What insurance does a real estate agent need?
There's no one-size answer. The right mix depends on how you work, who you work for, and what your contracts ask for. These are the coverages a real estate agent typically looks at first:
Professional liability
The core coverage for agents: claims that your advice, disclosures, or paperwork caused a buyer or seller financial harm, with limits up to $1,000,000 per claim typically available.
General liability
Covers third-party injuries and property damage at showings and open houses, and it's what brokerages and listing agreements routinely require proof of.
Cyber liability
Closing documents, financial details, and client personal information move through your email and files constantly, and this addresses breach response costs if that data is exposed.
Coverage always depends on your specific situation. The fastest way to see what fits is to get a quote and review your options.
What does it protect against?
The risks that matter aren't abstract. They're the everyday accidents of the work. A few scenarios that turn into real claims:
A buyer says your advice cost them the deal
You advise a buyer to waive an inspection contingency to win a bidding war, and the home turns out to have serious foundation issues. The buyer alleges your advice cost them money, which is exactly the kind of claim professional liability is built for.
A disclosure error surfaces after closing
A detail gets left off the seller's disclosure form, or a deadline in the purchase agreement gets missed. Months later, the buyer's attorney sends a demand letter. Errors and omissions in paperwork are a defining professional liability exposure for agents.
A visitor is hurt at an open house
A prospective buyer trips on an uneven step at a listing you're holding open, or someone is injured near an unfenced pool during a showing. General liability is designed to help cover the resulting medical claim.
A phished inbox exposes closing documents
Wire fraud targeting real estate closings often starts with a compromised agent email account, and the closing instructions, bank details, or client financial documents that pass through your inbox become exposed. Cyber liability is built for the response costs and third-party claims that follow.
Certificates of insurance
For real estate agents, the certificate of insurance request usually comes from the brokerage, not a single client: many brokerages require proof of professional liability before an agent can take listings under their name, and property managers or HOAs may ask for a COI before an open house or lockbox access. Olli's general liability policies include instant certificates, so proof is ready whenever it's asked for.
New to certificates? Start with our guide to the certificate of insurance: what's on one, who asks for it, and how to provide yours.