Financial and legal insurance

Public and product liability insurance

In case your business causes an injury or property damage.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property, caused by your business
• an injury or illness caused by your business activities
• accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees

For example:

• while travelling on a train, you dislodge your laptop from an overhead locker and it falls onto a passenger, causing a head injury
• a client slips on your wet reception floor, falling and injuring their hip

**If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.**

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for you.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an injury or illness that happens as a result of working for you (including temps and casual workers)

**Employers’ liability insurance is usually required by law if you employ anyone – including part-time staff, temporary workers, and in most cases, volunteers. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 for every day you don’t have cover in place. A main exemption is unincorporated family businesses where all your employees are family members.**

For example:

• a contractor working for you pulls a muscle while lifting a heavy crate, and sues for their injuries
• your office manager dislodges an older printer while reaching for a file on a shelf, and suffers a head injury

Professional indemnity insurance

In case there’s a claim for loss-causing errors or issues with your work.

What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance?

Claims against your business for professional negligence or a loss-causing breach of contract. This can include:

• advice which turns out to be incorrect
• mistakes in your work that cost others money to fix

For example:

• your client follows advice which you’ve provided, and suffers a subsequent financial loss
• your company is involved in a data protection breach while representing a client and they hold you accountable for damages

Read more about professional indemnity insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to the equipment you rely on.

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

• accidental damage to the equipment you use to run the business
• theft, flood, and fire damage

For example:

• someone breaks into your office, stealing your laptop and other office equipment
• a fire in your office destroys your company laptops and printing equipment

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you face legal costs in connection with your business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs attributed to your business
• property damage, nuisance, or trespass – specifically, the associated legal claims and compensation payouts
• tax and compliance disputes, and investigations you need help with
• includes a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline, and crisis PR support to help you protect your professional reputation

For example:

• there’s an issue with a foreign worker’s visa, and you begin to incur legal costs
• you become involved in an intellectual property dispute, and need to pay for representation

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or elsewhere.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• accidental injury or death at or outside of work, for anyone covered on the policy
• lost income, medical costs, and hospitalisation benefit

For example:

• you break your knee while running at the weekend, and need an operation
• one of your junior office workers slips on some ice on the steps outside your premises, injuring her head on a metal rail

Read more about personal accident insurance