A certificate of insurance is the document a landlord, client, or vendor asks for to confirm you carry coverage. It is common, simple, and widely misunderstood.
What a certificate is
A certificate summarizes your policies, the carriers, the coverage types, the limits, and the dates, on one page, for the party requesting it. It is proof that coverage exists. Businesses request and provide them constantly: before a lease starts, before work begins, or before a vendor is approved.
What a certificate is not
A certificate does not change your policy, and by itself it does not give the holder any rights under it. That is the part people miss. When a contract also asks for additional insured status or a waiver of subrogation, those are separate endorsements that actually modify your coverage. A certificate can show they exist, but the endorsement is what does the work.
When you need one
You will need a certificate any time a third party requires proof of coverage: signing a commercial lease, starting a client project, getting approved as a vendor, or satisfying a lender. The requirement usually specifies limits and sometimes additional insured or waiver language.
Questions to ask your advisor
- What exactly does the requesting party’s contract require?
- Do my policies meet the limits the certificate needs to show?
- Are additional insured or waiver endorsements required, and are they in place?
- Who should be listed, and as holder or as additional insured?
- When I issue certificates, are they being prepared correctly?
What to do
When someone asks for a certificate, look at what the contract actually requires, not just the certificate itself. Confirm your policy can meet the limits and any endorsement requests before you agree. If you are already insured with us, we issue certificates correctly; if not, we make sure your coverage can satisfy the request.
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