Pest control public liability insurance

In case your 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 or illness caused by your business activities and/or products
• accidental damage or injury caused by your employees, if you have any

For example:

• a customer suffers an allergic reaction to a product you’ve used while removing mice from their home
• you damage a customer’s washing machine while trying to gain access to the wall behind

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 pest control 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 and falls on a customer’s wet cellar floor, injuring their lower back
• an apprentice you’re training trips on a shallow step, falling and fracturing their knee

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 pest control business
• operational equipment like your laptop, rather than the trade tools you take out and about

For example:

• someone steals your laptop from the passenger seat of your locked van, while you’re picking up lunch
• your phone falls out of your pocket while you complete some paperwork with your customer, and is never recovered

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:

• three sprayers you keep in your garage are stolen during an overnight break-in
• you collect a new order of dust applicators from a local trade merchant, which falls out of your van while you’re driving to a client

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 materials you’re responsible for, like bricks, are lost, stolen, or damaged.

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 bait blocks and other poison is damaged in a flood at your business premises
• someone steals four ultrasonic repellers from the back of your locked van, while you’re talking to a client

Read more about stock insurance

Legal expenses insurance

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

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs attributed to your pest control 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:

• HMRC begin an investigation into your last tax return, and you need to hire legal representation
• you need to recover legal costs after an employee sues you for unfair dismissal

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:

• your employee is in a minor car accident on his way to your business unit, and needs hospital treatment
• you break your leg at a wedding, and need to take six weeks off work

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 pest control 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 carpet cleaning insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide these services alongside building work, make sure you’re covered:

• Gardening insurance
• Caretaker insurance
• Agricultural contractor insurance
• Pet shop insurance
• Dog walking insurance
• Dog breeders insurance
• Dog grooming insurance
• Cleaning business insurance uk

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.