Your firm may often get certificate of insurance requests from your firm’s clients. Here are some highlights as to what and can’t be completed on a certificate of insurance.
The certificate of insurance typically can list a 30-day notice of cancellation. This will also be endorsed in your firm’s policy. This provides notice to your firm’s clients if the policy is to cancel. The insurance companies will not provide notice for material changes or modifications.
The project may be listed in the description of operations. However, as a reminder, the limits on your firms’ policies are not project limits, unless stated otherwise. The limits are policy limits.
Typically, the deductible is not stated on the certificate of insurance. However, this can be addressed in the description of operations. This isn’t a frequent request but does come up from time to time.
If your firm does not have any owned autos, the any autos cannot be check marked. More commonly the hired and non-owned autos is what is available for those firms that don’t have any owned autos.
From time to time, we get requests to provide your firm’s policy to your client. That is not something our agency is able to do, the certificate of insurance provides the information on the policy. However, if your firm chooses to share your policy, you can.
Additional insureds cannot be the word ‘client’ or ‘all other parties.’ Those specific entities must be provided to have them as an additional insured on the certificate of insurance. And as always, the additional insured will only apply to the general and automobile liability policies, not the professional liability or workers compensation policies.
If your firm has questions about insurance terms in commercial policies for architects/engineers please call, or email, your Professional Underwriter agent for assistance.