PROCESS, PRICING & CHOOSING A CONTRACTOR · FORT WORTH & NORTH DFW

How to Verify a Contractor’s Insurance Before You Sign

Straight answers about how professional remodeling actually works — from a Fort Worth general contractor with 500+ projects since 2009.

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THE SHORT VERSION

Ask the contractor for their insurance agent’s contact information, then request a certificate of insurance sent to you directly by the agent or carrier — naming you as certificate holder. A PDF forwarded by the contractor proves nothing about whether the policy is still active today.

Why this matters more than people think

If an uninsured worker is injured on your property, or an uninsured contractor damages your home or a neighbor’s, the exposure can land on you and your homeowner’s policy. Homeowner’s coverage is not designed to absorb a construction injury claim, and the amounts involved are not small.

Texas does not require most general contractors to carry insurance by law, and does not license residential remodelers at the state level. That makes verification your responsibility rather than something the state has already handled.

The two coverages that matter

Coverage	What It Covers	Why You Care
General liability	Property damage and third-party injury caused by the contractor’s work	A burst line, a fire, damage to a neighbor’s property
Workers’ compensation	Injury to the contractor’s employees	Keeps an injured worker’s claim off you and your homeowner’s policy

Texas is unusual in that workers’ compensation is generally optional for private employers. A contractor may legitimately not carry it — which means you should ask directly what happens if someone is hurt on your job, and get the answer in writing.

How to actually verify it

1. Ask for the agent, not the certificate. Request the name, agency, and phone number of the contractor’s insurance agent. A contractor with current coverage will hand this over without hesitation.

2. Have the certificate sent to you directly. Ask the agent to issue a certificate of insurance with you listed as certificate holder at your project address. Issued directly, it confirms the policy is active as of that date — a forwarded PDF confirms only that a policy existed when it was printed.

3. Read the dates and the limits. Check that the policy period covers your entire construction schedule, and note the per-occurrence and aggregate limits against the value of your home, not the value of the job.

4. Ask about subcontractors. The general contractor’s policy may not cover a subcontractor’s work. Ask whether subs are required to carry their own coverage and to provide certificates.

5. Ask to be notified of cancellation. Certificates can be issued and policies cancelled a week later. Ask whether the agent will notify you if coverage lapses during your project.

What good looks like

A contractor who carries real coverage treats this request as routine, because they field it constantly. Hesitation, a promise to “send it over later,” an expired certificate, or a certificate for a different business name are all reasons to stop and ask more questions before signing anything.

Birdseye Construction is fully insured, and we provide certificates directly from our carrier on request as part of the contract process.

See our remodeling contract checklist and warning signs of a bad contractor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do contractors have to be insured in Texas?

Not by state law in most cases — Texas does not require general liability coverage for residential remodelers, and workers’ compensation is generally optional for private employers. Verification is the homeowner’s responsibility.

What happens if an uninsured worker is injured at my house?

The claim can be directed at you and your homeowner’s policy, which is not designed for construction injuries. This is the single strongest reason to confirm coverage in writing before work begins.

Is a certificate of insurance from the contractor enough?

Not on its own. A forwarded certificate shows a policy existed when it was printed, not that it is active now. Have the agent or carrier send it to you directly with your name as certificate holder.

Does the general contractor’s insurance cover subcontractors?

Not necessarily. Ask whether subcontractors are required to carry their own general liability and workers’ compensation coverage and to furnish certificates before they work on your property.

What insurance limits should I look for?

Compare the per-occurrence and aggregate limits against the value of your home rather than the size of the job — a small bathroom remodel can still cause a fire or a flood that damages the entire house.

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