A certificate is a one page summary an insurer or broker issues to prove cover exists. It is asked for constantly, glanced at quickly, and rejected for reasons that are usually avoidable if you know what the reader is looking for.
The four things a reader checks
Almost every rejection comes down to one of four details. The insured name, which has to match the entity on the contract rather than a trading name. The limit of indemnity, which has to meet or exceed the figure in the clause. The period of insurance, which has to cover the dates of the work. And the business description, which has to include the activity you are being engaged for. A certificate that fails any of these is returned, usually on the morning the job starts.
A certificate is not the wording
The certificate confirms that a policy exists with those headline terms. It says nothing about the exclusions, the conditions, the excess or the territorial limits, which is where a policy actually decides claims. A client asking for a certificate is checking existence and limits; a client asking for the schedule and wording is checking substance. Where a contract asks for evidence of specific extensions, the certificate alone will not satisfy it and the broker should be asked for a confirmation letter.
Noting an interest, and what it does not give
Contracts sometimes require the client's interest to be noted, or ask to be named as an additional insured, or require a waiver of subrogation. These are three different requests with three different effects, and all of them are changes the insurer has to agree rather than things a broker can write on a certificate. Noting an interest records that somebody else has an interest in the subject matter; it does not by itself give them the right to claim on your policy.
Employers' liability has its own certificate rules
The public liability certificate is a commercial convenience. The employers' liability certificate is a legal document with its own requirements: it must be available to employees, including electronically, and historic certificates are worth retaining because disease claims can arrive many years after the exposure. Businesses that discard old certificates at renewal remove the evidence that would identify which insurer answers a late claim.
Questions people ask about public liability insurance certificate
Why was my certificate rejected?
Usually the insured name does not match the contracting entity, the limit is below the clause, the period does not cover the works, or the business description omits the activity.
Does a certificate prove I am covered for a specific job?
No. It confirms a policy exists with those headline terms. Exclusions, conditions and territorial limits live in the wording and schedule.
What does noting a client's interest do?
It records that they have an interest in the insured subject matter. It is not the same as naming them as an additional insured, and it must be agreed by the insurer.