Public Liability Insurance

[cuboid]

If you're a window cleaner, carpenter, gardener and decorator handyman.

Which company do you use for your public liability? And how useful do you think public liability insurance is? I am trying to think how it would be used? Tripping up a hose pipe I suppose if you're a window cleaner

Most people hardly use ladders for window cleaning which I guess could fall over and damage something.

Also, if you do gardening, bit of carpentry and decorating.

I called Simply Business Insurance and they quoted £85 for window cleaning, maintenance gardening and decorating and carpentry working up to 10 metres in height not including chainsaws or tree felling.

I asked him about tripping over a hose and he said as long as it's not next to a door without adequate warning you should be covered.

 

[Bosswhite]

All you have to do is cause an accident to the person you are working for or damage to their property and you are in the s**t

 

[ashburnham]

Which company do you use for your public liability? And how useful do you think public liability insurance is? I am trying to think how it would be used? Tripping up a hose pipe I suppose if you're a window cleaner

There are a few examples we use to give our customers an idea of the types of claim that could happen for each trade...

Window cleaner - whilst up a ladder, you drop your squeegee and it hits someones head below
Gardener - you may drop an expensive pot on the floor and it smashes
Decorator -paint drips off your brush onto a antique table and causes damage
Handyman - you leave your toolbox on the floor and a passer by trips over it and injures themselves

... but in all honestly, every claim we come across is something new and just as unpredictable as the last one.

My opinion is certainly biased but when you are looking at sub £10p/m for £1million cover in most cases, it really is a no brainer.

 

[motorbiking]

The most important thing missed above.. is legal support to defend a court claim.
It will cost you roughly £5-10k minimum to defend a high court claim. It will cost you at least 1 day of work to defend a small county court claim.

Of course if you have no assets, rent your house, lease your car and have debts way beyond what you could ever repay in your life, then this too is a good protection.

 

[chappers]

totally agree. Also clients are becoming more aware of this. Virtually every client I have nowadays asks for my insurance. Prior to five years ago I doubt I was asked once a year

 

[motorbiking]

your clients also may be under the illusion that Public liability covers defective work.