ACORD 25, 24, 27 or 28: which certificate do you need?

If you hire vendors or subcontractors, the certificate you want is almost always the ACORD 25, the Certificate of Liability Insurance. The other common ACORD forms show property insurance: coverage for the vendor's own buildings and equipment. They do not show that the vendor can pay for damage or injuries they cause you.

What ACORD is

ACORD is a nonprofit that publishes standard insurance forms used across the US industry. Insurance agents fill them in from their own systems, which is why certificates from different agencies look almost the same. The form number and its edition date are printed in a corner of the page, usually the bottom left.

The forms you'll see

• ACORD 25, Certificate of Liability Insurance. Shows general liability, auto liability, umbrella or excess liability, and workers compensation, with limits, policy numbers, dates, and the additional insured and waiver of subrogation columns. This is the one for vendor compliance.
• ACORD 24, Certificate of Property Insurance. Shows property coverage: buildings, contents, equipment, business income. Useful to a landlord or a lender, not to someone hiring the vendor.
• ACORD 27, Evidence of Property Insurance. A property form usually sent to a lender or mortgage holder.
• ACORD 28, Evidence of Commercial Property Insurance. The commercial version of the same idea, often used for leased commercial space and loans.
• ACORD 101, Additional Remarks Schedule. Not a certificate on its own. It is an extra page that continues the Description of Operations box when the agent runs out of room. If a certificate says "see attached", ask for the 101.

Why the property forms don't protect you

Liability insurance pays when the vendor hurts someone or damages someone else's property. Property insurance pays when the vendor's own property is damaged. If a roofer sets your building on fire, their general liability policy pays for your building. Their property policy only pays for their truck and tools.

So when a vendor sends an ACORD 24 or 28 in answer to your request, it is usually an honest mix-up at the agency, not a sign of anything wrong. Reply and ask for an ACORD 25 instead.

What to check on the ACORD 25

Once you have the right form, the usual checks are:

• The insured is the company you hired, spelled the same way as on your contract.
• The certificate holder is your company, with your correct address.
• Each coverage you require is there, with limits at or above what your contract asks for.
• The policy dates cover the whole job.
• ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD show "Y" where your contract asks for them, backed by endorsements.
• The producer (the agent) is listed with contact details, so you can confirm coverage.

Our guide on checking a certificate in 5 minutes walks through each of these.

Other paperwork you might get

• Endorsement pages. Pages from the policy itself, such as additional insured or waiver of subrogation endorsements. These are the real proof behind the "Y" boxes on the certificate.
• State workers compensation certificates. Some states issue their own proof of workers compensation coverage. They are fine as extra proof, but you still need the ACORD 25 for liability.
• A policy declarations page. Shows the policy's limits and dates, but not your status as additional insured. Ask for a certificate as well.

In short

Ask every vendor for an ACORD 25 naming you as certificate holder, plus the endorsement pages your contract requires. If you get a 24, 27 or 28, ask again for the 25. If the description box points to an attached page, ask for the ACORD 101 too.