Guide
Public liability insurance, in plain terms
What it covers, what it does not, what level you need, and why employers' liability is a separate and legally compulsory thing.
What it actually covers
Injury to other people and damage to their property caused by your work. The burst pipe that takes out a ceiling, the customer who trips over your cable. It does not cover your own tools, your own injuries, or redoing work you got wrong, which is the misunderstanding that catches people out.
What it does not cover
Faulty workmanship itself. If the work is defective and has to be redone, that is your cost, and if you want cover for it you are looking at professional indemnity or a contract works policy depending on the trade.
How much cover to carry
Domestic customers rarely specify. Letting agents and small commercial clients usually want £2m, larger contractors and public bodies commonly require £5m or £10m and will ask for the certificate before you set foot on site. Carrying £1m when your typical client expects £2m costs you jobs you never hear about.
Employers' liability is different, and compulsory
If you employ anyone, including most casual labour and some subcontractors, employers' liability insurance of at least £5m is a legal requirement under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969. The fines for not having it are per day. Genuinely self-employed subcontractors working under their own insurance are a different case, and if you are not sure which yours are, ask your broker rather than guessing.
Keep the expiry date visible
The most common failure is not being uninsured, it is being unable to prove you are insured on the day someone asks. Whatever you use to hold your documents, make sure the renewal date is somewhere you will see it.
Do it now
One link with your insurance, your qualifications and your work on it. Send it with every quote so the customer stops wondering.
Open the free trade credentials page