How to check a subcontractor’s insurance certificate is genuine
Updated 2026-09-14 · general information, not legal or insurance advice
Collecting a certificate is only half the job — a certificate that’s expired, in the wrong name or quietly edited protects you from nothing. Run these checks before you accept one.
Six things to check
- The insured name matches the sub’s actual legal/trading name — not a related company or an individual where you expected a Ltd.
- The policy dates cover the whole period they’ll be on site, not just today.
- The limits meet your requirement (an under-limit policy is still a gap — see PL limits).
- The cover types are the ones you asked for — Public Liability, Employers’ Liability, and any others your contract needs.
- The endorsements your contract requires are actually shown (e.g. indemnity to principals).
- The insurer or broker is a real, authorised firm you can look up.
Red flags
Mismatched fonts or alignment, dates that look pasted over, a certificate that’s a flat image with no broker letterhead, or a limit that’s suspiciously exactly what you asked for. If anything feels off, ask the sub for their broker’s details and confirm directly — a broker will happily verify a live policy.
Where CoverWatch helps — and where it doesn’t
CoverWatch keeps every certificate, its dates and its limits in one place, flags anything expired or below your requirement, and holds the audit trail — but you approve each submission, and it doesn’t police forgery. These human checks still matter; the tool just makes sure nothing slips through on dates.