Public liability insurance for web designers

In case someone gets injured or their property gets damaged as a result of your web design business.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage caused by you to someone else’s property over the course of your work as a web designer
• injury caused by you to someone else as a consequence of your work
• accidental damage or injury caused by your employee (remember, if you employ people, you must have employers’ liability insurance – it’s a legal requirement)

For example:

• you’re at a client’s office for a project planning meeting and you drop a heavy bag on the client’s mobile phone by accident, cracking the screen
• a member of your client’s team breaks their wrist after tripping over your laptop cable while it’s plugged in
• your assistant spills coffee over your client’s laptop, so it needs to be replaced

What you’ll need additional cover for

• – any injury or illness you experience yourself while working – this would be covered under personal accident insurance instead

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case an employee falls ill or hurts themselves while working for you.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• your employee suing you for damages because they got injured or became unwell as a result of carrying out their work

**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:

• you ask an employee to visit a client’s office to give a demo of the new website, and they shut their hand in the car door on their way in, breaking a finger
• an employee gets food poisoning from a team lunch you’ve organised

Professional indemnity insurance

In case you’ve made a mistake in your work or provided a service that didn’t meet the expected standards.

What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance for web designers?

Claims against your business for:

• web design advice you’ve given that turns out to be incorrect
• any other professional negligence on your part, which leads to financial loss for your client

For example:

• you’ve designed a website for a client and they’re holding you legally responsible for costing them money because you failed to meet the brief
• a flood at your business premises leaves you unable to access the data on your laptop for two weeks, meaning you’re late on a contract and your client loses income as a consequence

Read more about professional indemnity insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to your business and office equipment.

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

• the equipment you use to run your web design business (specifically operational equipment rather than specialist tools) while stored at your business premises
• theft of your equipment
• flood, fire, or accidental damage to your equipment

For example:

• a fire at your place of work damages your IT equipment (such as your laptop, your mobile phone, touch pads and any other electrical equipment you use to carry out your business activities as a designer), so you need to replace these items
• your laptop is stolen in a break-in at your home office

What you’ll need additional cover for

• any piece of business equipment where the value exceeds the limit in your policy – for instance, if your laptop cost £2,500 and your single article limit is £1,500

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Portable equipment insurance

In case something happens to your portable equipment.

What’s typically covered by portable equipment insurance?

• loss, theft, or accidental damage of business equipment such as laptops and mobile phones while you’re out and about

For example:

• your laptop gets damaged at a networking event
• your business mobile phone is stolen from your coat pocket while you’re at a client’s office

Legal expenses insurance

In case you have to pay legal costs while operating your web design business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• resolving tax and compliance issues you’re faced with as the company owner
• resolving disputes with your employees
• help from relevant experts – including advice over the phone to support you through tax and legal issues, and crisis PR expertise if an event takes place that could harm your company’s reputation
• legal claims and associated costs that arise from property damage, nuisance, or trespass

For example:

• your web design company is being investigated for suspected tax evasion and you need an accountant to assist you with HMRC’s questions about your business tax accounts
• you’ve delivered a piece of work as agreed in the contract and the payment is now several months overdue, so you want to engage a lawyer to recover the money the client owes you

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• claims due to injury or death (outside of work as well as at work) for any person you’ve chosen to name in your policy
• lost income, medical costs, and hospitalisation benefit

For example:

• you trip over the curb while you’re on your way to a business lunch with a potential project partner, causing you to fall and break your arm
• your employee twists their ankle at a charity sport event over the weekend, so they’re unable to drive to any client meetings for a fortnight

Read more about personal accident insurance

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.

Does web designer 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 Web marketing or Marketing agency?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

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

• Designers insurance
• Interior design insurance
• Garden design insurance
• Illustrator
• Fashion insurance
• Photography insurance
• Videographer insurance

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Freelance insurance
• Consultant insurance
• Contractors 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.