Nail technician insurance

Public liability insurance for nail technicians

In case your nails 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 nails business
• an injury or illness caused by your business activities or products
• accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees

For example:

• one of your clients suffers an allergic reaction, triggered by their gel nail application
• you spill acrylic gel over your customer’s expensive rug during a home visit, which needs replacing

What you’ll need additional cover for

• 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 your nails business.

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 required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**

For example:

• one of your employees suffers a severe allergic reaction to a new product you’re trialling, and needs to take a few weeks off work
• you’ve hired a temporary employee for the busy wedding season and they fall down the stairs at a client’s house, breaking their leg

Tools insurance

In case your nail technician tools are lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by tools insurance?

• your nail tech equipment, like your handheld tools or portable electronics
• theft or accidental damage while your tools are on a client’s premises, or in transit (in the UK, and in a vehicle you own or lease)

For example:

• while working on a large event, a fire breaks out in the hotel you’re working from – you evacuate but five of your drill kits are destroyed
• you’re on a train home from a wedding job and someone steals your kit bag from the overhead baggage rack

Read more about tools insurance

Stock insurance

In case the products you and your clients rely on are lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by stock insurance?

• loss, damage, or theft of the essentials you keep in stock, like acrylic liquid and powder

For example:

• you’ve just had all your new summer stock delivered to your garage, and an overnight leak destroys everything
• during a break-in, your entire polish collection and coloured dipping powders are stolen from your salon

Read more about stock insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to the equipment you use to run your business.

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

• theft of the equipment you use to operate, from your laptop to your manicure station
• loss of your equipment
• flood, fire, or accidental damage

For example:

• you’ve turned your home garage space into a nail salon and keep most of your equipment there – during a break-in, your laptop, phone, and six curing lamps are stolen
• a bad storm over Christmas causes a leak in your home salon, damaging your curing lamps, sound system, and champagne fridge

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your nails business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs attributed to your nails 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 reputation as a popular nail technician

For example:

• you need to pay legal fees when an employee brings a liability case against you
• HMRC investigate your tax affairs and you need to pay for legal 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 sprain your wrist while on holiday and can’t work for two weeks
• your business partner cuts her finger while cooking and needs stitches – she won’t be able to work for at least two weeks

Read more about personal accident insurance

Can I just cover my most expensive tools?

Make sure you cover the total cost of replacing all your tools or you’ll only get a proportion of your claim paid out if something happens to them. Learn about tool cover.

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.

If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.

Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.

Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?

Depending on what you use to do your work, you may need other covers.

You may need more than tools insurance – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.

Does nail technician insurance cover my work correctly?

Make sure you’re picking the right cover to protect you properly. It’s important to know that if you have another trade or job, you’ll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider nail salon insurance or hair salon insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:

• Beauty salon insurance
• Beauty therapist insurance
• Mobile beautician insurance
• Public liability insurance beauty
• Makeup artist insurance
• Mobile hairdresser insurance
• Pedicurist insurance
• Hairdressing insurance
• Hair and beauty insurance
• Barbers insurance
• More beauty industry insurance

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Freelance insurance
• Consultant insurance
• Contractors insurance
• Sole trader insurance

Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.