You’re polishing a contract. Scope looks good, fees are solid, and then a client or GC asks, “Do you have liability insurance, and is that in your design contracts?” Suddenly, you’re down a rabbit hole of policy wording, certificates, and how much you should, or shouldn’t, hand over.
That question came through the Interior Design Community in a member DM, along with a second practical ask: “Any recommendations on Dallas ID attorneys to go over contracts?” If you’ve ever paused on that insurance section, wondering exactly what to say and what to send, here’s a clean framework to work from.
Educational content, not legal advice. For anything specific to your firm’s risk profile, work with an attorney who reviews service agreements and construction-adjacent contracts.
The Simple Framework: What Your Design Contracts Need
Most designers try to do too much or too little with insurance in their agreements. The middle ground is a contract that acknowledges your coverage, clarifies its limits, and protects you from absorbing someone else’s risk.
Five things your contract should cover: state that you carry insurance at a high level. Clarify what your coverage doesn’t include, specifically, other parties’ work. Assign jobsite and property risk to the appropriate party. Reserve the right to provide a certificate of insurance if requested, rather than attaching your full policy. And, when relevant, require contractors to provide proof of insurance before they start work.
That’s it. You don’t need paragraphs. You need clarity.
Clause Building Blocks
Use these as starting points, then have your attorney tailor them to your state, your services, and your specific risk profile.
Insurance statement: “Designer maintains customary business insurance coverage for a professional services firm. Upon written request, Designer will provide a certificate of insurance, if available, evidencing such coverage.”
No coverage for others: “Designer’s insurance does not insure or guarantee the performance of contractors, subcontractors, vendors, or other third parties. Client is responsible for selecting and contracting with third parties and for any insurance Client requires for the Project.”
COI requirement for trades: “At Client’s request, and as a condition of commencing work onsite, contractors shall provide current certificates of insurance naming Client as certificate holder, and showing general liability and workers’ compensation coverage.”
These three clauses accomplish most of what you need. The insurance statement confirms coverage without overpromising. The exclusion clause protects you from liability that belongs to a contractor or vendor. The trade COI clause gives your client a mechanism to protect themselves from uninsured workers on their property.
Your actual contract structure can absorb these into a Terms and Conditions section if you want to keep the main agreement lean.
@milora_estates noted: “We have it in our T&Cs. Only one client asked for a copy so far.”
That’s typical. Most clients don’t ask. But when they do, you want the answer ready.
What to Share, and What to Keep Private
A common misstep is sending a full policy packet when someone asks about insurance. Most of the time, you don’t need to. What clients, property managers, and GCs typically need is confirmation that you carry coverage, and sometimes a formal certificate.
Avoid sending policy declarations pages, limit breakdowns, endorsements, or anything your broker flags as sensitive. These documents contain information that can complicate negotiations or create expectations that don’t match your actual coverage structure.
What to send instead: a certificate of insurance if requested, or simply a reference to your contract clause that confirms you carry coverage. A certificate is a summary document that shows a policy exists and confirms certain basic terms. It is not your policy. For a plain-language explanation of what a COI includes and what it shows, the Insurance Information Institute’s overview is a useful resource to have on hand.
@antoinettefraserdesigner put the standard cleanly: “In what way? No, you provide an insurance certificate if requested to do so.”
@perfect_10_design shared a similar policy from their Toronto practice: “I state that I carry business insurance and that my insurance does not cover the contractors and that clients are responsible for any additional insurance that they may require. I wouldn’t share policy details specifically. I ask contractors to provide a certificate of insurance at times.”
When a Client Asks Directly
When the question comes up, here’s a script that works in most contexts:
“Absolutely, I maintain business insurance for my firm. I don’t distribute full policy details, but I’m happy to provide a certificate of insurance upon request. Also, my coverage doesn’t extend to contractors or trades. We’ll want to make sure anyone working onsite provides their own proof of insurance as well.”
That response confirms coverage, sets a professional limit on disclosure, and redirects the client toward protecting themselves from contractor risk, which is often the more pressing issue anyway.
@spearman_spaces takes a contract-heavy approach: “We have a very long and comprehensive contract. We don’t share our insurance information but we have a lot of hold harmless language sprinkled in.” Hold harmless and indemnification clauses are worth having your attorney review carefully. They’re often the more protective language in a well-drafted agreement.
@bdesigns_interiors noted the real-world frequency: “I do not but state it in my contract and am happy to provide it when asked. Frankly in all of my years of experience I’ve only been asked once to provide it. But I’d also never miss a payment and won’t hire contractors who are uninsured.”
That last point is worth underlining. The operational discipline of only working with insured contractors is often more protective than any contract clause. The fastest way to reduce claims is a consistent process, not just precise language.
Finding an Attorney (If You’re Still Looking)
If you’re looking for an attorney to review your interior design contract, search for a business or commercial attorney who regularly handles service agreements, construction-adjacent contracts, and risk allocation for creative services. Not every business attorney knows the specific liability landscape of design work.
When you reach out, ask: Do you review interior design or creative service agreements? Are you familiar with construction and remodeling project risk, COIs, and indemnity language? Can you help strengthen my contract while keeping it readable and enforceable?
A good contract attorney will often find gaps you didn’t know were there, and translate dense language into plain terms your clients will actually sign. Essential Interior Design Contract Clauses to Protect Your Business is a good baseline to review before that conversation, so you know what to ask about.
Insurance Language Doesn’t Replace Operational Discipline
A tight contract is valuable. But the insurance section doesn’t remove the need for clean operations. Documented selections and approvals, clear scope in writing, and confirming contractor coverage before work starts are the practices that actually reduce risk. The contract captures the structure; the operations protect it.
For more on the operational systems that work alongside your contract, Business Insurance for Interior Designers covers the full landscape of what types of coverage make sense for design firms at different stages.
The goal is a contract that is clear, a coverage setup that is appropriate for your scope, and a process that prevents situations that would ever require either to be tested.
A Quick Note
Before you move on: Add one high-level insurance sentence to your agreement or T&Cs. Add one sentence that your coverage does not extend to contractors or trades. Add a COI request right for contractors when relevant. Create a saved response for when clients ask for your insurance information. Ask your attorney to review the indemnity and hold harmless language specifically.
That’s the update. It’s a half-hour of work that will save a much longer conversation later.