Contractors all risk insurance

Q: Is contract works insurance the same as contractors all-risk cover?

Contract works insurance only covers things related to a specific contract, such as the materials needed to complete a job. Contracts all-risk cover is designed to cover multiple elements of your business.

Q: What does contract works mean in insurance?

Contract works usually refers to work done by builders and other tradespeople and businesses. It’s common terminology for construction sites too, where projects tend to be long-running works in progress. Your contract works are the work and tasks you’ve agreed to complete for your client, as part of your contract with them.

Q: Do you require cover for contract works?

This will depend on the contracts and agreements you have in place, both with your client and any third parties involved in the project you’re working on. Some contracts will require a minimum level of insurance to be in place before work commences, and contract(s) works insurance will often be factored into this, or highlighted as a requirement.

Q: Can I buy business insurance if I’ve had any CCJs or IVAs?

Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.

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What is contractors all risk insurance?

Contractors all risk insurance is a policy that protects your construction project against damages or losses. So if your work gets destroyed or you lose your materials, you and your client are financially protected. And you can restore the work in progress to its pre-damage status.

The ‘all risk’ aspect of contractors all risk insurance is what makes it different to contract works insurance. Contractors all risk insurance is a broad cover that protects you from most potential losses or damages, unless they’ve been specifically excluded from your policy.

It’s important to understand there’s no set definition for contractors all risk insurance, but our cover can include:

a tailored construction insurance policy, with options for PL, kit, and staff
cover for break-ins, flood, fire and storm, for peace of mind while you work
get in touch with our expert, UK-based claims team 24/7.

What does contractors all risk insurance cover?

Contractors all risk insurance is designed to cover your regular building and construction site work. This will help protect you if disasters like a storm, flood, or fire cause damage, or if someone steals or vandalises your materials and project.

These covers are just some of the key areas of the cover and do not reflect every inclusion and exclusion in the policy.

Theft
Fire
Vandalism
Flood
Storm

Theft

What does this cover?
- loss of materials as a result of them being stolen from the site
- the cost of reinstating the work you’ve done, up until the point of your claim
When would I need to make a claim?
- for example, someone breaks into your site and steals your trade tools, delaying the project completion date
What isn’t covered?
- acts of terrorism
Fire

What does this cover?
- damage and destruction caused by fire
- the cost of reinstating the work you’ve done, up until the point of your claim
When would I need to make a claim?
- for example, a fire in the neighbouring property to the one you’re renovating causes smoke damage, and you need to start the work from scratch
What isn’t covered?
- acts of terrorism
Vandalism

What does this cover?
- damage and destruction caused by vandalism
- the cost of reinstating the work you’ve done, up until the point of your claim
When would I need to make a claim?
- for example, you’re building an extension for a client and someone breaks into your works site, vandalising the premises and causing substantial damage
What isn’t covered?
- acts of terrorism
Flood

What does this cover?
- damage and destruction caused by flooding
- the cost of reinstating the work you’ve done, up until the point of your claim
When would I need to make a claim?
- for example, the site you’re working on has been damaged by a flood overnight, destroying the kitchen you were installing
Storm

What does this cover?
- damage and destruction caused by storm
- the cost of reinstating the work you’ve done, up until the point of your claim
When would I need to make a claim?
- for example, a storm destroys the loft conversion you’re working on, and you need to start the project from scratch

This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions

What’s the maximum contractors all risk cover level available?

Our cover ranges from £50,000 up to £5 million. It’s important to understand that our cover is on an annual basis rather than per project. You can run a quote to find a cover that suits your business needs.

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How do claims work?

Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.

£54 million in claims paid out in 2025

The figure above is rounded across our range of products. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 30/01/2026.

Contractors all risk claim example

Having contractors all risk insurance through Simply Business has saved contractors thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.

Hector saved more than £12,500 with their claim

Hector was a victim of theft while fitting a new bathroom for their client. Someone broke into the home and stole all of their new materials. So they needed to make a claim on his contractors all risk insurance.

Insurance payout

£12,525.78

Covering the cost of theft

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Contractors all risk insurance FAQ

Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about contract works insurance.

You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.

Is contract works insurance the same as contractors all-risk cover?

What does contract works mean in insurance?

Do you require cover for contract works?

Can I buy business insurance if I’ve had any CCJs or IVAs?

Does public liability insurance cover my business for the actions of my employees?

This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.

**If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.**

There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild, or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.

Looking for other types of insurance?

Depending on your set-up, clients and business type, these expert covers might be helpful too:

When you run a quote you can select from a range of covers.

We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions

Contractors all risk insurance

What is contractors all risk insurance?

What does contractors all risk insurance cover?

Theft

Fire

Vandalism

Flood

Storm