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Tree Service Insurance
The one trade where checking cover genuinely matters, because the failure mode is a limb through a roof rather than a job done badly.
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The short answer
Two policies matter and they cover different things. General liability covers damage to your property — a limb through the roof, a truck through the drive. Workers’ compensation covers injury to the crew. Without the second, an injured climber on your property may have a claim against you. Ask for a certificate showing both, and verify it with the insurer rather than accepting a document at face value.
General liability
Damage to your property
Workers’ compensation
Injury to the crew
Without workers’ comp
Injury may fall to you
Verify
Call the insurer named
What each policy does
Three things people conflate, and one that isn’t insurance at all.
Covers your property
General liability
Damage caused by the work — a limb through a roof, a fence crushed, a neighbour’s car. This is the one most people mean when they ask if a company is insured.
Covers you differently
Workers’ compensation
Injury to the crew. Tree work has a high injury rate, and without this cover an injured worker on your property may have a claim against your homeowner policy.
Not insurance
Licensing or certification
Arborist credentials show competence, not financial cover. Both matter and they’re separate questions.
Watch for
“We’re fully insured”
A statement rather than evidence. It costs nothing to say and it’s said by companies with no cover at all.
How to verify a certificate
A certificate of insurance names the insurer, the policy number and the coverage dates. The check that matters is calling the insurer or agent listed and confirming the policy is active — certificates can be out of date, altered, or cancelled after issue.
Better still, ask for the certificate to be sent directly by the insurer or broker rather than by the contractor. It takes a phone call, and on work that could put a limb through your roof it’s a proportionate amount of effort.
Why subcontracting matters here
If the company subcontracts the climbing, the subcontractor’s cover is what applies to that work. A main contractor’s certificate doesn’t automatically extend to a crew they brought in.
Ask directly whether the people doing the work are employees or subcontractors, and if the latter, whose policy covers them.
Checking properly
Five steps, and the third is the one people skip.
Ask for a certificate, not an assurance
The document, showing both general liability and workers’ compensation.
Check the dates
Coverage period, against the date the work is happening. Expired certificates circulate.
Call the insurer named
Confirm the policy is active. This is the step that actually verifies anything, and it takes minutes.
Ask about subcontractors
Whether the crew are employees, and if not, whose policy covers them.
Check the coverage limit
Against the value of what’s at risk. A limit well below the cost of your roof is cover in name.
What each covers
Where this stops being a DIY job
Any work over a structure by a company that won’t produce a certificate. The reaction to being asked is itself the answer.
Any doorstep offer after a storm. Uninsured crews concentrate there, and damage to your roof or your neighbour’s then becomes your problem.
Work near power lines regardless of cover. That’s the utility, and no insurance policy changes it.
What properly covered companies do
Offers
The certificate unprompted
Because they carry it and expect to be asked.
Arranges
Direct issue from the broker
Sent to you rather than forwarded by them.
Explains
Employee or subcontractor
And whose policy applies to the crew actually climbing.
Common questions
What insurance should a tree service have?
General liability for damage to your property and workers’ compensation for injury to the crew. Both matter, and they cover different risks.
Why does workers’ compensation matter to me?
Tree work has a high injury rate. Without that cover, an injured worker on your property may have a claim against your homeowner policy.
How do I verify a certificate of insurance?
Call the insurer or agent named on it and confirm the policy is active. Certificates can be expired, altered or cancelled after issue.
Does an arborist certification mean they’re insured?
No. Certification shows competence; insurance shows financial cover. They’re separate questions and both are worth asking.
Work over a roof, or a certificate to verify?
Asking for the certificate and calling the insurer named takes minutes, and on work that could put a limb through a roof it’s proportionate. The reaction to being asked tells you nearly as much as the document.
Call (877) 360-4657