Public liability insurance
Join nearly 1 million businesses with cover from £4.74 per month*
- 95% of settled claims paid within 24 hours last year
- Get tailored liability insurance quotes in less than 7 minutes
- Offering between £1 million and £10 million in claims*
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What does public liability insurance cover?
The UK’s most common accident is a slip, trip, or fall, and the majority of them happen out and about. Public liability insurance, also known as PL or liability insurance is designed to protect your business against third party claims for injuries or property damage, whether you’re at fault or not.
Most liability insurance covers you for accidents on your premises or off-site, from a customer tripping over your tool kit to damaging someone’s dress during hair-up at a wedding. It’s important to review a public liability insurance quote carefully, checking your insurer offers cover for the risks you face.
Keep in mind, accidents caused by your employees will only be covered if you have employers’ liability insurance in place too.
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Injury
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Damage
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Product liability
Compare public liability insurance quotes from as little as £4.74 today.
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.
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.
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Public liability insurance for a wide range of trades
Public liability insurance for business protects your work by covering the legal claim if a member of the public is injured, gets ill, or loses out financially and blames your business. Some examples of trades we cover include:
Is your profession not listed? When you run a quote you can select your trade from over 1,000 options. Running a quote should give you an idea of the PL insurance cost for your business.
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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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£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
Paying 95% of settled claims within 24 hours 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.
Liability insurance covers FAQs
This is a key cover for most businesses – our comprehensive FAQs answer some of the most popular questions about public liability insurance. You can also check out our public liability insurance FAQs.
Public liability insurance covers your business against compensation claims and legal costs if a third party suffers injury or property damage while on your premises, or while you’re working on their property.
But when it comes to liability insurance, what is it that you’re covered for? Typically, public liability cover can protect you against:
- compensation payments for third party injury (or even death)
- repair or replacement costs, for damaged property or possessions
- medical fees, if the NHS decide to claim for hospital treatment, or an ambulance call out
- legal expenses, while you’re defending any of these claims
Simply Business offers a minimum level of £1 million public liability insurance. Depending on the nature of your business and client demands, you may need a higher level of cover.
It’s a good idea to check your policy when you take on each new job or contract. For example, companies working on government contracts are usually required to be covered for a minimum of £5 million or even £10 million in public liability insurance.
If you have staff, it’s likely that getting employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement. But while public liability insurance isn’t required by law in the UK, it’s worth considering and is an important cover for many businesses. It protects against claims and legal action for injury and property damage.
Businesses can deduct costs when calculating taxable profit. These are known as ‘allowable expenses’ – and business insurance is an allowable expense. Make sure you keep records of income and expenses, including receipts and invoices, for HMRC. This also means keeping your policy documents safe.
Public liability insurance can protect you and your business if a member of the public suffers an injury or another loss because of your business. If you sell, create, manufacture, or distribute a product, then it’s worth considering product liability insurance too, as it can provide further protection for you and your business.
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
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