In general, commercial-property owners should see moderate increases, no change or in some cases decreases in property coverage next year, according to the Insurance Information Institute, a New York-based trade group. But they're very likely to see increases on the liability side, though not as steep as in recent years.

On average, owners should see decreases in property-insurance rates of up to 10 percent to 20 percent, according to insurance broker Marsh, a unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos., New York. This comes after three years of rising rates. Casualty and general liability insurance rates continue to increase but at a slower rate than last year, up 20 percent to 30 percent on average compared with average increases of 40 percent to 50 percent last year, according to Marsh.

Rates for property insurance have fallen largely because there is more of that kind of insurance available in the marketplace, which has led to more competition among carriers. The additional insurance coverage is the result of an influx of new or expanding Bermuda-based and London-based insurers to the market, as well as the forming of captive insurance companies, self-insurance programs for individuals or groups from similar industries.

It's a different story on the general-liability insurance side but that doesn't mean owners can't find better-than-average deals.

So what should commercial property owners do to get more favorable terms on their insurance policies?

One of the first things insurance brokers and insurance carriers themselves recommend to owners is to establish a personal relationship with their carrier, meeting face to face and talking on the phone on a regular basis with their representatives. This, they say, has the benefit of making the carrier more familiar with you and your track record than it would have been if you had merely contacted the carrier once a year at renewal time.

Another recommendation is that owners should have documents that show their track record of dealing with risks at their properties to provide to the carrier in written form and in-person.

Owners can also ask their insurance broker or even insurance carriers to evaluate risks at their properties and give tips on how to manage that risk. New York-based insurance carrier American International Group Inc., for example, has loss-control engineers the company will send to walk around the premises and provide consultation if owners ask for that help.

Owners should also ask their brokers to give them insurance quotes using a range of deductibles, says Kevin J. Madden, managing director of the national real-estate practice at Chicago-based insurance broker AON Corp.