ALDIUM Insurance
Cover built for UK building and construction businesses — liability, contract works, plant and tools, arranged to meet the insurance clauses in the contracts you sign.
Tell us about your business and one of our trade insurance specialists will come back to you. Whether you take on extensions and renovations or run larger contracts, we approach our panel of insurers and present your business properly — so the terms you receive reflect the work you actually do.
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Tell us a little about your business and a trade specialist will be in touch.
Your details are used only to prepare your quotation and are never sold on. Aldium Insurance Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No. 306687).
Builders insurance is a package of commercial covers designed for building and construction businesses. A typical policy combines public and products liability, employers’ liability for firms with staff, contract works (contractors’ all risks) cover for work in progress, plant and tools cover, and commercial vehicle insurance. Employers’ liability is a legal requirement in the UK for almost any building business that employs people, with a minimum limit of £5 million.
Building work concentrates several risks in one place. The site is open to the public and to other trades; the structure itself is exposed to fire, storm and theft until it is handed over; excavation and groundwork can affect neighbouring property; and the contract you sign often decides who carries which risk long before anything goes wrong.
These are different things, and the search terms overlap. Builders insurance protects the building business — its liabilities, employees, plant and the work it is carrying out. Buildings insurance protects a property itself and is normally held by the owner. A third term, contract works or contractors’ all risks, covers the work in progress on site until practical completion. On renovation and extension jobs all three can be in play at once, and the JCT contract decides who is responsible for each.
Aldium is an independent broker arranging cover for UK trade and contracting businesses, from sole trader builders and subcontractors to main contractors running multiple sites — building each policy around the work carried out and the contracts signed.
A builders insurance policy is built from separate sections that work together to protect your liabilities, your people, your plant and the work in progress. The covers typically available to UK building and construction businesses include:
Covers claims for injury or property damage caused by your work, and by materials you supply. £1m and £2m are common starting points, but public sector and main contractor work commonly requires £5m or £10m.
A legal requirement if you employ staff, including apprentices and most labour-only subcontractors. The statutory minimum is £5 million; contracts frequently require £10 million.
Also called contractors’ all risks. Covers the work in progress — the structure, materials and temporary works — against fire, flood, storm, theft and accidental damage until practical completion.
Covers owned plant such as diggers, dumpers and telehandlers, and hired-in plant including the continuing hire charges you remain liable for while a damaged machine is off hire.
Protects hand tools, power tools and small equipment against theft, loss or damage. Cover for tools left in vans overnight is usually subject to security conditions set out in the wording.
Cover for vans, tippers and pickups, from a single vehicle to a fleet — including goods in transit and liability arising from vehicle use in connection with your trade.
Relevant on design and build contracts, or where you advise on specification. Public liability responds to damage, not to a design that proves inadequate — and many contracts require PI in its own right.
Legal advice and representation for employment disputes, contract disagreements, debt recovery and HMRC enquiries — the everyday issues of running a building business.
These are brief descriptions of covers typically available to UK building and construction businesses, provided for general information only. All policies are subject to their own terms, conditions, limits, excesses and exclusions — please refer to the policy documentation for full details. Aldium Insurance Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No. 306687).
Comparison sites sell policies by the month. We arrange cover — which means understanding the jobs you take on and the contracts you sign before we go anywhere near the market.
Aldium is an independent brokerage. We present your business to the market on your behalf and recommend the cover that fits the work you do — not the policy an insurer wants to sell. And there are no call centres: you deal with named people who know your account.
We place cover across a broad panel of trade and contractor insurers, including schemes not available directly online. That access means we can influence how your business is presented, negotiated and priced — rather than simply passing on the quotes everyone else can get.
JCT insurance options, joint names requirements, non-negligent liability and existing structures all change what a builder actually needs. We’re used to arranging programmes that line up with what the contract requires, so cover does not fall short when a client asks for evidence.
A claim usually lands at the worst possible moment — a fire on a part-finished build, storm damage to open works, or plant stolen from site. Our in-house claims manager handles the process on your behalf, reporting, evidencing and chasing your claim, so you can get back to work.
We arrange insurance for building and construction businesses across the UK — whether you work alone on domestic jobs, run a team on extensions and renovations, or manage sites as a main contractor.
Single-operator businesses needing public liability, tools and vehicle cover.
Businesses employing tradespeople, apprentices or labour-only subcontractors.
Domestic work on existing homes, where existing structures matter.
Ground-up construction, including joint names contract works cover.
Excavation, drainage, foundations and piling, where non-negligent liability applies.
Firms managing sites and packages, and those working under main contractor terms.
Taking on bigger contracts, or asked for higher limits by a client? We regularly arrange cover for builders moving from domestic work into contracting, and for firms taking on their first employees — talk to us about your circumstances.
No comparison-site forms, no call centres — just a straightforward process handled by people who understand contracting businesses.
Complete the short form above or call us. We’ll ask about the work you do, your turnover, staff and subcontractors, the contracts you work under, plant, tools and claims history — the details insurers price on.
A short phone callWe present your business to our panel of trade and contractor insurers — so underwriters see a real business, not just a set of tick boxes.
We do the legwork for youWe talk you through the options — covers, limits, excesses, conditions and premium — in plain English, and check the limits line up with what your contracts ask for.
At your paceOnce you’re happy we place cover and confirm your documents. From then on you have a named contact for mid-term changes — a new employee, a bigger contract, plant on hire — and our in-house claims manager if you need to claim.
All year, not just renewalWhat you’ll need to hand: your estimated annual turnover, the split between domestic and commercial work, how many people you employ (including labour-only subcontractors), the largest contract value you take on, the liability limits your contracts require, the value of plant and tools you own or hire, and details of any claims in the last five years. If you don’t have all of it, we’ll work through it with you.
Don’t just take our word for it — here’s what businesses across the UK say about Aldium on Google.
There is no standard price for builders insurance in the UK. Premiums are calculated individually by insurers based on factors including your annual turnover, the type of building work you carry out, whether you employ staff or subcontractors, the liability limits your contracts require, the value of works in progress and plant to be insured, and your claims history — which is why two builders of similar size can pay very different premiums.
The single biggest rating factor for liability cover — it reflects how much work you do and therefore your exposure.
Domestic extensions, refurbishment, new build, groundworks and civils each carry a different risk profile.
Wageroll, the number of staff and how subcontractors are engaged all feed into employers’ liability pricing.
Moving from £2m to £5m or £10m — usually to satisfy a contract — affects the premium.
The value of works in progress you need covered, and whether existing structures are included.
Owned and hired-in plant values, where machines are kept overnight, and the security you have on site.
Your record over the last five years, and what has changed since, influences how insurers rate the risk.
Excavation depth, working at height, demolition, piling and hot works all change the exposure insured.
How many vans, tippers or pickups you run, what they carry and who drives them.
A note on price: the cheapest premium is not always the most suitable cover — differences in excavation and height limits, hot works conditions and contract works sums insured can matter far more when you come to claim than a saving at renewal, and a limit that falls short of a contract requirement can cost you the job. As independent brokers we search our panel of trade insurers to find cover that balances protection and price for your business. Request a tailored quotation or call 0151 336 5881.
The questions building and construction businesses ask us most often. If yours isn’t here, call us on 0151 336 5881 — a real person will pick up.
Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement under the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 if you employ anyone, with a minimum limit of £5 million. The Health and Safety Executive can fine businesses up to £2,500 for each day they trade uninsured. Public liability is not required by law, but almost every client, main contractor and local authority will insist on it before you start work.
£1 million and £2 million are common starting points for domestic work, but public sector contracts, housing associations and main contractors commonly require £5 million or £10 million. Because the requirement is set by the contract rather than by your insurer, check the insurance clause in each agreement before you sign it.
Contract works — also called contractors’ all risks — covers the work in progress on site: the structure you are building, materials and temporary works, against fire, flood, storm, theft and accidental damage until practical completion. Whether you need it depends on the contract: under some JCT arrangements the employer insures the works instead, so it is worth establishing who is responsible before starting.
It depends which insurance option applies. Under Option A, typically used for new build, the contractor takes out joint names all-risks cover on the works. Under Option B the employer does. Under Option C, used for extensions and refurbishment of existing buildings, the employer insures both the existing structure and the works in joint names. Many domestic clients find their household policy will not extend to Option C, so this needs resolving before work begins.
Sometimes called JCT 6.5.1 cover. It responds where neighbouring property is damaged by collapse, subsidence, vibration, heave or removal of support without negligence on your part — a real risk during excavation, piling, underpinning and party wall work. Standard public liability only responds where you were negligent, so where a contract requires this cover it usually has to be arranged separately.
No. No liability policy pays to put right work that was done badly — that is a commercial risk rather than an insured one. What may respond is the resulting damage: if defective work causes damage to other parts of the property, that damage can be a different question from the cost of redoing the work itself. Where your policy draws that line is set out in the wording.
Usually yes. Insurers distinguish between labour-only subcontractors, who work under your supervision and are generally treated as employees for employers’ liability purposes, and bona fide subcontractors, who work independently and carry their own insurance. Apprentices and casual workers normally count as employees too, and it is worth confirming how yours are classified when you arrange cover.
Longer than most builders expect. The Building Safety Act 2022 extended limitation periods under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to 15 years for future work and, in certain circumstances, 30 years retrospectively for claims relating to dwellings. Where cover is written on a claims-made basis, such as professional indemnity, it needs to be in force when the claim is made rather than when the work was done.
There is no standard price. Premiums are calculated individually based on your turnover, the type of building work you do, whether you employ staff or subcontractors, the liability limits your contracts require, the value of works and plant to be insured, and your claims history. As independent brokers we approach our panel of trade insurers to find cover that balances protection and price for your business. Request a tailored quotation to find out what that means for you.
Complete the short form on this page or call us on 0151 336 5881. It helps to have your annual turnover, the split between domestic and commercial work, how many people you employ, the largest contract value you take on, the limits your contracts require and details of any claims in the last five years. We then approach our panel of trade insurers and talk you through the options in plain English. There’s no obligation at any stage.
Whether your renewal is coming up, a client has asked for evidence of higher limits, or you have a contract in front of you with insurance clauses you would rather someone checked, challenge us to take a look. We’ll talk through what you have now and show you what our panel of trade insurers can offer. No obligation, no call centres, just straight answers.
Also for the trades: Electrical contractors insurance · Plumbers insurance · Tradesman insurance
Aldium Insurance Services Ltd · Viscount House, High Street, Neston, CH64 9AD · Independent commercial insurance brokers for UK trade and contracting businesses.
Aldium Insurance Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No. 306687) and registered in England and Wales (No. 3278618). The information on this page describes covers typically available to UK building and construction businesses and is provided for general information only — it is not advice on your individual circumstances. All policies are subject to their own terms, conditions, limits, excesses and exclusions; please refer to the policy documentation for full details.
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