Are these normal issues with contractor's agreement?

[Frank]

What he had just looked like boiler plate to me lifted from anywhere. My friend that recommended him signed the same contract himself and he is a lawyer.

Everything can be fine as long as you do not have a problem.

My one son is a lawyer for an insurance company and is an expert on worker's comp. He gave us some good advice and told us to make sure we have a worker's comp rider on our home owners insurance. While we have high liability insurance it may not cover workmen and if contractor says he has it and does not we could be liable. Son said he is working on 5 cases right now with this issue.

A problem here in DE, is that being a small state we have contractors coming in from nearby PA, NJ and MD. While these out of state contractors need license and insurance to work in DE and bought it in their state it may only cover their state. Most clerks do not know this and may issue a license to an out of state contractor who showed him a policy that he was insured. Even a lot of the out of state contractors do not know that their insurance only covers the state of issue.

This is the stuff that my son contends with all the time.

[Ed Pawlowski]

You don't need a layer for this. The contractor just has to call his agent and give him your information. The agent will send you a certificate of insurance naming you.

If it is a one man job done by the owner, he will need liability but not workman's comp. The guy that took down my tree did that and had the certificate in an hour when he was going to start.

[Frank]

One contractor I'm talking to is from nearby PA. Says he has all the insurance but I will double check if I want to use him.

[Taxed and Spent]

a certificate of insurance naming you is worthless - the certificate itself says so. You need a policy endorsement naming you, or a blanket additional insured coverage that covers you by its terms. If its terms are "as required by written contract with the insured" make sure your contract includes this requirement or the blanket coverage won't cover you.

[trader_4]

I've never seen a certificate of insurance provided by a contractor that names "you". It simply shows what particular insurance a contractor has that covers him for liability, workman's comp, etc.

[Taxed and Spent]

Wise property owners insist on being named as Additional Insureds, and making sure all the "i's" are dotted and all the "t's" crossed.

[Ed Pawlowski]

The certificates I get name us. I don't have them since I retired but some regular service providers (such as the air compressor service company) would send one every year. The one from my tree trimmer did to. It is a standard form they all use. '

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[Taxed and Spent]

See the second warning right up on to?

[clare]

From what I've heard from friends with winter homes in Florida you are being generous. The 5:1 is optiministic on a GOOD day - mabee 10:1 in case of a minor disaster with local contractors, and one in a hundred when it comes to outside contractors after a major disaster (The "fly-by-nighters").One of the big issues the snowbirds report is getting quality work done at any price, on any kind of a schedule, particularly after a storm.