The estimate names one business. The insurance certificate names another. The salesperson says they are all the same people. Mike puts the two names beside each other: before roof work begins, connect the insured business, the contracting business and the people doing the work. A reassuring logo cannot explain that relationship.
Match the insured business, the proposed roofing work and the active dates to your project. Then ask the issuing broker to explain any relevant coverage questions.
Intact describes commercial general liability as coverage that may respond to third-party injury or property-damage claims arising from contracting activities. A certificate is a summary. It does not rewrite exclusions or promise that every possible loss will be paid. You do not need to become an insurance specialist; you need a clear answer from the person who can explain the policy.
Match Names Before Comparing Limits
The trading name on a truck can differ from the legal name on a contract. That difference can be legitimate, but ask the contractor to connect the two in writing. Check that the insured business is the one accepting responsibility for your work.
Save the certificate with the quote. If the policy expires before the proposed installation, request updated evidence before work begins. A job postponed from October into November should not quietly outlive the only insurance document in your folder.
Ontario's renovation consumer guidance is a useful starting point for checking a contractor and recording the agreement. The insurance conversation belongs before the deposit and schedule become difficult to unwind.
A Certificate That Almost Fits
The contractor explains that the certificate belongs to a related construction business and a separate crew will install the roof. That may be a sound arrangement. The owner still needs a written connection among the businesses and confirmation about the work covered. Mike puts the three PDFs together; their proximity does not make them an answer.
Send any revised scope through the same check. The house staying at the same address does not mean a different operation has the same coverage.
The owner is ready to send a quick "insurance looks fine" email. Pat asks which business that sentence would refer to. They replace it with a question about the exact legal name and work scope. Less breezy, considerably more useful.
Ask About the Actual Operations
Describe what is planned: removing asphalt shingles, replacing decking, installing metal, or applying a low-slope membrane. Ask the broker whether those operations are within the coverage and whether any exclusions matter. Heat-applied roofing deserves an explicit discussion rather than an assumption based on a general construction description.
Ask what the stated limit applies to, whether there is an aggregate limit and who is responsible for a deductible. Do not treat a higher number as proof of a better-installed roof. Insurance addresses particular losses; installation quality comes from the specification, supervision and workmanship.
If subcontractors will work on the house, ask how their work is treated. Our crew-responsibility guide helps separate the company selling the job from the people performing it.
Confirm Through a Reliable Contact
Use independently located contact information for the named brokerage when possible. A forwarded PDF and a phone number typed into an email are less persuasive than confirmation from the actual broker. Ask the contractor to arrange that contact if privacy rules limit what can be shared directly.
Then the proposed work changes to include a heat-applied system. Dave returns to the coverage question instead of filing the earlier answer and forgetting it. A check made for one scope should not quietly become reassurance about another.
Match the Paperwork to the Project
A certificate is useful when its identity, dates and operations fit the actual work.
Contract name
Identify the legal business taking responsibility for the roof.
Insurance evidence
Match that business and the dates to current policy evidence.
Broker confirmation
Ask about roofing operations, exclusions and subcontracted work.
Project record
Save the confirmation with the signed scope and schedule.
Liability Insurance Does Not Answer Every Question
WSIB concerns workplace injury coverage and has its own rules. A liability certificate does not establish WSIB status, and a clearance does not prove property-damage coverage. The WSIB check explains the important home-renovation distinctions.
Your own insurer may also need to know about the project. Settle any required notification before work begins. If the contractor cannot connect the policy evidence to the actual business and work, that remains an unresolved part of the proposal, however impressive its limit looks.
Your own policy is a separate check: tell the insurer what the roof project changes, including any change in occupancy, before work starts.
