty fund protection.[1]
- What are the surplus lines taxes and fees on this quote? They sit on top of the premium; Blitz says it handles the filings, but the cost is yours.[1]
- Which referral triggers apply to my project, and how were they resolved? Anything already started, damaged or occupied should be disclosed and underwritten, not left to a claims adjuster to discover.[4]
- Does the term match the schedule, and what happens if the project runs long? Blitz offers terms from 3 to 12 months and options beyond a year; ask about extension terms before you need them.[4]
- Which optional coverages does the lender require? Soft costs, delay in completion and ordinance or law are optional on the Blitz program, not automatic.[4]
If you are comparing Blitz against a FAIR Plan or a standard-market decline on a renovation, the builders risk insurance guide and our builders risk insurance page explain the alternatives. When you are ready, request a builders risk quote and we will include Blitz where the project fits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Blitz Insurance an insurance company?
Blitz describes itself as a full-stack managing general underwriter. It underwrites, prices and binds programs on behalf of an insurance carrier whose paper issues the policy, and that carrier pays the claims.[1][6] A 2023 partner release called it a carrier, but the company's own description is the MGU one.[8]
Is Blitz admitted in California?
Blitz says the insurers it uses are non-admitted and not licensed in California and New York, and that it transacts in California through Blitz Insurance Agency, LLC, license 6003828.[1] Its policies are surplus lines placements.
What does Blitz builders risk cover?
Residential and light commercial new construction and renovation up to $5 million total insured value per location, with an optional $1 million / $2 million general liability, on inland marine forms, for 3- to 12-month terms with longer options and a range of optional coverages such as soft costs and delay in completion.[4]
Can I buy a Blitz policy directly?
No. Blitz appoints brokers and issues them platform credentials; a business buyer submits through an appointed broker.[11] Menlo can quote Blitz builders risk and vacant commercial building programs through its market access.
Does Blitz write vacant houses?
Its vacant program is for commercial buildings, and habitational buildings are listed as ineligible.[5] A vacant house or apartment needs a different market.
This guide is for educational purposes and summarizes public company statements and California market context. Program details, eligibility and pricing are set by Blitz and its issuing carriers and can change without notice; your policy's specific terms, conditions, and endorsements control. Menlo does not guarantee that any risk will be accepted or any price offered. Talk to a licensed broker about your actual exposures.
The Bottom Line
Blitz Insurance is an E&S managing general underwriter that quotes and binds small commercial programs quickly on rated non-admitted paper. For a California owner or contractor, its builders risk program (residential and light commercial to $5 million TIV) and its vacant commercial building program are the ones that solve real problems, and its published eligibility rules tell you in advance whether a project will quote automatically or go to referral. Buy it through a broker, get the issuing carrier's name and rating, understand the surplus lines trade-off, and bind before the first shovel.
References
- 1.Blitz Insurance. “Blitz Insurance: Specialty E&S Insurance Platform.” https://www.blitzinsurance.com/ ↩
- 2.Blitz Insurance. “About Us.” https://www.blitzinsurance.com/about-us ↩
- 3.Coverager. “London Underwriters Partners with Blitz Insurance to Provide a Simpler Way to Secure Specialty E&S Coverage.” 2025. https://coverager.com/london-underwriters-partners-with-blitz-insurance-to-provide-a-simpler-way-to-secure-specialty-es-coverage/ ↩
- 4.Blitz Insurance. “Builder's Risk Program.” https://www.blitzinsurance.com/builders-risk ↩
- 5.Blitz Insurance. “Vacant Commercial Buildings Program.” https://www.blitzinsurance.com/vacant-commercial-building ↩
- 6.IRMI. “Managing General Underwriter (MGU).” https://www.irmi.com/term/insurance-definitions/managing-general-underwriter ↩
- 7.IRMI. “Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance.” https://www.irmi.com/term/insurance-definitions/excess-and-surplus-lines-insurance ↩
- 8.Coverager. “Blitz Insurance Partners with Ascend to Expand Payment and Financing Offerings.” 2023. https://coverager.com/blitz-insurance-partners-with-ascend-to-expand-payment-and-financing-offerings/ ↩
- 9.Blitz Insurance. “Special Events Program.” https://www.blitzinsurance.com/special-events ↩
- 10.Blitz Insurance. “Contractors Program.” https://www.blitzinsurance.com/contractors ↩
- 11.Blitz Insurance. “Become a Broker.” https://www.blitzinsurance.com/become-a-broker ↩