Does it feel like this winter will never end? Between the record-breaking cold snaps causing falling iguanas in Florida (RIP), to the nonstop blizzards dropping up to three feet of snow, it’s understandable to want to chug along, go with the flow, relying on the same book of accounts to coast them through December— but not you. You understand the market fluctuates, new businesses emerge and relying on last year's accounts isn't enough. Whether you're an independent agent looking to expand your E&S book or stepping into commercial for the first time, this spring's opportunity is ripe. That’s why our team has done the digging to come up with four sectors you should target this spring—contractors, habitational, food services, and houses of worship— and how to win them.
The Clean Up Crew: Contractors
- Painters
- Carpenters
- Roofers
- Gutter contractors
- Landscapers
- Pest control technicians
- Swimming pool technicians
- Press washers
- Janitorial cleaners
- Remodelers
Contractor businesses hit the gas on their operations in the spring. Americans spent over $2.18 trillion within the home improvement/construction space, and this year looks no different. Contractors like landscapers and pest control companies have their calendars already booked, with the latter seeing 86% of consumers on recurring contracts (Field Routes, 2025). There’s a reason every agent you know has at least one contractor in their book—they’re predictable revenue. One thing that’s not predictable— their insurance risks.
While no two contractor operations are identical, their risk exposures remain significant. Working on clients’ properties and performing hazardous operations requires all contractors to have a comprehensive general liability (GL) policy, including endorsements such as additional insured coverage, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory wording, and completed operations. As inflation drives up construction costs, contract bids climb higher, and nuclear verdicts continue to spike claim costs, securing adequate excess limits has never been more critical. Pathpoint makes finding coverage easy. With 150+ diverse contractor classes across 48 states, you can get GL and excess coverage with the necessary endorsements in one platform in under eight minutes.
Building Blocks: Multi-Family & Short-Term Rentals
- 1-4 Dwellings
- Apartments
- Condominiums
- Mixed-use
- Short-term rentals
Lessor’s Risk (LRO) multi-family habitational, including dwellings, condominiums, and apartments, remains a staple of the industry as construction continues to increase. Short-term rentals are expected to grow by more than 7% annually through 2030 (Grandview Research, 2025). Agents are finding solace in the softening of the property market for their habitational risks; however, not all properties are feeling the lift. CAT-prone properties, mixed-use, and short-term rentals still require effort to find robust policies.
E&S markets are actively addressing these gaps with expanded capacity and flexibility for CAT-exposed risks, unusual occupancies (such as mixed-use), and habitational/short-term rental LRO exposures. As with contractors, it’s critical to add an excess layer of liability coverage within packages, given rising claim costs, and to ensure properties include wind, hail, and earthquake coverage in regions prone to natural disasters. Pathpoint brings these expanded market appetites together in one place—no need to track individual market guidelines for CAT-prone or mixed-use properties. Mix and match GL, property, and excess across multiple markets to build comprehensive packages in under 12 minutes. Have a larger property? Pathpoint’s brokerage markets can entertain properties up to $15M TIV. Just submit in-app and opt to shop with our brokerage markets.
The Backbone of Main Street: Food Services
- Restaurants
- Food trucks & concessionaires
- Convenience stores
- Meal kit sellers
- Grocery stores
You don’t need to be an economist to know that the price of literally everything has gone up. Surging costs of goods are taking a toll on consumers and small business owners, which is changing habits. Restaurants are remaining resilient, experimenting with everything from pricing to online ordering, projecting the industry to hit $1.55 trillion in revenue this year (National Restaurant Association, 2026). Meanwhile, frugal connoisseurs are finding dine-out options with food trucks, convenience stores, and delivered meal kits. No longer niche businesses, these three are projected to reach billions in annual revenue by 2026, with food trucks nearing $2 billion, convenience stores approaching $1 trillion, and global meal kits in the $20–30 billion range (Mordor Intelligence, 2026). On-to-go trends spill over into grocery stores as shoppers use more online ordering and delivery services. They mix and match between shopping in stores, picking up orders, and having groceries delivered. Each shopping method comes with different risks for agents to keep in mind.
Small businesses can’t afford to be uninsured due to the rising claim costs of slip‑and‑fall claims, equipment breakdown, theft, or business interruption. For businesses with delivery, make sure to add hired and non‑owned auto (HNOA) if not already included. Additionally, as online exposure increases, it’s imperative to provide these businesses not only with a standard package and excess, but also with cyber liability coverage. Restaurants and retailers sit near the top of the list for phishing and ransomware exposures. Most now operate with a mix of point‑of‑sale systems, business email, websites, and card or digital payment processing, creating a web of digital touchpoints that cybercriminals actively look to exploit. Pathpoint offers a variety of food service classes across verticals, where you can build GL, property, and cyber in one place (often in minutes) and add the necessary endorsements tailored to the business—craft multi-layered packages online with a few clicks, instead of spending weeks emailing different wholesalers.
Got to Have Faith: Houses of Worship
- Churches
- Synagogues
- Mosques
- Temples
- Meeting houses
- Religious centers
Your U.S. History teacher likely taught you how, unlike their European counterparts, early Americans rejected a centralized state religion, leading to a boom of diverse religious practices across the country. Today, that practice continues. The U.S. has a massive number of religious congregations—about 350,000, to be precise (US Religion Census, 2023). Houses of worship vary widely by faith, but common ones found in the U.S. include churches (Christian), synagogues (Jewish), mosques (Islamic), temples (Hindu/Buddhist/Sikh gurdwaras), and meetinghouses (Quaker/Mormon). Finding these prospects is as easy as walking through your neighborhood or using sites like GuideStar (now Candid) to look up nonprofits. While their beliefs may differ, they are all classified as tax-exempt nonprofits. From small house groups to megachurches, these nonprofits are facing an uphill battle finding the coverage they need.
Inflation and liability premiums are testing these penny-pinched congregations. Liability lawsuits are squeezing GL limits, while adequate property coverage remains hard to find, as many houses of worship are prone to operate within older, outdated structures. Add in additional exposures like day care, camps, and cemeteries—agents need to find comprehensive packages that include these extras. Additionally, you shouldn’t offer a package for churches and other religious institutions without professional liability coverage, such as errors & omissions (E&O) or directors and officers (D&O). E&O covers staff for claims of negligence in counseling, advice, or services, while D&O protects against claims against leaders and board members from mismanagement. Finally, no package for any house of worship is complete without abuse & molestation (A&B). This is often where there’s a risk of harassment, physical abuse, or improper behavior allegations against staff and volunteers of any organization. This covers the cost of legal defense and settlement, as well as counseling services for any victims. While GL and property claims happen more frequently, professional liability and A&B claims can be catastrophic for these nonprofits.
Pathpoint is answering the call by launching a new vertical for churches, religious institutions, and other houses of worship—offering GL, property, and professional liability, including A&B coverage. Join our live webinar to learn how to structure complex nonprofit packages and see how to quote these intricate policies in Pathpoint in real time. Register today.
Your Spring E&S Roadmap with Pathpoint
Whether you’re chasing contractors gearing up for spring, multi-family risks seeking robust property coverage, food service businesses navigating rising claim costs, or houses of worship struggling to find complete packages, Pathpoint should be your first stop. With over 400 classes across eight verticals, including a brand-new vertical launching in April, Pathpoint brings the breadth and depth E&S demands.
Instead of compiling and emailing multiple forms to separate wholesalers, upload your ACORDs or any existing documents in one place. Answer a few remaining questions quickly with our in-app tools, and watch instant quotes populate with available GL, property, excess, and specialty coverages. For complex risks, our team of underwriters partner with 28+ A-rated or higher small binding and brokerage markets to place what others can’t. Just one application in one platform leads to multiple secure markets—all in minutes. Once bound, your dashboard handles the rest: track changes, pull inspections, and manage renewals without ever leaving the site. There’s no need to shop, remember multiple appetites, shop multiple markets, or complete multiple forms—start and end your E&S search with Pathpoint.
🐝 Start placing your E&S accounts for spring by logging into Pathpoint.com.
Field Routes. (2025, July 1). 2025 pest control industry report. Retrieved February 16, 2026, from website
GVR. (n.d.). U.S. short-term vacation rental market size, share & trends report (2025 – 2030). Retrieved February 16, 2026, from website
Mordor Intelligence. (n.d.). United States food truck market size & share analysis – growth trends and forecast (2026 – 2031). Retrieved February 16, 2026, from website
National Restaurant Association. (2026, February 11). State of the restaurant industry 2026. Retrieved February 16, 2026, from website
2020 US religion census. (n.d.). US Religion Census. Retrieved February 16, 2026, from website