How to chase subcontractors for insurance certificates (without the spreadsheet)

Updated 2026-09-14 · general information, not legal or insurance advice

Every builder knows the drill: a sub starts, you ask for their insurance, it arrives (eventually), you drop it in a folder or a spreadsheet — and then it silently expires and nobody notices until the audit or a claim. Here’s a system that actually holds.

1. Decide what “compliant” means, once

Write down the cover, limits and clauses your contract requires — Public Liability limit, Employers’ Liability, any endorsements like being named as indemnity to principals. This is your single yardstick for every sub, so you’re not deciding case by case.

2. Ask at the right moment — and make it one step for them

The best time to collect a certificate is before a sub sets foot on site. Make it trivial for them: a single link they can use from their phone beats “email it to the office” every time. The easier you make it, the fewer reminders you send.

3. Track the expiry, not just the document

A certificate isn’t a one-off — it’s a date. What matters is a system that flags cover before it lapses and tells you exactly who to chase, so renewals never slip.

4. Escalate, don’t nag once and give up

A gentle reminder before expiry, a firmer one on the day, a final notice after — a predictable ladder gets certificates in without you having to remember to follow up.

5. Keep the evidence

When your insurer audits or a claim lands, you want the certificate, the dates and proof you checked — in one place, not scattered across inboxes.

Or don’t do it by hand

This is exactly the loop CoverWatch runs for you: you set the rules once, each sub gets a one-tap upload link, and it chases renewals on an escalating schedule automatically — keeping an audit-ready record the whole time. It’s built for builders with 5–50 subs and no compliance department.