What to require from every trade.
Each trade carries different risks, so each certificate needs a different look. Common coverages, limits, and red flags for 14 trades contractors and property managers hire most.
Roofing
Roofing is one of the highest-risk trades you'll hire.
Electrical
Electrical subs carry a mix of injury risk and property risk: a bad connection can cause a fire long after the electrician has left.
Plumbing
Plumbing claims are mostly about water.
HVAC
HVAC contractors combine rooftop work, heavy equipment, refrigerants, gas lines, and electrical connections, so their certificates should cover a wide spread of risks..
Landscaping and tree service
Landscaping looks low-risk until a mower throws a rock through a car window or a tree crew drops a limb on a roof.
Painting
Painters work on ladders, lifts, and scaffolding, often in occupied buildings.
Concrete and masonry
Concrete and masonry work is structural, heavy, and permanent.
Framing and carpentry
Framers and carpenters are on nearly every job, often in large crews working at height.
Drywall and interior finishes
Drywall and finish crews are often large, fast-moving, and heavily subcontracted.
Excavation and site work
Excavation crews work with heavy equipment, trenches, and buried utilities.
Demolition
Demolition is one of the most heavily scrutinized trades by insurers.
Janitorial and cleaning
Cleaning vendors spend time in occupied buildings, often after hours and unsupervised.
Snow removal
Snow and ice vendors carry some of the highest slip-and-fall exposure in property management.
Pest control
Pest control vendors apply chemicals inside occupied buildings and around residents, pets, and food.