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 most customers, main contractors and commercial clients insist on it before letting you start work.

Usually yes. Insurers distinguish between labour-only subcontractors, who work under your supervision using your materials 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 or seasonal workers normally count as employees too. It is worth confirming how yours are classified when you arrange cover.

There is no standard price. Premiums are calculated individually based on your annual turnover, the type of work you do, whether you employ staff or subcontractors, the liability limits you need, the value of tools and vans 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.

£1 million and £2 million are common starting points for domestic work, but many commercial contracts, local authorities, housing associations and main contractors require £5 million or £10 million. Escape of water claims can also run high: a failed joint in an upper-floor flat can cause damage well beyond a £1 million limit once contents and the occupier’s losses are included. Check the insurance clause in any contract before you sign it.

It depends entirely on the policy conditions. Many tools policies exclude theft from an unattended vehicle overnight, or pay out only if the van was locked, alarmed and parked in a garage or secure compound between set hours — often 9pm to 6am. Some cover tools left in vans on stricter terms or a higher excess. Because van break-ins are one of the most common trade claims, this is the condition most worth reading before you need it.

Often not. Standard public liability wordings frequently exclude damage to the specific item you were working on, while still covering the resulting damage to the rest of the property. So if a joint you fitted fails and floods a kitchen, the kitchen may be covered but the pipework itself may not. Some policies remove or reduce that exclusion, so it is worth checking which basis yours is written on.

A hot works condition applies where you use a blowtorch, soldering iron or any equipment producing heat, flame or sparks. It typically requires you to clear combustible material from the area, have an extinguisher to hand, stop hot work a set period before leaving site — commonly 60 minutes — and check the area afterwards. Failing to follow it can allow an insurer to decline a fire claim, so the exact wording in your policy matters.

Not always, but increasingly often. Public liability responds to injury and property damage — not to advice or design that proves wrong. If you specify systems, size a heat pump, produce heat loss calculations or take on design responsibility under a contract, that exposure usually sits with professional indemnity. Renewables and commercial heating work are the most common reasons plumbing businesses now need it.

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 value of your tools 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.