When Will I Receive the Certificate of Insurance (COI)?

Usually the same day we get your building's requirements, and always free of charge. If you are moving into or out of a Chicago high-rise, your property manager almost certainly needs a Certificate of Insurance on file before they will reserve the freight elevator or let a truck near the loading dock. We handle that paperwork for you, quickly and at no cost. The one thing to know: the timing depends less on us and more on your building.

The fastest way to avoid a delay

Here is the honest bottleneck. Once we have your building's specific COI requirements in hand, we can usually issue the certificate the same day. What slows things down is not our side, it is waiting on building management to send over their requirements in the first place, which can take a few days depending on the office.

So the single best thing you can do is ask your property manager for their COI requirements as soon as your move is booked, then forward them to us. The earlier we have them, the earlier the certificate is done and your elevator reservation is locked in. If your building has a tight deadline, or you are moving on short notice, tell us right away and we will move as fast as we can on our end.

What a COI actually is

A quick clarification, because people mix this up. A Certificate of Insurance is not coverage for your belongings; that is what your valuation options handle. A COI protects the building and its management company. It is proof that your movers carry the insurance the building wants to see before letting a crew work on the property, typically:

• General liability, covering any damage to shared spaces like elevators, lobbies, and hallways.
• Workers' compensation, so the building is not on the hook if a crew member is injured on site.
• Auto liability, covering our trucks operating on the property.

We meet, and often exceed, the insurance minimums that even the strictest downtown buildings ask for, so this is rarely a hurdle for an apartment or commercial move.

What we need from you

To get your COI issued without a hitch, send us your building's requirements template along with these details:

• The certificate holder's exact legal name (the building or management company).
• The mailing address for that certificate holder.
• Any specific "additional insured" wording the building wants included.
• The email address of the property manager who needs to receive it.

That is usually everything. Once it is in our hands, we take it from there.

We have done this at nearly every building in town

After moving families and businesses across Chicagoland since 1982, we have cleared the COI requirements of just about every major residential and commercial building in the area. Handling the behind-the-scenes paperwork so your move goes smoothly is part of the job, and we never charge extra for it, the same way we do not change our pricing by the season.

Send us your building's details and we will get your Certificate of Insurance issued on time and to spec. Call (773) 275-4100 or email info@wcmoving.com, or read more in our FAQ.