Guides for builders
Plain-English guides on keeping your subcontractors insured and your jobs lien-free.
- Certificate of Insurance for Contractors: How to Collect and Track Sub COIs
What general contractors should collect on every subcontractor certificate of insurance (COI), what to check, and a simple COI tracking routine that stops you paying uninsured subs.
- Conditional vs. Unconditional Lien Waiver: The 4 Types Explained
Conditional vs. unconditional lien waivers in plain English, including the conditional waiver and release on progress payment, final waivers, and when to collect each one.
- Subcontractor Insurance Requirements: A Checklist for General Contractors
A checklist of the insurance general contractors commonly require from subcontractors, from general liability and workers’ comp to additional insured and waiver of subrogation.
- ACORD 25 Form: How to Read a Certificate of Liability Insurance
A box-by-box guide to the ACORD 25 certificate of liability insurance for contractors: producer, insured, coverages, limits, dates, additional insured, subrogation and certificate holder.
- Waiver of Subrogation Explained for Contractors
What a waiver of subrogation is, why general contractors require it from subcontractors, how it shows up on a certificate of insurance, and what it costs.
- Additional Insured: What General Contractors Need From Subs
What additional insured status means, why general contractors need it on subcontractor policies, the endorsements to ask for, and how to verify it on a certificate of insurance.
- Free Lien Waiver Form for Contractors (Printable Template)
A free, printable conditional lien waiver form for contractors and subcontractors, plus which states require their own statutory lien waiver forms.
- Sample Certificate of Insurance for Subcontractors (with Example)
See a sample subcontractor certificate of insurance, filled in and explained line by line, so you know what a good COI looks like before you accept one.
- Workers Comp Exemption for Subcontractors: What General Contractors Must Check
What a workers comp exemption certificate is, why a general contractor can be liable for an uninsured sub, how Florida construction exemptions work, and what to keep on file.