Public liability insurance for carpet fitters

In case an injury or property damage is blamed on your carpet business

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:

• you’re working at a customer’s property and accidentally rip up carpet from the wrong room, which will need to be fully replaced
• an employee leaves some grips on the floor and your client’s child steps on them, injuring their foot

What you’ll need additional cover for

• 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 because of 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 carpet 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:

• one of your employees staples their finger while fitting a carpet, and needs an operation
• your apprentice slips on the carpet cuttings you’ve left out, falls down the client’s stairs and injures their back

Tools insurance

In case your carpet fitting 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 carpet fitting equipment

For example:

• your employee steals a new set of knee kickers you’ve ordered for the team
• the kids living next door to your commercial site get hold of your saw and damage it

What you’ll need additional cover for

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

Read more about tools insurance

Stock insurance

In case something happens to the carpet and materials 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:

• a fire in your workshop damages your carpet orders and other stock items, which will need replacing
• the carpet you’ve just had delivered for a local hotel job is stolen from your locked site unit

Read more about stock insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case things 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 carpet business
• operational equipment like your laptop, rather than the carpet trade tools you take out and about

For example:

• a flood in your home damages some of the equipment you use to run your business, including your phone and a new laptop
• your contractor drops your laptop while carrying equipment from the van – it won’t switch on and the screen is badly scratched

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Hired-in plant insurance

In case your rented plant machinery, like a door trimmer, is lost, stolen, or damaged.

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

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

For example:

• your business partner is moving equipment to a new garage and loses two rented power stretchers
• the door trimmers you’ve rented are stolen from your locked site unit while you’re away on holiday

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, like a door trimmer, is lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?

• loss, damage, or theft of things like your own door trimmer or power stretcher

For example:

• the two door cutters you keep on site are stolen during a break-in
• a contractor damages your power stretcher, delaying the big commercial job you’re both working on

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 have to pay legal costs connected with your carpet business

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs attributed to your 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 recommended carpet fitter

For example:

• your client is disputing an invoice, saying they don’t feel you’ve met your contractual obligations – you need to pay for legal representation
• an employee is let go due to poor attendance and repeated lateness – they bring an unfair dismissal claim against you and you need to pay legal costs

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.

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 drop a door on your foot, causing bad bruising and a week off work
• an employee breaks their wrist at the weekend while playing squash, and needs an operation

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 fitters 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 flooring contractors insurance or tradesman insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

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

• Gas fitters insurance
• Bathroom fitter insurance
• Kitchen fitter insurance
• Handyman insurance
• Builders insurance
• Joinery insurance
• Painter and decorator insurance
• Groundworkers 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.