What is a certificate of insurance for moving and do you need it?

Ross Sapir

If you and your family are planning to live a more comfortable life in a new apartment or a new building, it’s likely for the property owners to ask you for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) from your moving company while you’re in the process of finalizing your local move or even a NYC move. Most building and property management in both New York and most areas require these COIs to ensure that the moving company you’re hiring is insured to handle all potential damages that may happen during moving activities. This also ensures that the building management won’t be held liable for anything that happens inside their property while your things are getting moved to your new unit.

In order to avoid any hassle, you’ll want to make sure that your moving company possesses such a certificate even before hiring them. Unfortunately, this is also because moving companies who can’t show this certificate won’t have their teams allowed in the premises of requesting buildings. In order to avoid ruining months of planning your move, this is something you should secure as soon as possible. However, here are things you need to know about such certificates first.

Certificate Of Insurance: What does it cover?

A Certificate of Insurance can cover various aspects of the moving process, and some buildings require this insurance to cover a specific amount. Here are some factors:

• COIs usually cover umbrella coverage, cargo insurance, workers compensation, automotive liability, and liability insurance.
• COIs usually have coverage of around USD 1-million to USD 2-million per move. You may want to check with your building manager how much they would need a COI to have and check in with your moving company to make sure they have a COI for this specific amount.
• Some buildings require much higher coverage, depending on the kind of building you’re moving into. For instance, commercial spaces often need larger insurance coverage.

In the case of Roadway Moving, our COIs cover USD 10-million to ensure that your move is as hassle-free as possible, especially when it comes to insurance coverages that buildings may request from you.

What Information Is Inside A COI?

As an official certificate, the COI contains multiple pieces of data that the building manager will want to see before you move in. Here are some details you shouldn’t forget to mention:

• The COI should be addressed to the person authorized by the buildings you’re giving the COI to – in turn you should get their name, office addresses, and contact information such as email addresses, office phone numbers, and fax numbers.
• The COI specifies that the movers are indeed insured, and specifically for that particular building.
• The COI will have the address of the building you’re moving into, and sometimes even the building or place you’re moving out of.
• The COI will mention how the certificate should be used and how much the certificate covers.

How Do I Procure A COI?

Now that you know what’s inside a COI, you should take note of steps on how to procure a COI properly. Here are things you need to take into account:

• Ask for COI samples or templates from both the managers of the building you’re moving out of and the building you’re moving into.
• If not, you can just get the certificate holders and any additional insured, as well as the person the certificate should be addressed for.

Here in Roadway Moving, we stay on top of our COIs. We have our COIs issued from our insurance company directly and give one to our clients as soon as possible.Our teams always have a hard copy of the COI on hand during moving day – allowing us to cover all bases and avoid any unexpected hassles in terms of paperwork.

What Happens If There’s Damage On Moving Day?

If there’s damage on moving day, this is where the COI comes in. The movers should meet the minimum state requirements for liability, and they should get in touch with the building manager immediately.

In the case of Roadway Moving, our top-quality movers have the right kind of skill set, training, and expertise to avoid any type of damage as much as possible. In the case of accidents, we’re always on top of the situation and immediately proceed with the proper procedures for the insurance coverage to take effect. You don’t need to pay a cent, as we ourselves might submit an insurance claim or even pay for the repairs ourselves.

Do We All Need A COI To Move In NYC?

It’s always a good thing to have a COI from your moving company, especially if you’re planning to move into a building or a condo. In the case of buildings in NYC, most of them require COIs to ensure that their property is also protected during the moving process. Here are some factors you might want to consider:

• Check in with your building property management to clarify if they’re going to request a COI from you by the time you move to the property.
• Check your move-in paperwork to see if there’s any mention of a COI in the documents. Sometimes, these move-in papers also include a required template, so make sure to keep an eye on this.
• Check with your moving company if they can fulfill the requests the building property management is asking with regards to the COI.

Are There COI Red Flags To Watch Out For?

In order to avoid any hassles during the move, you may also want to watch out for particular red flags when it comes to securing COIs. Here are some the things you need to stay on top of:

• Avoid moving companies that ask you for a fee to produce the COI. Remember, most NY insurance companies don’t charge companies for COI production, which means customers shouldn’t pay anything to get their copy.
• Always ask for a copy of the COI to be sent to you as well, so you can give your building manager a copy if they said the email didn’t come through on their end.
• Always check the COI coverage to ensure they cover the minimum amount needed by the building you’re moving into.

If you want a moving company that stays on top of your insurance needs, our team at Roadway Moving always has your back. We’re New York City’s # Yelp-rated mover, and we keep this reputation by providing top-quality service for our clients – from the moving process and even with specific parts of paperwork.