Public liability insurance for flooring contractors

In case an injury or property damage is blamed on your flooring 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:

• while installing Amtico flooring you lean in some liquid screed, getting it on the customer’s carpet and causing permanent damage
• a child cuts their foot on some of the debris left by your flooring company – they need stitches and a week off school

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 another contractor or casual labourer, suing you after falling ill because of working for your flooring 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 subcontractor suffers health problems which impact their asthma after inhaling large amounts of adhesive – they claim you didn’t supply the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• an employee suffers a head trauma after debris falls on them from the scaffolding site

Tools insurance

In case your flooring 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 flooring equipment

For example:

• your bladed trowel and flooring nailer are stolen during a break-in
• there’s a water leak in your garage and some of your tools are damaged

What you’ll need additional cover for

• larger plant items you use to carry out your flooring 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 flooring 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:

• there’s a fire in your garage and a bulk of stock you’ve just collected gets damaged
• the marble you’ve just had delivered for a hotel job is stolen from the site unit

Read more about stock insurance

Hired-in plant insurance

In case your rented plant machinery, like a sponge cleaner, is lost, stolen, or damaged.

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

• loss, damage, or theft of things like drilling units and saws which you’ve hired in

For example:

• you hire an installation kit while yours is being fixed, but your employee breaks several parts during a job
• the drills you’ve hired for a big school building contract are stolen 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, like a floor saw, is lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?

• loss, damage, or theft of things like your own floor sander or pointing machine

For example:

• the two floor saws you’ve just bought are damaged in a fire on site, and need replacing
• one of your employees jams the floor sander and it needs replacing

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

Contract works insurance

In case your work in progress is damaged by disasters like fire, flood, or vandalism.

What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?

• repair costs for the work you have in progress if it’s damaged or destroyed
• labour, materials, and tools to get the job back to the stage it was at before it was damaged or destroyed
• damage caused by things like fire, flood, storm, vandalism, or theft

For example:

• the site you’re working on suffers extreme vandalism overnight, setting your job back by nine weeks while you pull up and re-do multiple stages
• a thunderstorm causes the roof on your client’s property to partially cave in, allowing rain water to damage the flooring you’ve already done

Read more about contract works insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your flooring 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 flooring professional

For example:

• your client is disputing their contract, stating you’ve finished the job two weeks later than planned, and used the wrong materials – you end up paying for legal representation
• after several warnings and complaints from customers, you’re forced to dismiss an employee – they file a legal suit against you and you need to recover the costs involved

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 catch your foot on a bench at the weekend, falling and breaking your wrist – you’ll need at least four weeks off work
• your employee suffers a bad burn over the weekend at a firework party, and will need two weeks off work

Read more about personal accident insurance

Is public liability enough for third party property damage?

In some situations you may need more than public liability to cover certain kinds of property damage. Learn about hired-in cover and contract works cover.

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 flooring contractors 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 carpet fitter insurance or tilers insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

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

• Joinery insurance
• Painter and decorator insurance
• Builders insurance
• Handyman insurance
• Glazier insurance
• Plasterers insurance
• Plumbers insurance
• Groundworkers insurance
• Construction company insurance
• Insurance for gardeners
• Gas fitter insurance
• Glazier insurance
• Insurance for electricians

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.