Put the vendor’s certificate, contract and supporting insurance documents beside the work order before you mark the file complete. Check whether they describe the business doing the work, the property involved and the organizations that need protection.
For a property manager, that starts with a distinction that is easy to miss: receiving a certificate of insurance does not, by itself, make the management company or property owner an additional insured. The certificate summarizes insurance information. The policy and its endorsements determine the protection available.
A good review leaves the next person with a clear record of what was checked, what remains unanswered and who can resolve it. It should not turn an office coordinator into a coverage lawyer.
Begin with the names and the work
Write down the legal name of the business doing the work, the property involved and the organization signing the agreement. Keep the owner entity and the management company separate in your notes. If the invoice, contract and insurance documents use different names, ask why before assuming they identify the same business.
Describe the assignment in ordinary language. Cleaning common areas, servicing an elevator and replacing building equipment are different jobs. Tell your insurance adviser what the vendor will actually do, where the work happens and whether other businesses will perform any part of it. This is preparation for a review, not a rule that every vendor needs the same policies or limits.
Ask the appropriate insurance and legal reviewers to establish requirements for the work before turning those requirements into a standard request. A copied insurance clause may refer to entities, activities or terms that do not fit your arrangement. Keep the agreed requirements with the vendor record so staff are checking against a known document rather than someone’s recollection.
Find the wording behind the certificate
The December 2025 ACORD 25 certificate form hosted by the Texas Department of Insurance makes the distinction explicit. It does not change the policies it describes or create rights for its recipient. It also says additional insured status must come from policy provisions or an endorsement. A statement on the certificate cannot replace the required endorsement.
That is why a name in the certificate holder field is not the end of the review. Ask for the applicable policy provision or endorsement and have the insurance reviewer explain how it applies to the owner and management company. An additional insured designation is not a promise that every claim involving those organizations will be covered.
Keep the contract and the insurance evidence as separate documents. The Florida Department of Financial Services’ certificate guidance warns against issuing evidence of coverage that differs from the underlying insurance contract. Asking an agent to type a broader promise into a certificate does not fix a mismatch between the insurance and the agreement.
When something is missing, identify the question precisely. “Please provide the policy wording supporting additional insured status for these entities” is more useful than “Please send a better certificate.” Let the issuer explain what the policy provides. Refer a contractual disagreement to the person authorized to resolve it.
Read beyond the word “blanket”
A blanket additional insured provision still has wording to satisfy. Ask which parties qualify and whether a written agreement is required. If the provision depends on an agreement, have the reviewer check its timing and the parties involved. Then connect that wording to the owner, management company and vendor’s actual work. Do not assume that a building address or a broad description answers the question for every organization.
Ask separately about work in progress and work that has finished. CNA’s risk transfer guidance discusses ongoing and completed operations and recommends obtaining the relevant additional insured endorsements. The point is to inspect the applicable documents, not to assume that one label settles both questions.
Carrier materials also show why details matter. The Hartford’s February 2026 contractor endorsement summary describes certain extensions as dependent on contract requirements and says the policy controls. That is an example of one carrier’s product, not a statement about your vendor’s insurance or RAM’s access to that product.
If your agreement also calls for a waiver of subrogation or insurance that is primary and noncontributory, list those as separate questions for the reviewer. Ask where the required terms appear and what limitations apply. A checked box should not close an issue that still needs policy wording. Keep the response with the document it explains.
Dates and limits need context
Compare the certificate’s insured name, policy periods and listed coverages with the information you requested. The Hartford’s certificate guide recommends obtaining certificates from an insurance agent or company and checking the business identity, coverage and dates. Receiving a document through the issuer helps establish its source; it does not remove the need to review its contents.
Do not assume a displayed limit is reserved for your property. The December 2025 ACORD form warns that paid claims may have reduced the limits shown, with state specific wording. It also explains that the certificate may not show higher policy limits above the amounts requested. Ask the reviewer which limits apply to the required protection and whether any further evidence is needed. The number on the certificate alone cannot settle that review.
Cancellation notice needs its own answer. For policies governed by Florida Statutes section 627.4133(1), the notice provisions address the first named insured and contain exceptions. That does not answer whether your management company receives notice. Have the reviewer identify any notice obligation to the specific recipient under the policy, an endorsement or applicable law. Confirm the recipient and delivery details instead of assuming that an expiration reminder will warn you about an earlier cancellation.
If the assignment continues beyond the current policy’s expiration, record who will obtain and review the replacement evidence. Revisit the requirements when the vendor, scope of work or policy changes. An updated date in a spreadsheet should follow that review rather than stand in for it.
Give a workers compensation exemption its own review
For Florida work, a vendor’s owner exemption deserves more attention than a file attachment. The Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation explains that exemptions are issued to qualifying officers or members, not to the business. An owner’s exemption is not evidence that everyone working for that vendor is insured.
Ask who will actually perform the assignment and bring the exemption and other coverage documents to the insurance reviewer. A crew arriving instead of the owner is a reason to resolve the question before treating the file as complete. Eligibility, industry rules and contractual requirements need their own review; this article does not determine whether a particular vendor is exempt.
Leave a usable decision record
Keep three statuses distinct: documents received, questions under review and decision recorded. An inbox attachment establishes only the first. For each unresolved item, record the exact question, the document involved, the person handling it and the next action. Maintenance needs to know who owns the question; the insurance reviewer needs the actual paperwork; the person authorizing work needs the result.
Give operations a clear way to see unresolved items before scheduling work. Decide internally who may authorize an exception and how that decision is documented. Do not let an urgent start date silently turn an unanswered insurance question into an approval. Emergency procedures and contractual decisions belong with the people authorized to make them.
Retain the versions reviewed rather than replacing every older attachment with the newest file. A later reader should be able to distinguish what was available when the decision was made from information received afterward. Ask counsel about retention periods appropriate to your contracts and jurisdiction; this article does not set a universal number of years.
Bring RAM the work description, agreed insurance requirements and the documents that leave you with questions. Contact RAM Risk Group to discuss the insurance review and an appropriate way to share the records. Our general liability guidance provides context for that conversation.
This article provides general educational information, not a coverage determination or legal opinion. Policy wording governs. Coverage depends on the actual forms, endorsements, exclusions, limits, facts and applicable law. Insurance requirements and contract decisions should be reviewed with qualified insurance and legal advisers.