Public liability insurance for carpet cleaners

In case your cleaning 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 cleaning a carpet for a hotel client, you drop a piece of kit from a height, injuring their employee
• you stain a client’s curtains while transporting them to your premises, and need to replace them

If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.

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 temps and casual workers, suing you after falling ill because of working for your cleaning 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 slips on a wet floor in your business premises, injuring their lower back
• you’re sued for compensation when an employee has an allergic reaction to a cleaning product you’re using

Business and office equipment insurance

In case things like laptops or office filing cabinets 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 cleaning business
• operational equipment like your phone, rather than the trade tools you take out and about

For example:

• your employee drops some equipment onto the pavement outside your client’s premises, damaging it beyond repair
• while you’re parked at a service station, someone breaks into your van and steals your laptop

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:

• a bad flood damages your specialist upholstery cleaning tools
• you stop to pick up a coffee and your tool kit is stolen from the seat of your van

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:

• you stock up on cleaning materials for the next quarter, and these are stolen from your premises while you’re briefing your team
• three units of stock fall out of the back of your company van on the motorway, and are never recovered

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 power cleaners which you’ve hired in

For example:

• a power cleaner you’ve rented falls out of your van while you’re driving in the dark, and is never recovered
• an employee damages an upholstery cleaner you’ve rented

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 pressure washer

For example:

• your two new power cleaners are stolen from your locked business premises
• you invest in a soil extractor carpet cleaner for a long-running client contract, which is damaged while in transit to the works site

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 cleaning business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs attributed to your cleaning 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 crisis support to help you protect your reputation as a trusted trade professional

For example:

• you need to pay for legal services when an employee raises an unfair dismissal claim against you
• a neighbouring business premises make a property damage claim against you, and you need to recover legal costs

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 receive a foot injury while operating some new equipment, and need three weeks off active work
• your employee, who you’ve covered on the policy, fractures their knee while jogging 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 carpet cleaning 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 cleaning insurance or window cleaning insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

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

• Cleaning business insurance uk
• Jet washing
• Swimming pool cleaners
• Drain cleaners
• Wheelie bin cleaner
• Domestic services-ironing & cooking
• Handyman insurance
• Caretaker 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.