Painter and decorator insurance
Join over 900k UK customers (including over 16,000 professionals like you) – we offer public liability cover from £4.74*
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![Painter and decorator holding a tub of wallpaper paste and a brush](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/painter_decorator.png?w=1024)
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Rated 4.8/5
Based on 39,800 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Why do you need painter and decorator insurance?
It’s not just the finishing touches – painting and decorating is the first thing a customer sees, and the stage that makes their dreams a reality. With high expectations and common accidents to manage, insurance is an important consideration. Public liability protection will be a key part of your policy, plus other specific covers depending on your business type.
- protection from big claims for accidental damage or injuries
- help to keep going if something unexpected gets in the way
- specific painting and decorating insurance for the risks your business faces
What does painter and decorator insurance cover?
Public liability insurance for painters and decorators will form a key part of your policy, plus employers’ liability if you’ve hired anyone (it’s usually a legal requirement). Once these are in place you can add specific cover for the things you need, from your laptop to your hand tools and other machinery.
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
How much does decorator insurance cost?
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
Prices start from £4.74 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £56.82 or less annually between 1st Jan – 31st May 2024. Equivalent to £4.74 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 76% of customers have a £1 million limit and 24% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.
Example painter and decorator insurance quotes, real prices
![axa](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/axa.webp?w=66)
£8.83 /month
£68.32 /year
A local painter and decorator who works alone
- 3-4 years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Huddersfield
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Tools
Not included
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/churchill-1.png?w=129)
£92.00 /month
£817.78 /year
A small painting and decorating limited company who occasionally use casual workers
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 2 casual workers
- Based in Reading
Public liability
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Tools
£5,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 23/09/2020). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
It’s quick to buy cover online
What kind of excess should I expect?
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
---|---|---|
Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
Employers’ liability | No excess | No excess |
Tools | £60 | £500 |
Stock | £100 | £500 |
Business and office equipment | £50 | £750 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
How it works
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How do I choose insurance?
Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
Talk to an expert
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am – 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am – 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am – 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am – 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am – 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am – 02.00pm
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How do claims work?
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.
£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
83% of claims were settled in 2023
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Example claim
Having insurance through Simply Business has saved painters and decorators thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Kevin saved more than £19,300
Kevin (not his real name) was spraying cladding as part of a job. An overspray occurred, covering three cars at a second-hand car dealership next door. Kevin’s painting and decorating insurance covered the damage.
Insurance payout
£19,380.00
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Chosen by nearly 1 million small businesses and landlords
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then, with nearly 1 million customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
Painting and decorating insurance FAQs
Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about insurance for painters and decorators. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Despite best efforts and lots of experience, accidents do happen. Public liability insurance for painters and decorators is usually a key cover, and can protect you if someone is injured or property gets damaged because of your business.
If you’re using machinery or tools you own yourself, own plant and tools insurance can be important covers. Finally, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ anyone, even in your own home – failing to take out the right cover often results in heavy fines.
This depends on your business, and which insurer is providing your cover. Prices start from £6.56 a month for our painting insurance customers – we work this out by taking the highest price from the bottom 10 per cent of all our customers paying in monthly instalments (based on data from 1 July – 31 December 2020). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
Yes. You may start offering additional services that require you to use different skills or carry out different tasks. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to give us a call on 0333 043 8527 to update your policy before you take on this new work. If you don’t have the correct type of cover in place for the work you do, you may be unable to claim on your policy if something goes wrong.
Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.
This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.
If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.
There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions