The distinction that matters most
A certificate of insurance is a summary. It is issued for information, it confers no rights, and it says so in small print at the bottom. An additional insured endorsement is an actual amendment to your policy that extends coverage to another party.
The failure mode
A property manager asks to be named as additional insured. A certificate is issued listing them. The endorsement is never added to the policy. Everyone believes the requirement is satisfied for two years — until a fall claim, when the owner discovers they have no coverage and you discover you have been in breach of contract the whole time.
The other three requests
- Primary and non-contributory — your policy pays first and does not seek contribution from the owner's insurer. Standard on commercial snow work.
- Waiver of subrogation — your carrier gives up its right to recover from the owner after paying. Also common, and it needs to be endorsed.
- Thirty days' notice of cancellation — the owner wants to know before your coverage disappears mid-season.
A checklist for October
- Read the insurance exhibit before you sign, not after you win
- Confirm each required endorsement is actually on the policy
- Match limits exactly — a $2M requirement is not satisfied by $1M plus optimism
- File every certificate you receive from subs, and diarise their renewal dates
- Re-issue your own certificates when your policy renews mid-season
Frequently Asked Questions
Not if the policy has renewed. A stale certificate showing expired dates fails the contract requirement and, in a dispute, reads as carelessness. Certificates are cheap to reissue — we turn them around same day in season.
