Tradesman insurance
Join nearly 1 million customers (including 220,000 tradespeople like you) – we offer public liability cover from £4.74*
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Rated 4.8/5
Based on 39,800 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Tradesman insurance – why is it important?
Safety net, back-up, lifeline – for tradesmen, insurance stands for many things. From site conditions and rented machinery to employees, legal expenses and third party injuries, a tradesman insurance policy is designed to keep you open for business. Start with tradesman public liability insurance, and add specific cover for tools, employees and personal accidents, if you need it.
- tradesman PL insurance between £1 million and £10 million
- protection from big claims for accidental injury or damage
- UK-based claims team, award-winning and available 24/7
What is tradesman insurance?
This type of insurance policy typically builds around tradesman liability insurance, designed to keep you covered against claims for third party accidents and injuries. Policies usually offer between £1 million and £5 million public liability insurance for tradesmen, and you can add cover for tools and plant machinery, plus employers’ liability cover if you need it.
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 tradesman 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.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
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 tradesmen insurance quotes, real prices
![zurich insurance](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/zurich.webp?w=98)
£9.32 /month
£73.20 /year
A self-employed builder who carries out repairs and alterations on residential properties in the local area
- 2-3 years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Cardiff
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)
£168.66 /month
£1499.22 /year
A small family-run plumbing company that specialises in plumbing, heating and ventilation in residential and commercial locations, sometimes using casual workers
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 2 employees
- Based in Liverpool
Public liability
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Tools
£10,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 03/03/2023). 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.
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 tradesman 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 tradesman insurance 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 tradesman (or all-trade) insurance through Simply Business has saved professionals thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Ian saved more than £53,400
Ian (not his real name) recently fitted a dishwasher, which has leaked into the flat below his customer’s property, causing extensive water damage. The public liability insurance for tradesmen in Ian’s policy covered the repair costs.
Insurance payout
£53,452.68
Covering the cost of third party property damage
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of third party property damage
Covering the cost of third party property 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.
Trademan 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 tradesperson insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Liability insurance is one of the most common forms of protection tradespeople look for when setting up an tradesman insurance policy – it’s built to cover your business against claims and lawsuits which hold you responsible (liable) for things like injuries and damage.
Common forms of liability insurance are public liability, product liability and employers’ liability. You can usually add all of these into a tradesman’s insurance policy with Simply Business.
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.
You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:
- one-off credit or debit card payment
- BACS payment
- Direct Debit
If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly instalments.
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