The Roofing Contractor with the Expired Policy
A condominium association approved a $420,000 roof replacement. The project manager collected a COI from the roofing contractor before signing the contract and filed it with the project records. Work began in March.
In September - six months into the project - a worker fell from the roof and sustained serious injuries. The association notified the roofing contractor's insurance carrier. The carrier noted that the policy identified on the COI had expired in June. The contractor had not renewed. The association's board had no renewal tracking process. The work had continued for three months after the policy lapsed.
The association's master policy paid $290,000 in claims. The association lost its ability to recover from the contractor's insurer. The board spent 18 months in litigation attempting to recover against the contractor's personal assets.
The COI had been collected before work began. No one had checked whether it remained valid.
This checklist is designed to prevent exactly that scenario.
How to Use This Checklist
Apply this checklist to every contractor COI submitted for work at your condominium community. The checklist has two components: a pre-work verification checklist (run before the contractor begins) and an ongoing monitoring checklist (for long-duration projects).
For each item, mark: Pass (requirement satisfied), Fail (requirement not satisfied - do not allow work to begin), or N/A (requirement not applicable to this contractor type).
Part 1: Pre-Work COI Verification Checklist
Section A: Document Completeness
- COI is on ACORD 25 form (standard for liability insurance)
- COI is current - issued within the last 30 days
- Certificate holder is the condominium association, identified by its legal name
- All required pages are present (some COIs require multiple pages for all coverages)
- COI is signed or electronically issued by the insurer or authorized broker
Section B: Named Insured Verification
- Named insured on the COI matches the contractor entity in the association's contract
- If the contractor operates under a DBA, the legal entity name (not DBA) is the named insured
- Contractor's address on COI is consistent with their registered business address
- Named insured is the entity performing the work - not a parent company or affiliate
Why this matters: In a claim, coverage disputes frequently arise when the entity performing the work is not the named insured on the policy. A subsidiary or DBA without its own policy may have no coverage even when a related entity's policy is on file.
Section C: Commercial General Liability
- CGL policy is listed on the COI
- Policy type is occurrence (not claims-made - claims-made policies can leave gaps after project completion)
- Each occurrence limit ≥ association requirement for this contractor category
- General aggregate limit ≥ association requirement
- Products and completed operations aggregate listed separately and ≥ requirement
- Personal and advertising injury coverage confirmed
- Contractual liability coverage confirmed (covers the contractor's indemnification obligations in the contract)
Common failure: Products and completed operations coverage is omitted or has a separate aggregate that is already eroded. This coverage applies after the contractor's work is finished - exactly when construction defect claims arise.
Section D: Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability
- Workers' compensation coverage is listed
- "Statutory" is indicated for workers' compensation
- Employer's liability - bodily injury per accident ≥ association requirement (commonly $100,000 or $500,000)
- Employer's liability - policy limit ≥ requirement
- Employer's liability - per employee ≥ requirement
Exception: Contractors with no employees (sole proprietors working alone) may be exempt from workers' comp in some states. Verify state law and, if applicable, confirm the contractor is truly operating without employees.
Section E: Commercial Auto
- Commercial auto coverage is listed (required if contractor uses any vehicles on-site or in transit)
- Coverage applies to owned vehicles
- Coverage applies to non-owned vehicles
- Coverage applies to hired vehicles
- Combined single limit ≥ association requirement (commonly $1 million)
Note: Contractors who do not use vehicles in connection with the project may not require auto coverage. Verify this against the scope of work.
Section F: Umbrella / Excess Liability
- Umbrella or excess policy is listed (required for higher-risk contractors per association policy)
- Per occurrence limit ≥ association requirement
- Aggregate limit ≥ association requirement
- Umbrella follows form over the underlying GL, auto, and WC
- Policy type is occurrence (not claims-made)
Section G: Specialized Coverage (Where Applicable)
| Contractor Type | Specialized Coverage Required | Present? |
|---|---|---|
| Pool / aquatics | Pollution liability for chemical handling | |
| Pest control | Pollution / pesticide liability | |
| Elevator service | Completed operations - structural | |
| Security | Professional liability (security E&O) | |
| Property management | Professional liability (E&O) + crime/fidelity | |
| Technology vendors | Cyber liability |
Section H: Additional Insured Status
- The condominium association is named as additional insured (full legal name of the association)
- Additional insured status is primary and non-contributory
- If the association's management company is also required as AI, it is named
- Description of operations confirms the additional insured basis (not just "per written contract")
- If required, completed operations additional insured endorsement is confirmed
Red flags requiring follow-up:
- "Additional insured per written contract" without specific endorsement reference
- Additional insured for ongoing operations only, without completed operations
- Incorrect association name (abbreviations, DBA, or prior property name)
Section I: Waiver of Subrogation
- Waiver of subrogation in favor of the association is confirmed on the COI
- Waiver applies to the general liability policy
- Waiver applies to the workers' compensation policy
Section J: Policy Expiration and Coverage Period
- Policy effective date precedes the project start date (no coverage gap)
- Policy expiration date extends to or beyond the project completion date (or renewal will be required)
- Expiration date has been calendared for renewal follow-up (60 days before expiration for long-duration projects)
- If the policy expires before project completion, a note has been made to request renewal COI before the expiration date
Part 2: Ongoing Monitoring Checklist (Long-Duration Projects)
For projects lasting more than 90 days, run the following checks at 90-day intervals and before each policy renewal date:
- Current COI is on file and has not expired
- If policy has renewed, new COI has been collected and re-verified
- Contractor has not changed insurance carriers (a carrier change requires a new verification)
- Additional insured endorsement remains in place
- No notices of cancellation or material change have been received from the insurer
Part 3: Documentation Requirements
After completing verification:
- COI is filed in the association's records with the project name and contractor name
- Verification date and reviewer name are recorded
- Any deficiencies found and corrected are documented
- Expiration date is in the renewal tracking calendar
- Board minutes reflect that contractor insurance was reviewed for major projects
For associations managing multiple ongoing projects, Bramble automates this checklist - comparing every COI against the association's requirements and flagging deficiencies before a contractor begins work. Renewal tracking is built in, so expiring policies trigger follow-up automatically.