Vetting a contractor before you commit: the 7-document checklist

Why check a contractor's documents before engaging them?

Because the three major risks of a renovation project (the company failing mid-works, a claim with no valid insurance behind it, and undeclared labour) can largely be detected before the contractor is engaged. And because whoever recommended a contractor without checking anything engages their own liability: for an interior designer, the duty to advise does not stop at choosing materials.

A company that files for insolvency halfway through the works means a trade package to re-tender in a hurry, weeks of delay and deposits that are hard to recover. A structural defect discovered after handover, with a décennale policy that did not cover the activity in question, means litigation in which the client turns on every party involved, including whoever introduced the company. And undeclared labour exposes the principal (the party commissioning the work) to joint financial liability.

The good news: every check takes a few minutes, on free official online services. Comparing contractor quotes tells you who has the best bid; the checklist below tells you whether the company can actually deliver on it.

The checklist: the 7 documents to demand

1. The décennale insurance certificate, with the right declared activities, valid at the site-opening date.
2. The professional liability certificate (RC pro), for damage caused during the works.
3. The URSSAF vigilance certificate, less than 6 months old, mandatory from €5,000 excl. VAT.
4. The registration extract, Kbis or equivalent (recent).
5. Qualifications and labels: RGE for energy works, Qualibat depending on the package.
6. References from comparable projects, with contacts you can call.
7. Financial health: no insolvency proceedings on the official directory.

1. The décennale insurance certificate

This is the cornerstone document, and the one people most often get caught out on. The décennale is France's compulsory ten-year building insurance. Issued by the company's insurer, the certificate embodies a legal obligation: article L241-1 of the French insurance code requires any professional whose ten-year liability can be engaged to be covered, and to be able to prove it at the opening of any site. The certificate must moreover be attached to the company's quotes and invoices.

Two checks make all the difference. First, the declared activities: the certificate lists precisely which professional activities are covered, and a painter's décennale does not cover plumbing. Awarding a plumbing package to a company insured for painting only means an uncovered claim. Second, the validity period: what matters is that the policy covers the opening date of your site, not the date of the quote, nor the date of the defect, which can surface years later. The content is not left to chance: a regulatory template fixes its minimum content (SIREN number, period, activities, caps and excesses where applicable). In case of doubt about authenticity, the issuing insurer, whose details appear on the document, will confirm the policy is in force.

2. The professional liability certificate

Also issued by the insurer, professional liability cover (RC professionnelle) covers a different field from the décennale: damage caused to third parties while the works are being carried out (the water damage in the downstairs neighbour's flat, the bay window broken during handling). The décennale only comes into play after handover, for defects that compromise the structural integrity of the works or make them unfit for purpose. The two are complementary, and often grouped on the same certificate.

To check: insurance period in force, activities matching the package, guarantee caps consistent with the size of the project. No public register here: the check is done on the document itself and, in case of doubt, with the issuing insurer.

3. The URSSAF vigilance certificate

This is the anti-undeclared-labour document, and it is not optional: for any contract worth at least €5,000 excluding VAT (the total value of the service, even when invoiced in instalments), the principal must obtain a vigilance certificate from their co-contractor when the contract is concluded, then every 6 months until its execution ends. On a renovation project, almost every trade package exceeds that threshold.

Issued by URSSAF, the French social-security collection agency, it certifies that the company is up to date with its declarations and social contributions. Its big advantage: it can be verified online. Each certificate carries a security code to enter in the official verification tool. The procedure is described on the official URSSAF page. The stakes are direct: without vigilance duly exercised, the principal can be held jointly liable for the co-contractor's contributions in a case of undeclared labour.

4. The registration extract: Kbis or equivalent

The Kbis (issued by the commercial court registry for companies) or its equivalent for sole traders and craftspeople proves the business legally exists. Ask for a recent extract and check three things: the business is active, the signatory is the registered director (or holds a delegation), and the declared activity is consistent with the package being awarded.

The free reflex: the Annuaire des Entreprises, the public service operated by the French government's interministerial digital directorate, gathers for every SIREN the information found in a Kbis or D1 extract: identity, directors, address, administrative status. Thirty seconds are enough to cross-check what the tradesperson handed you against what the administration knows about them.

5. Qualifications and labels, when the package calls for them

Not every package requires them, but when they are relevant, they are verified, never taken on trust. The most frequent case: energy renovation works. If your client is counting on MaPrimeRénov' or other public subsidies, the company must be RGE (reconnu garant de l'environnement), with a qualification matching the field of works concerned. Verification happens on the official France Rénov' directory: company listed, qualification in force, matching field.

Same logic for voluntary qualifications (Qualibat and the like): the certifying body's directory is what counts, not the logo on the quote. And a label replaces neither valid insurance nor verified references.

6. References from comparable projects

This is the only document issued by the tradesperson themselves, and that is exactly why it gets checked by phone. Ask for two or three projects comparable in nature and budget, with the contact details of the clients or designers who ran them; a full renovation is not judged on a studio refresh. Then call, with four simple questions: deadlines kept? surprises handled well? site clean and coordinated? did they come back to clear the snag list?

Ten minutes of calls say more than a polished presentation file. A company unable to provide a single verifiable contact deserves at least one more question.

7. The company's financial health

A company in serious financial difficulty means the risk of a site abandoned overnight. And the essentials are public: insolvency proceedings (safeguard, receivership, judicial liquidation) appear on the company's page in the Annuaire des Entreprises, along with its administrative status.

Complete the picture with a look at the company's age and its size relative to the project. And keep perspective: the absence of proceedings does not guarantee healthy cash flow, and a safeguard procedure is not a liquidation. It is a signal, not a verdict.

The recap in one table

When should these documents be requested again?

These documents have a shelf life: three moments call for a check.

• At tender stage. Announce from the moment you send out your tender pack that the documents will be required, and ask for the insurance certificates and the registration extract at the latest with the bids. A serious company provides them without friction; the opposite is already information.
• When the package is awarded. This is the moment for the full check: a vigilance certificate less than 6 months old, a décennale covering the planned site-opening date, the company's situation re-checked on the official directory. Only lock in the award with a complete file.
• During a long project. Above the €5,000 excl. VAT threshold, the vigilance certificate must be renewed every 6 months until the contract's execution ends. On a renovation that drags on, it is a deadline to slot into your site supervision routine. And if the start slips by several months, re-check that the décennale covers the new opening date.

So, what about Nodal?

Nodal does not verify the certificates for you. That control is precisely your added value as an interior designer. What the contractor tendering flow in Nodal does provide is a frame where this collection falls naturally into place: one shared template sent to the contractors consulted, bids compared online item by item, and a timestamped client approval at the moment of award. That sequence builds the right reflex: by the time your client approves the award of a package, the winning company's file is complete, verified documents in hand.

Article published on August 24, 2026. This checklist is a professional summary, up to date at that date; it does not constitute legal advice. Thresholds, obligations and certificate templates evolve: refer to the official pages linked here (URSSAF, Légifrance, Annuaire des Entreprises, France Rénov') and, for specific situations, to your usual adviser.

Frequently asked questions