Edge and modular data centre warranties
Latent defects insurance for smaller data centres close to their users, prefabricated data halls and factory-built modular systems - where how the building is made matters as much as where it sits.
- Instant response
- Insurer quotes usually within one working day of your proposal
- UK FCA Regulated Broker
- No broker fee to pay
- Specialist commercial underwriters
Edge facilities
Smaller data centres, the same questions
Edge data centres put capacity close to the people and devices that use it - on urban plots, business parks, existing telecoms sites and alongside other buildings. They are smaller than a hyperscale hall, but an insurer asks much the same questions about the ground, the slab, the roof and the envelope.
- Purpose-built edge buildings on their own plots
- Facilities built into or onto existing buildings
- Clusters of small sites delivered as one programme
Small projects often meet an insurer's minimum premium and fixed inspection fees, so the cost as a share of the build can be higher than on a large hall. See data centre warranty costs.
Modular and prefabricated
What insurers want to know about a modular data centre
Factory-built halls and modules can cut months off a programme. They also move much of the quality control off site, so insurers look for evidence of how the system is made, tested and put together.
The system and its track record
How the modules are designed and made, how the system has been tested or certified, and where it has been used before. Some insurers are more comfortable with modular methods than others.
Factory quality control
Records from the factory can stand in for some of what an inspector would normally see on site, so insurers may ask for them or visit the factory.
Foundations and connections
The parts built on site - foundations, the base the modules sit on and the connections between them - are often where the insurer's inspections concentrate.
Joints and weathertightness
Every joint between modules is a place water could get in. Insurers look at how joints, roofs and penetrations are sealed once the modules are in place.
Case by case
Is it a building?
Latent defects insurance is designed for buildings fixed to a site. Containerised, skid-mounted or relocatable units do not always fit that definition, and each insurer decides for itself whether such a unit can be covered and how.
Tell us early how your facility is made and installed. We will find out which underwriters are prepared to look at it, and what they would need, before you commit to a design.
- Permanent modular buildings on proper foundations are more likely to be covered
- Relocatable and containerised units are considered case by case, if at all
- Cover for the building is separate from any warranty the manufacturer gives on its product
Edge and modular - common questions
Can a modular data centre get latent defects insurance?
Often, yes, where it is a permanent building on proper foundations and the insurer is comfortable with the system. Expect questions about how the modules are made, tested and connected, and possibly a request for factory records.
Are containerised data centres covered?
Not always. Some insurers do not treat a container or a relocatable unit as a building for latent defects purposes. Each insurer decides case by case, which is why it helps to talk to us before the design is fixed.
Is a small edge site worth insuring?
That is your decision, and it often depends on what your funders, landlord or tenant require. Minimum premiums and fixed fees can make a small site cost more as a share of the build, and grouping several sites into one programme may help.
Does the manufacturer's warranty do the same job?
Not usually. A manufacturer's warranty covers its own product on its own terms and depends on the manufacturer still being around. Latent defects insurance is provided by an insurer and can often pass to later owners and tenants under its assignment terms.
Tell us about your edge or modular project
Tell us how the facility is made, where it is going and how many sites are involved, and we will come back with the underwriters likely to look at it.
- Takes under a minute
- Instant reply by email with your reference
- Insurer quotes usually within one working day of your completed proposal
- Sites anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Free and no obligation
Already filled in a proposal form? Email it to us or send it on WhatsApp with any drawings you have and we will take it from there.
