Chimney sweeps insurance checklist: what a chimney sweep should carry

The chimney sweep insurance checklist

QUICK ANSWER

Chimney sweeps usually carry general liability, workers' compensation and commercial auto. Chimney sweeps clean and inspect flues that carry fire, write inspection reports home buyers rely on, and work at the top of the house to do it, which puts a professional opinion and a fall exposure on the same service call. The property manager and your landlord ask for proof of each. The checklist below covers who asks and how to check what you have.

Reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, Licensed property & casualty agent, Provident Financial Group · Reviewed Oct 12, 2026 Updated Oct 14, 2026

Who asks a chimney sweep for what

Who	What they usually want to see
Property managers & HOAs	General liability with the manager and owner as additional insureds, and workers' compensation
Landlords & commercial leases	General liability with the landlord as additional insured, property coverage on tenant improvements and workers' compensation
Banks, lenders & SBA loans	Property or auto physical damage with the lender as loss payee, and liability proof at closing and every renewal

Each of them wants a certificate, and most want it again at every renewal. A live certificate link from the wallet shows today's coverage to every holder and tells them when it changes.

How to check what you already have

General liability declarations page. Three liability numbers matter: each occurrence, general aggregate and the products–completed operations aggregate. Then the forms list: blanket additional insured, waiver of subrogation and primary and non-contributory wording satisfy every contract; scheduled forms satisfy one.
Workers' compensation information page. Item 3.A must list every state you work in, item 4 must carry the right class codes, and the employers' liability limits should meet what contracts ask. Check that the estimated payroll is close to this year's.
Auto schedule. Every vehicle listed with the right garaging address and use; symbols that include hired and non-owned auto; physical damage with the lender as loss payee where the vehicle is financed.
Equipment schedule. Owned items scheduled above the per-item threshold, a blanket limit for small tools, leased or rented equipment included, and the valuation (replacement cost or actual cash value).
Professional liability declarations. Claims-made or occurrence, the retroactive date (it should not have moved), the limit per claim and aggregate, the deductible, and whether defence costs sit inside or outside the limit.
Hired and non-owned auto. Look for the symbols 8 and 9 or an endorsement by that name on the auto or general liability policy; without it, staff in their own cars are uninsured on company business.

What usually goes wrong for chimney sweeps

An inspection report that missed a cracked liner, followed by a house fire.
Soot tracked through a living room and a claim for the carpets.
Damage to the exact thing you are working on is excluded on most general liability forms; installation floaters and care, custody and control endorsements fill that hole.
Height exclusions on general liability policies written for ground-level work.
Theft from a locked truck overnight with no tools floater, or a per-item limit lower than the one tool that mattered.
A personal auto policy on a truck with the company name on the door.

What underwriters will ask a chimney sweep

Whether the business writes inspection reports, certifications held, and the share of work done at the top of the house
Residential versus commercial split of the work
Whether any work is done above three stories or below grade
The maximum height you work at and how often
Fall-protection practices and training
Total value of hand and power tools kept on the trucks

Have the answers in the wallet before the renewal and the quote request fills itself in; CoverMatch sends one application to every eligible carrier and lines the quotes up against what you have.

Renewal timing

Audits at year end compare payroll, receipts and subcontractor costs with the estimate, so keep the wallet's size figures and the subcontractor certificates current. Start comparing sixty days before expiration, and ask for the limits the next contract will need rather than the ones the last one did.

Questions people actually ask

Can a sweep be sued over an inspection?

Yes, when a fire follows an inspection that said the flue was sound. The opinion is a professional claim; general liability covers the fire damage only if the sweep's work caused it. Sweeps who write inspection reports carry professional liability for that reason.

Is working on top of the building a problem for the policy?

Only if the carrier was not told. The sweep's fall exposure is the same as any eaves-line trade, and a policy rated for ground-level cleaning can be contested after a fall. Describe the work and the heights.

Does general liability cover damage to a customer's property while I work on it?

It covers damage to the rest of their property, not usually the part in your hands. Many forms exclude property in your care, custody or control, so a chimney sweep that handles valuable items or systems needs an endorsement or an installation floater. The policy explainer in the wallet flags the exclusion when it reads your policy.

Do I need workers' comp if my crew is small?

Most of the licensed states require it from the first employee, and general contractors require it from every sub whatever the size, because an uninsured sub's payroll is charged to their policy at audit. The state pages list each threshold with its source.

Are tools stolen from my truck covered?

Under a tools floater, yes, subject to the deductible and any per-item limit. Under the commercial auto policy, no: auto covers the vehicle, not what was in it.