Homeowners planning a renovation focus on bids, timelines, and reviews. Insurance verification gets a passing mention, if it comes up at all. The bill for that oversight arrives later, when a claim gets denied and the homeowner is the one holding it.
If an uninsured contractor’s employee falls on a residential job site, the injured worker’s medical costs can land on the property owner’s homeowners policy, and many policies exclude injuries to workers performing paid labor. A serious injury claim can reach six figures.
Ask for the certificate, not the answer
“Yes, I’m insured” is not verification. Every legitimately insured contractor carries a certificate of insurance, usually issued on a standard ACORD form, and can produce it within a day. Most brokers issue them within hours.
The certificate lists the carrier, the policy number, the coverage types, the limits, and the effective dates. All five matter. A certificate from a policy that expired four months ago is not coverage, and expired certificates circulate constantly.
Check two coverage types, not one
General liability and workers compensation cover different things, and a contractor carrying one does not necessarily carry the other.
General liability covers third-party bodily injury and property damage caused by the contractor’s operations. If a crew member puts a foot through a ceiling, floods a finished basement, or damages a neighbor’s fence, this is the policy that responds. Brokers who handle general contractors insurance placement treat $1 million per occurrence as the residential minimum, and higher limits are common on projects above $250,000.
Workers compensation covers the contractor’s own employees when they are injured on the job. This is the coverage that protects the homeowner from a worker’s injury claim. Requirements vary by state, and a handful of states do not mandate it for smaller operations.
Verify the certificate independently
Certificates can be edited. A homeowner who wants real confirmation calls the carrier or broker listed on the document and asks whether the policy is active. The call takes three minutes and carriers field these requests routinely.
Checking the state licensing board works as a second layer. Many states require proof of insurance for licensure and publish current status online. A lapsed license often means the insurance lapsed first.
Ask about subcontractors specifically
A general contractor may carry excellent coverage while the electrician, plumber, and roofer working under them carry nothing. This is where most residential projects create exposure.
The question worth asking directly: does every subcontractor on this project carry their own general liability and workers compensation, and can the general contractor produce those certificates? A well-run operation collects certificates from every sub before work starts and keeps them on file. A contractor who cannot answer, or who says the subs are covered under their policy, is describing a situation that will not hold up when a claim gets filed.
Request additional insured status on larger projects
For renovations above roughly $50,000, homeowners can ask to be named as an additional insured on the contractor’s general liability policy. It costs the contractor almost nothing and takes one call to their broker. The benefit is direct standing on the policy if a claim arises, instead of depending on the contractor to file it correctly.
Contractors who decline without a clear reason are worth a second look. Contractors who have done it before treat it as routine paperwork.
What a refusal tells you
Some contractors resist insurance questions. The framing varies: it slows things down, it signals distrust, the price already accounts for it. None of those are answers.
Producing a current certificate is a two-minute task for any contractor carrying real coverage. Reluctance usually means the coverage is thinner than the pitch. Finding that out before signing is cheaper than finding it out after.
