Liability insurance

Public Liability Insurance key benefits

Public liability insurance covers damages awarded to members of the public as a result of injury, or damage to their property, caused by your business activity.

• £1 million, £2 million or £5 million levels of cover are available
• public liability insurance for up to 12 employees (20 for non-manual professions)
• over 250 trades and professions catered for, including more difficult to insure trades such as scaffolders, roofers and working at height

The insurance also covers legal fees, costs and expenses, as well as treatment costs which the NHS may claim from you following an injury to a member of the public.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need to have public liability insurance?

Sufficient public liability insurance cover is essential to protect yourself and your business against claims of negligence where a member of the public has been injured, or their property has been damaged, as a result of your business activity.

If customers or members of the public visit your premises, or you work on their premises, you should consider taking out public liability insurance.

What is public liability?

Public liability is a legal liability to pay any damages awarded to members of the public for injury, illness, disease, or damage to their property, sustained as a result of negligence during your business activity.

What is the limit of indemnity for public liability insurance?

You can choose either £1 million, £2 million or £5 million when getting a quotation online. Please call us on 0800 294 0905 if you require a higher level of cover.

Which occupations are covered by a public liability insurance policy?

Public liability insurance is available for tradesmen working in the building industry, including builders, electricians, plumbing, carpenters, scaffolders, painters and decorators and bricklayers. It is also available for professional and non-manual trades.

Employers' Liability Insurance key benefits

We offer liability cover which allows you to combine employers' and public liability cover in one policy:

• for up to 12 employees (20 for non-manual professions)
• cover of £10 million as standard
• over 250 trades and professions catered for, including more difficult to insure trades such as scaffolders, roofers and working at height

Frequently asked questions

What is employers' liability?

Employers' liability is a legal liability to pay damages as a consequence of injury, illness or disease sustained by any employee at work. Employers' liability insurance covers the cost of paying damages awarded to an employee who has made a claim against you as an employer.

How do I know if I need employers' liability cover?

Employers' liability insurance is compulsory under UK law for businesses with employees. People working for you are defined as employees if:

• they are under a contract of service
• you deduct income tax and National Insurance from their wages
• you manage when, where and how they work
• they cannot employ a substitute when they are unable to work

What is the limit of indemnity for employers' liability insurance?

The policies we offer include a cover limit of £10 million, which meets legal requirements.

Professional Indemnity Insurance key benefits

If your business provides knowledge, advice or skills to clients, professional indemnity insurance covers you against the cost of claims from clients who are not satisfied with your work.

• flexible levels of cover – up to £1 million available (or more on referral)
• retroactive dates – get cover for work undertaken in the past
• speak with our professional indemnity specialists

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need professional indemnity insurance?

Professional indemnity insurance (sometimes called PI insurance) gives your business financial protection in the event of claims from clients for:

• professional error
• omissions
• professional neglect

Professional indemnity insurance covers the cost of paying damages awarded to a third party, and also covers legal fees related to fighting a claim.

What occupations are covered by a professional indemnity insurance policy?

Professional indemnity insurance is designed for professionals who sell their knowledge or skills. Cover is available for many occupations, including:

• accountants
• engineers
• estate agents
• IT consultants

Is professional indemnity insurance cover compulsory?

Professional indemnity is a regulatory requirement for some professions, including solicitors, accountants, architects, insurance brokers and financial advisers.

For other businesses, having professional indemnity in place can help you secure new clients, who may insist that you have indemnity cover as a condition of doing business together.

Can I get short-term professional indemnity insurance cover to cover a short-term contract?

Professional indemnity insurance is underwritten on a claims-made basis, which means that a policy must be in place for you to make a claim. Therefore, if you finish a short-term contract it makes sense to keep your professional indemnity policy available for your next contract.

What does the term 'retroactive date' mean?

If you have been working without professional indemnity cover, we can backdate your professional indemnity insurance policy as long as there are no impending claims against you that you are aware of.

For example, if you carried out some work two months ago, but did not have professional indemnity insurance at that point, we could supply an annual policy with retroactive cover to include that work.