How to Request a Certificate of Insurance from a Vendor

To request a Certificate of Insurance (COI) from a vendor without revision delays, send the vendor and their broker a written specification listing your Certificate Holder legal name and address, Additional Insured entities, required policy dollar limits, and ISO endorsement form numbers (CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 24 04).

Once the PDF arrives, check the returned ACORD 25 certificate for free.

Why Most COI Requests Take Three Rounds of Revisions

When a property manager or project coordinator emails a vendor saying "Please send over your COI," the vendor forwards that one-line message to their insurance producer. Because the producer does not know who owns the building, which management company oversees it, or which endorsements your contract requires, they send back a generic "proof of insurance" ACORD 25 with:

• Only the vendor's name or an abbreviated building nickname in the Certificate Holder box.
• Blank ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD columns.
• Zero attached endorsement pages.

Giving the vendor a complete, broker-ready specification sheet on day one prevents avoidable back-and-forth revision emails.

Pre-Request Checklist: 6 Details Every Broker Needs

Before sending your request, assemble these six items from your vendor service agreement or subcontract:

Checklist Item	Specimen Example for High-Risk Trade	Why the Broker Needs It
1. Vendor Legal Name	Apex Plumbing LLC (or Metro HVAC Services Inc.)	Must match the Named Insured on the ACORD 25 and the vendor's W-9 tax form.
2. Certificate Holder Block	123 Main Street Holdings LLC c/o Harborview Property Management Inc., 123 Main St, Suite 400, New York, NY 10001	Populates the bottom-left Certificate Holder box verbatim.
3. Additional Insured Entities	123 Main Street Holdings LLC (Owner) and Harborview Property Management Inc. (Managing Agent)	Populates the Description of Operations box and endorsement schedules.
4. Minimum Dollar Limits	GL $2,000,000 Each Occurrence / $4,000,000 General Aggregate; Auto $1,000,000 CSL; Statutory WC	Tells the broker whether an Umbrella policy needs to be included on the form.
5. Endorsement Form Numbers	CG 20 10 04 13, CG 20 37 04 13, Primary & Non-Contributory, Waiver of Subrogation (CG 24 04, WC 00 03 13)	Prompts the agency CSR to attach the actual policy endorsement pages to the PDF.
6. Upload Link or Return Address	Self-serve upload link via the vendor COI upload portal	Gives the vendor or broker a direct place to drop the PDF and see instant feedback.

Worked Example: Copyable COI Request Email

Here is how Harborview Property Management Inc. requests an initial ACORD 25 packet from Apex Plumbing LLC before mobilizing at 123 Main Street Holdings LLC:

Subject: COI & W-9 Request — Apex Plumbing LLC for 123 Main Street

Hi [Vendor Contact Name],

Before we can clear Apex Plumbing LLC for work and invoice payment at 123 Main Street, please forward the requirements below to your insurance broker and have them issue an ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability Insurance along with the required endorsement pages:

1. Required Policy Limits:
   - Commercial General Liability (Occurrence form): $2,000,000 Each Occurrence / $4,000,000 General Aggregate / $4,000,000 Products-Completed Operations Aggregate (Umbrella/Excess may be stacked to satisfy limits)
   - Commercial Auto Liability: $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit (Owned, Hired, and Non-Owned Autos)
   - Workers' Compensation: Statutory Limits + $1,000,000 Employers' Liability

2. Required Endorsements (Please attach endorsement pages to the PDF):
   - Additional Insured — Ongoing Operations (ISO CG 20 10 04 13 or equivalent)
   - Additional Insured — Completed Operations (ISO CG 20 37 04 13 or equivalent)
   - Primary and Non-Contributory wording
   - Waiver of Subrogation on General Liability (CG 24 04) and Workers' Compensation (WC 00 03 13)

3. Exact Certificate Holder & Additional Insured Wording:
   Certificate Holder:
   123 Main Street Holdings LLC
   c/o Harborview Property Management Inc.
   123 Main Street, Suite 400
   New York, NY 10001

   Description of Operations:
   "123 Main Street Holdings LLC and Harborview Property Management Inc. are included as Additional Insureds on a Primary and Non-Contributory basis with respect to General Liability for ongoing and completed operations (CG 20 10 04 13 and CG 20 37 04 13). Waiver of Subrogation applies in favor of the Additional Insureds on General Liability and Workers' Compensation."

You or your broker can upload the PDF directly here for an instant check:
[Vendor Portal Upload Link]

(Need additional templates for missing endorsements or expiring renewals? Visit our COI request email templates library.)

Why Involving the Insurance Producer Early Saves Days

As explained by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), an insurance producer is the licensed agent or broker who issues certificates and services the policy. Once you receive a vendor's first ACORD 25, record the Producer email address from the top-right box of the form. On future renewals, sending automatic COI renewal reminders to both the vendor and their confirmed producer reaches the agency directly without waiting for the vendor to forward an email.

Check Incoming Certificates in Seconds

Built for COI tracking for property management and subcontractor COI tracking, COIScreen validates every box on arrival. Upload a vendor certificate now to check an ACORD 25 certificate for free.