Certificate of insurance request email templates
Five emails to copy and fill in when you collect certificates of insurance from subcontractors: a first request, a shortfall notice, a renewal reminder, a payment hold notice and a note to the agent. They are plain text on this page, with nothing to download.
When to send each one
| Send it when | |
|---|---|
| First request | The subcontract is awarded and the start date is not yet confirmed. |
| Shortfall notice | You have reviewed what came in, and something is missing or short. |
| Renewal reminder | A policy on file ends in 30 days. |
| Payment hold notice | A policy has expired, no renewal has arrived, and your subcontract allows you to hold payment. |
| Note to the agent | With the first request, or whenever the subcontractor asks you to deal with their agent. |
Whichever you send, keep it clear and specific, and never accusing. Say what is missing, name the form that closes the gap, and give one address to send it to and one date. The subcontractor does not issue the certificate. Their agent does, so write what the agent needs to read.
The five emails
Each one is plain text. Copy it, replace every bracket, and send it from your own address. The wording is a sample and not legal advice. Read it against your own subcontract before you use it, and have a construction attorney in your state read anything that touches payment.
1. First request
Attach the one-page sheet for the insurance agent, filled in for this subcontractor, so that the request reaches the agent whole.
Subject: Insurance documents needed for [project name]
Hi [name],
Welcome aboard for [project name]. Before we can confirm your start date, we need your insurance documents.
I have attached a one-page sheet with what we require. The easiest way is to forward it to your insurance agent and ask them to email the certificate and the endorsements to [email address].
We need these by [date] to keep your start date on schedule. If you have any questions, reply here or call me at [phone].
Thank you,
[your name]
2. Shortfall notice
List each item by name, with the form that would close it. Two is an example: list as many as your review found.
Subject: [Two] items needed to finish your insurance approval
Hi [name],
Thank you for sending your insurance documents for [project name]. Our review found [two] items still needed:
1. [Item, for example: additional insured endorsement for completed operations, form CG 20 37 or equivalent]
2. [Item, for example: workers' compensation waiver of subrogation, form WC 00 03 13 or your state's form]
Please ask your agent to send these to [email address] by [date]. Once they arrive, we can finish your approval.
Thanks for your help,
[your name]
Before you ask for a workers' compensation waiver
3. Renewal reminder, 30 days out
A renewed policy is a new policy, so the email asks for the endorsements again as well as the certificate. If you would rather not send it by hand, WatchMyCover emails subcontractors before a policy ends, once you switch that on.
Subject: Your [policy type] policy renews soon: renewal certificate needed
Hi [name],
Our records show your [policy type] policy expires on [date]. To avoid any delay in scheduling, please ask your agent to send the renewal certificate and endorsements to [email address] as soon as the policy renews.
Thank you,
[your name]
4. Payment hold notice
Check before you send this one
Subject: Payment on hold until your insurance is updated
Hi [name],
Your [policy type] coverage on file expired on [date], and we have not yet received a renewal. Our subcontract allows us to hold payment until current coverage is on file.
As soon as your agent sends the renewal certificate to [email address], we will release the payment in our next payment run. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Thank you,
[your name]
5. Note to the subcontractor’s insurance agent
For when you write to the agent yourself. Delete any limit or endorsement your subcontract does not require. The form numbers are examples: a carrier’s own form that gives the same protection does the same job.
Subject: Certificate and endorsement request for [subcontractor name]
Hi,
Your client [subcontractor name] is working with us on [project name and address]. Please issue a certificate of insurance and send it to [email address] by [date], with a copy of each endorsement listed below. A certificate alone does not show an endorsement, so please send the forms too.
Certificate holder: [your legal company name and address]
Limits required: general liability [limits], auto liability [limit], workers' compensation statutory, employers' liability [limits], umbrella or excess [limit].
Endorsements required: additional insured for ongoing and completed operations (CG 20 10 and CG 20 37, or equivalent), primary and non-contributory (CG 20 01, or equivalent), and waiver of subrogation on general liability, auto and, where the state allows it, workers' compensation.
Please show the certificate holder exactly as written above, name the project in the description of operations, and confirm the workers' compensation policy covers the state where the work is.
Thank you for your help,
[your name, title, phone]
Instead of saying, try saying
The same request lands differently when it names the document and what happens once it arrives. Four lines to borrow on the phone or in a reply:
| Instead of saying | Try saying |
|---|---|
| Your COI is wrong. Fix it. | Our review found two items missing. Here is exactly what your agent needs to add. |
| You cannot start until we get your insurance. | Once these two documents come in, we can lock in your start date. |
| We need additional insured. | Please ask your agent for the additional insured endorsements for ongoing and completed operations, forms CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or equivalent. |
| Your policy expired. | Your general liability policy shows an expiration date of March 1. Please have your agent send the renewal certificate so that we have current coverage on file. |
Related
Check every certificate against your own requirements, not a standard set.
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