Public liability insurance for alarm installers

In case your alarm company causes an injury or property damage.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property, caused by your work
• injuries caused by your business activities
• accidental damage or injury caused by your employees, if you have any

For example:

• while installing an alarm you drop a piece of kit from a height, injuring your customer
• you damage a client’s wall while installing CCTV in their business premises, and they raise a claim

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case an employee gets sick or injured while working for you.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an employee, including a contractor or casual labourer, suing you after falling ill because of working for your alarm business, or
• making a claim for an injury they’ve had while working for you

**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**

For example:

• your employee is knocked down by a car while working on a busy trading estate
• an apprentice working for you slips on a client’s kitchen floor, injuring their lower back

Professional indemnity insurance for alarm alarm installers

In case there’s a claim for loss-causing errors or issues with your work.

What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance?

Claims against your alarm installer business for professional negligence or a loss-causing breach of contract. This can include:

• advice which turns out to be incorrect
• mistakes in your work that cost others money to fix

For example:

• you’ve installed a customer’s shop alarm incorrectly and it goes off throughout the day, causing loss of earnings due to noise disturbance

Read more about professional indemnity insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case essentials like your laptop or phone are lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?

• theft, flood, fire, or accidental damage to the equipment you use to run your alarm business
• operational equipment like your laptop, rather than the trade tools you take out and about

For example:

• your business partner drops your laptop onto the pavement, damaging it beyond repair
• you accidentally put your work phone through the washing machine, and it won’t power up

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Tools insurance

In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by tools insurance?

• loss, damage, or theft of your hand tools, power tools, and specialist equipment

For example:

• your tools are damaged in a fire at your business unit
• two tool kits belonging to you and an employee are stolen from your van at a motorway services

What you’ll need additional cover for

• larger plant items you use to carry out your work – you’ll need to add our specific plant cover for these

Read more about tools insurance

Stock insurance

In case something happens to the stock you keep in supply.

What’s typically covered by stock insurance?

• loss, damage, or theft of your work materials, or items you’re planning to sell

For example:

• your stock of spare parts is damaged by bad flooding over Christmas
• someone steals your stock from the back of your van while you’re parked up for

Read more about stock insurance

Hired-in plant insurance

In case your rented plant machinery is lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by hired-in plant insurance?

• loss, damage, or theft of things like a cherry picker which you’ve hired in

For example:

• you hire two cherry pickers for a larger job and these are stolen from your workshop overnight

What you’ll need additional cover for

• tools and plant machinery which you own yourself – you’ll need to add our specific own plant insurance or tools cover for this

Read more about hired-in plant insurance

Own plant insurance

In case your own plant machinery is lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?

• loss, damage, or theft of things like your own cherry picker

For example:

• your cherry picker is damaged during a bad storm overnight, and you need to buy a replacement

What you’ll need additional cover for

• plant machinery you’ve rented – you’ll need to add our specific hired-in plant cover for this

Read more about own plant insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you’re faced with legal costs in connection with your alarm business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs attributed to your alarm business
• property damage, nuisance, or trespass – specifically, the associated legal claims and compensation payouts
• tax and compliance disputes and investigations you need help with
• includes a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline, and

For example:

• your former employee raises an unfair dismissal claim against you, and you need to pay for legal services
• HMRC begin an investigation into your last two years of tax payments, and you need to hire legal support

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at or away from work.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• accidental injury or death at work or elsewhere, for anyone covered on the policy
• lost income, medical costs, and hospitalisation benefit

For example:

• you trip over your employee’s tool kit and break your wrist in the fall
• your business partner breaks their leg while playing rugby, and needs minor surgery

Read more about personal accident insurance

Can I just cover my most expensive tools?

Make sure you cover the total cost of replacing all your tools or you’ll only get a proportion of your claim paid out if something happens to them. Learn about tool cover.

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.

If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.

Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.

Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?

Depending on what you use to do your work, you may need other covers.

You may need more than tools insurance – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.

Does alarm installers insurance cover my work correctly?

Make sure you’re picking the right cover to protect you properly. It’s important to know that if you have another trade or job, you’ll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider door supervisor insurance or security guard insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:

• CCTV installer insurance
• Security alarm shop
• Security systems shop
• Security – training only
• Satellite dish installer insurance
• Electrical engineer insurance
• Electrician insurance

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Freelance insurance
• Consultant insurance
• Contractors insurance
• Sole trader insurance

Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.