A property management team onboards 40 new tenants per year across their portfolio. Each new tenant submits a COI. The team's process: receive the email, save the PDF, move on. No line-by-line check. No endorsement verification. No expiration tracking.
Three years in, they face an audit from their largest institutional investor. Of 40 active tenant COIs reviewed, 28 have at least one deficiency. Six have lapsed entirely. The investor requires a remediation plan and threatens to withhold management fee approval pending corrective action.
This checklist exists so that never happens to you.
Section 1: Pre-Possession Requirements
Before handing over keys, confirm each of the following:
- COI received from tenant's insurance broker (not the tenant directly)
- COI is dated within the last 30 days
- Named insured on COI exactly matches tenant legal entity in lease
- All required coverage types are present on the certificate
- Policy effective dates cover the full possession period
- Certificate holder box contains the correct landlord entity name and address
- Additional insured endorsement is attached (not just checked on the form)
- Waiver of subrogation endorsement is attached
- COI is filed in tenant record and expiration date is logged
Section 2: General Liability Coverage Check
| Requirement | Office Tenant | Retail Tenant | Industrial Tenant | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per Occurrence | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | ☐ |
| General Aggregate | $2,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $2,000,000 | ☐ |
| Products/Comp Ops Aggregate | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | ☐ |
| Personal & Advertising Injury | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | ☐ |
| Damage to Rented Premises | $100,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 | ☐ |
| Med Expense (any one person) | $5,000 | $10,000 | $5,000 | ☐ |
Note: Restaurant, gym, medical, and high-foot-traffic tenants typically require higher per-occurrence limits ($2M minimum) regardless of property type.
Section 3: Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability
- Workers' compensation: Statutory limits per state law
- Employers' liability bodily injury per accident: $500,000 minimum
- Employers' liability bodily injury by disease per employee: $500,000 minimum
- Employers' liability bodily injury by disease policy limit: $500,000 minimum
- Waiver of subrogation in favor of landlord is endorsed
Exception: If the tenant has no employees and is a sole proprietor, workers' comp may not be required-but verify the state's rules; many states extend workers' comp exposure even for owner-operators under certain conditions.
Section 4: Commercial Auto Liability
Required only if the tenant uses vehicles in connection with the leased premises (delivery vehicles, equipment transport, customer shuttles, etc.):
- Any auto coverage (or specified coverage per lease) checked
- Combined single limit: $1,000,000 minimum
- Hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) included if employees use personal vehicles for business
Section 5: Umbrella / Excess Liability
| Tenant Type | Minimum Umbrella Required |
|---|---|
| Standard office | $2,000,000 |
| Retail (non-food) | $3,000,000 |
| Food and beverage | $5,000,000 |
| Medical / healthcare | $5,000,000 |
| Fitness / recreation | $5,000,000 |
| Light industrial / warehouse | $3,000,000 |
| Heavy manufacturing | $5,000,000+ |
- Umbrella limit meets or exceeds lease requirement
- Umbrella is written on a "following form" basis (follows underlying GL, auto, employers' liability)
- Umbrella carrier is admitted and rated A- or better by AM Best
Section 6: Property Insurance
- Tenant's business personal property: Covered at actual cash value or replacement cost
- Tenant improvements and betterments: Replacement cost value (if landlord funded improvements)
- Business interruption: 12 months of gross revenue (or per lease requirement)
- Equipment breakdown: Required for manufacturing, food service, medical
Section 7: Additional Insured Verification
This is the most critical section. The COI alone is not sufficient-the endorsement must be confirmed.
- COI lists landlord entity in "Description of Operations" or additional insured field
- Specific endorsement form referenced (CG 20 10, CG 20 11, or equivalent)
- Endorsement is attached to the COI submission
- Endorsement names the exact landlord entity (matches lease)
- Endorsement specifies "primary and non-contributory" coverage
- Endorsement covers both ongoing operations AND completed operations (if tenant improvements were performed)
- Property management company is also named as additional insured (per lease requirement)
Section 8: Waiver of Subrogation Verification
- Waiver of subrogation checked on ACORD form for CGL line
- Waiver of subrogation checked on ACORD form for workers' comp line
- Waiver of subrogation endorsement is attached (not just checked on the certificate)
- Waiver language is in favor of landlord and property manager
Section 9: Carrier and Policy Quality
- Insurer is licensed and admitted in the state where property is located
- Insurer is rated A- or better by AM Best (or A (Excellent) equivalent)
- Policy is not written on a surplus lines basis without landlord approval
- Policy number is legible and recorded in tenant file
- No notices of cancellation are pending
Section 10: Ongoing Compliance Triggers
COI compliance is not a one-time event. Set calendar reminders for:
- 90 days before COI expiration: Send renewal reminder to tenant
- 45 days before COI expiration: Follow up if no updated COI received
- 15 days before COI expiration: Final notice; escalate if not received
- Upon any tenant improvement or renovation: Require project-specific COI from GC
- Upon any change in tenant operations (new business line, food service, etc.): Re-verify adequacy of coverage
- Immediately upon notice of any incident at the property: Pull and verify current COI
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should we use a standard checklist for all tenants or customize by tenant type? A: Customize. A single-person law office and a 5,000-square-foot restaurant have radically different risk profiles. Your lease should already reflect different requirements-your checklist should mirror them. A standardized low-bar checklist creates false confidence.
Q: What if the tenant's broker won't provide the additional insured endorsement separately? A: This is unusual and a red flag. Most brokers provide endorsements upon request as a standard courtesy. If the broker refuses, contact the insurer directly. If the endorsement doesn't exist, the COI is misrepresenting coverage status.
Q: Can a tenant's property insurance also serve as the landlord's building coverage? A: No. Tenant property insurance covers the tenant's personal property and improvements. Your landlord building policy covers the structure. These are separate coverages-never consolidate them or assume one substitutes for the other.
Q: How do we handle a tenant who is part of a franchise system and carries master policy coverage? A: The franchise master policy may name the franchisor as the primary insured, not the franchisee entity in your lease. Verify that the actual leasing entity is named as an insured, that your additional insured status is on the franchise master policy, and that limits meet your lease requirements regardless of how the policy is structured.
Bramble turns this checklist into an automated process. Upload the lease and the COI-Bramble compares every requirement to every field and tells you exactly what's missing. No manual checking. No missed endorsements. No gaps.