What is a certificate of insurance (COI), and why does your Atlanta building demand one?
On this page
A certificate of insurance, or COI, is a one-page summary of the liability insurance your mover carries on the date it is issued: who insures it, the policy numbers, the coverage types, the limits, and the dates. It is information, not a guarantee that a particular claim will be paid. An Atlanta apartment tower, condo, or managed community asks for one because a move puts a crew and heavy furniture into elevators, hallways, and lobbies it owns, and it wants evidence before the crew arrives that the mover carries insurance that can stand behind damage, rather than the building’s own. The requirement comes from the building, not from a city or state rule, so each property sets its own.
What a COI shows, and what it does not
The industry-standard form, ACORD 25, lists the insurance agent or broker as the “producer”, the insured mover, each policy with its number, dates, and limits, and the certificate holder. Its own header sets the limits of what it proves:
- “THIS CERTIFICATE IS ISSUED AS A MATTER OF INFORMATION ONLY AND CONFERS NO RIGHTS UPON THE CERTIFICATE HOLDER.”
- “IMPORTANT: If the certificate holder is an ADDITIONAL INSURED, the policy(ies) must have ADDITIONAL INSURED provisions or be endorsed.”
Those lines are on the form as published by the New York Department of Financial Services (ACORD 25 sample). In practice, that means two different things a building can ask for:
| Building is named as | What it means |
|---|---|
| Certificate holder | The building receives a record that coverage was in place when the certificate was issued. The certificate gives it no rights under the policy. |
| Additional insured | The building can claim under the mover's policy itself, which requires an endorsement on the policy, not just a line on the certificate. That coverage still follows the endorsement's wording, the policy's limits, and its exclusions. |
The coverages buildings ask about
The form has sections for commercial general liability, automobile liability, umbrella liability, and workers’ compensation. A building’s requirement sheet names which of these it wants and the minimum limit for each. Read the sheet line by line and make sure the mover’s certificate matches it.
A Georgia license does not settle this for you. Georgia’s insurance rule requires a licensed household goods carrier to file proof of insurance with DPS, and sets default minimums, where no other amount applies, of $50,000 for property of others in one accident and $25,000 for cargo on one vehicle (Rule 570-38-2-.05). The rule does not name commercial general liability, and a building’s required limits can be higher. The certificate is how you find out whether the mover meets your building’s terms.
How to get it without a moving-day delay
- Ask your property manager for the COI requirements in writing: coverages, minimum limits, the exact name and address the building wants on the certificate, whether it must be an additional insured, and how far ahead the certificate is due.
- Send those requirements to your mover when you book, not the week of the move. The certificate is issued by the mover’s insurance agent or broker, and an office may not turn a request around overnight.
- When the certificate arrives, check the dates cover your move day, the limits meet the building’s minimums, and the building’s name matches. If the building asked to be an additional insured, ask the mover to confirm the endorsement is on the policy.
- Send the certificate to the building and get confirmation that it is accepted.
A mover that cannot produce a certificate, or cannot explain its coverage, is worth checking more closely before you commit, as covered in how to verify a Georgia mover’s license. The other building steps, such as reserving the freight elevator, are in how to reserve a freight elevator and loading dock, and what happens if the crew damages a common area is in who is responsible if movers damage a building common area.