Yes. You can change brokers and keep your insurance company. You sign a one page letter, called a broker of record letter, that tells the insurer who now represents you. Your policy, your price, and your renewal date stay exactly as they are, and the insurer gives your old broker five to fifteen days to respond before the change takes effect. Who this is for: a business owner who likes the insurance company but not the service, and does not want to start over.
The short version
- One page, one signature. You change who handles your policy, and the policy itself does not change at all.
- The letter names the insurer and the policy, and you sign it. The new broker sends it in.
- Most insurers give the old broker 5 to 15 days to respond before the change takes effect.
- Your old broker may call to keep you. You can call the change off in writing before the date on the letter.
- The new broker should show you something the old one did not, or you have only changed a name on a file.
What is a broker of record letter?
It is a short letter to the insurance company, on your letterhead or the new broker's form. It says that as of a date you choose, the named broker represents your business for the named policy. You sign it, the new broker sends it in, and that is the whole document.
The letter does not cancel anything, rewrite anything, or change your premium. The commission the insurer already pays out of your premium simply goes to the new broker at the next payment. For how that commission works, see whether a broker adds to your cost.
What happens after I sign it?
| Step | Who does it | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|
| You sign the letter | You | A few minutes |
| New broker sends it to the insurer | New broker | Same day |
| Insurer notifies the old broker | Insurer | 1 to 3 business days |
| Waiting period during which the old broker can respond | Old broker, if they choose | Usually 5 to 15 days, set by the insurer |
| Change takes effect | Insurer | On the effective date in the letter, or when the waiting period ends |
| New broker receives policy documents and can issue certificates | Insurer and new broker | Within a few days of the change |
During the waiting period your policy stays in force and your old broker still services it. Only your current broker can issue certificates then, because the new one is not on the policy yet. If you have a start date that week, ask the current broker for the certificate, and tell the new broker when the handoff should be finished.
Will my old broker fight it?
Some will call. The waiting period exists so they can. A broker who wants to keep you may offer better service, a review they never got around to, or a lower renewal. You are allowed to change your mind. If you do, tell the insurer in writing before the date on the letter and the change stops. If you do nothing, it goes through.
Why would I change brokers but keep the insurer?
- Service. Certificates take days instead of minutes, or calls go unreturned.
- Nobody shopped your renewal. The price went up with no explanation and no list of who was asked. See how to tell whether your broker shopped your renewal.
- Contract help. Your customers keep rejecting certificates and your broker cannot explain why. A broker who reads contracts fixes that without changing the policy.
- Timing. You are part way through the year, the price is fine, and switching insurers now would cost a cancellation penalty.
Are there any downsides?
A few, and they are small. Some insurers will not accept the change in the last 30 to 60 days before renewal, because the renewal quote is already out. In that case the new broker may shop the whole account and move you at renewal instead. Specialty policies go through a middleman, and the letter usually has to go to that middleman too. The new broker also inherits the policy as written. If it is missing wording your contracts need, that still has to be added as a change to the policy, usually one extra page, and you pay for it the same way you would have before. See where to get the extra pages for your certificate.
Before you sign, ask the new broker exactly what they will do in the first 30 days. If the answer is vague, you are trading one name for another.
What this looks like in real life
Illustrative example. It is typical of what we see and is not a promise of how any specific situation would be handled.
The setup: A drywall contractor in New York with fourteen employees carries general liability and workers comp with an insurer he likes, at about $46,000 a year. His broker takes three to five days to issue a certificate, and two general contractors have complained.
What went wrong: He is seven months into the policy year. Canceling and moving to a new insurer would cost roughly $1,400 in early cancellation penalties plus a new down payment, and he does not want to leave the insurer anyway.
What it cost: He signs the letter with a new broker. The insurer gives the old broker ten days, which pass without a call. The new broker receives the policy, sets him up to issue his own certificates online, and checks the policy against his two active subcontracts. She finds the finished work wording one contract requires is missing and has it added for about $350. Cost of the change itself: $0. Illustrative figures.
The fix: He kept the insurer, the price, and the renewal date. What changed was a one page letter, and within two weeks his certificates took a minute instead of five days and a gap in his contract wording was closed.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I change brokers without changing my insurance company?
Yes. Sign a broker of record letter naming the new broker, and the insurer moves the policy to them after a short waiting period. The insurer, policy, price, and dates do not change.
Q: Does a broker of record letter cost anything?
No. The insurer keeps paying the same commission out of your premium, just to a different broker. There is no fee, no new down payment, and no change to your premium.
Q: How long does it take to change brokers?
Usually two to three weeks from signing to full handoff. Most of that is the 5 to 15 day window insurers give the old broker to respond.
Q: Can my old broker refuse to let me go?
Your old broker cannot block it, but the insurance company sets the rules. The new agency has to be appointed with that insurer, and on a specialty policy it also needs the middleman who placed it. Insurers can refuse a letter close to renewal or in the middle of a quote. Ask the new broker to confirm they are appointed before you sign anything.
Q: Will my coverage lapse during the switch?
No. The policy stays in force the whole time. The only change is which broker the insurer talks to, and that happens on the effective date without any gap.
Q: Can I change brokers right before my renewal?
Sometimes not. Many insurers will not accept a broker of record change in the last 30 to 60 days before renewal. In that case the new broker can shop the whole account and move you at renewal instead.
Q: Do I need a separate letter for each policy?
One letter per insurer, listing each policy number with that insurer. If your liability and workers comp are with different companies, you sign two letters.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Taking over a contractor's existing policies without changing the insurer, and then fixing the service and the contract gaps, is something we do often.
- Free contract review. Send us the contract or bid documents and we mark up the insurance section in plain English, whether or not you buy anything from us.
- Free, instant certificates. Clients issue their own certificates of insurance online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge.
- Markets you cannot reach online. One application, shopped across many insurance companies for general liability, workers comp, auto, umbrella, and pollution coverage.
One more thing. This article is general information and is not legal advice or a statement of coverage. Your contract and your policy wording control in every case. Requirements vary by customer, by state, and by insurance company, so have a licensed advisor review your own contract and your own policy before relying on any of it.
Last updated: Reviewed by the Morrow commercial lines team. Last updated September 2026.