Ask your broker for online access, then issue your own handyman certificate in about a minute, free, any hour. A certificate of insurance is the one page summary of your policies, limits, and dates, and Morrow clients print their own at no charge. Changes that need an endorsement (a change added to your policy, usually one extra page) still go through the broker. Who this is for: handyman and small repair businesses working for homeowners, landlords, and property managers.
The short version
- Your broker issues certificates. Some let you issue your own online, free, in a minute.
- Property managers keep vendor lists, and an expired certificate takes you off the list until you fix it.
- You do more kinds of work than any other trade, so what your policy leaves out matters more than the limits.
- If you have no employees, a manager will still want either a workers comp policy or a signed statement that you have none. Ask which they take.
- Naming a customer on the certificate is fast. Adding them to the policy is a change your broker makes.
How do I issue my own certificate in about a minute?
- Sign in to the certificate tool your broker set up for you.
- Pick the policies, usually general liability, plus workers comp and auto if you have them.
- Type in the homeowner, landlord, or management company that asked.
- Add the property address in the description box.
- Send it, or upload it to the vendor portal they use.
Nothing about your coverage changes. You are printing proof of what you already bought. See how instant certificates work.
Who asks a handyman for a certificate?
| Who is asking | Why | What they check |
|---|---|---|
| A property management company | To keep you on the approved vendor list | Current dates, their company named on your policy, and workers comp or a signed statement that you have no employees |
| A landlord | Their own insurer told them to collect one | Liability limits and whether they are named |
| A homeowner | A big repair, or a bad experience last time | That you carry anything at all |
| A community association | Work on common areas | The association named, and a copy before you start |
| A real estate agent | Repairs before a closing | Speed. They want the certificate today |
Property managers are the strict ones. See how vendor compliance portals work and what a landlord looks for.
What work does a handyman policy usually leave out?
This is the real question in this trade. You may do 30 different things in a month, and your policy was priced on the list you gave the insurer. Work outside that list can be excluded, so a claim from it is yours to pay.
| Work | Usually covered | Often left out |
|---|---|---|
| Doors, trim, drywall patching, painting, fixtures | Yes | |
| Small plumbing and simple electrical swaps | Often, up to a limit on the size of the job | Panel changes and new circuits, in many policies |
| Roof repairs | Small patches, sometimes | Any work above one or two stories |
| Deck and structural framing | Sometimes | Anything that carries a load, in many policies |
| Tree work, mold cleanup, hauling debris | Rarely | Usually excluded and priced as a different trade |
Read your policy list once, out loud, against the jobs you actually take. If it does not match, tell your broker before the next job, not after a claim.
What does a handyman policy cost and show?
Illustrative ranges for a one or two person business with clean claims history. Your price depends on the work you describe, your sales, and your state.
| Line | What it does | Illustrative yearly cost |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | Injury and property damage caused by your work | $600 to $2,000 for $1,000,000 for one incident |
| Tools and equipment | Your tools, in the van or on site | $150 to $500 for $10,000 of tools |
| Commercial auto | The work van or truck | $1,400 to $3,500 for one vehicle |
| Workers comp | Medical bills and lost wages for employees | Depends on payroll and state. Required in most states once you hire |
What holds up a handyman certificate?
- No workers comp and no signed statement that you have no employees. Managers need one or the other on file, and in some states that statement is a formal exemption you file with the state, not something you write yourself.
- The management company is not on your policy. Being on the certificate alone gives them nothing.
- The dates lapsed. Monthly payment plans cancel fast. A cancelled policy makes a certificate worthless.
- The job is outside your policy's list. That is a coverage problem, and paperwork will not solve it.
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 solo handyman in Florida is on the vendor list for a company that manages 400 rental units. He carries $1,000,000 of general liability and no employees.
What went wrong: A tenant reports a leak. He replaces a section of drain line under a sink and, while he is there, patches a second story roof vent. His policy excludes roof work above one story. Water gets in two weeks later and damages the unit below.
What it cost: The repair and the tenant's damaged belongings came to about $9,400. The insurer paid the plumbing part and declined the roof part, and the management company took him off the list for a season.
The fix: Certificates were never the problem here. Tell your broker the full list of work you take, then issue certificates yourself in a minute knowing the policy behind them matches the job.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How can I get a free, instant certificate of insurance for my handyman business?
Ask your broker for online certificate access. You type in the customer and the property address and send it in about a minute. Morrow clients do this free, at any hour of any day.
Q: Do I need insurance to work as a handyman?
Most states do not require it to hang a shingle, though many require a license or registration. Property managers, landlords, and associations require it, so in practice you cannot get the steady work without it.
Q: How much does handyman insurance cost?
For a one or two person business with clean claims history, general liability commonly runs $600 to $2,000 a year for $1,000,000 of coverage. That is illustrative, and your price depends on the work you describe, your sales, and your state.
Q: Why does my policy list the work I do?
Because your price is built on it. A policy priced for trim and drywall does not expect roof work or panel changes, so those jobs are often excluded. Update the list when your work changes.
Q: A property manager wants to be named on my policy. Is that a problem?
No, it is routine. Your broker adds them, and many policies do it automatically when a signed contract requires it. That automatic wording normally reaches only the customer you signed with, for work in progress. An owner or a management company above them, and cover that continues after the job, usually take their own changes, so ask your broker which ones you have.
Q: I have no employees. Do I still need workers comp?
Rules vary by state, and many solo owners are not required to carry it. Property managers often still ask for either a policy or a signed statement that you have none, so ask what they will accept.
Q: How fast can I fix an expired certificate?
About a minute if your policy is current and you can issue your own. If the policy actually lapsed, that is a new policy conversation, and it has to happen before you are back on the list.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Handyman businesses get asked for proof of insurance by every property manager they work with, so we set clients up to issue their own certificates in about a minute, free.
- 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.