Barbers insurance

Why is barber insurance important?

As a barber, you face all sorts of risks on a daily basis – whether it's working with sharp scissors and clippers, or maintaining expensive equipment. Your business is important, so you should do everything you can to protect it with the right kind of insurance.

Barber 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 barber insurance.

• What insurance do I need if I have my own barber shop?

  Barber insurance will cover you for the work that you do – whether it's protecting you against customer claims, or making sure you're not out of pocket if something happens to your styling tools.

  But if you have your own barber shop, you'll need to have a separate policy to make sure your business premises are also covered.

  If you're buying your insurance over the phone, make sure you tell us that you want to cover your barber shop too. If you're buying your insurance online, you'll just need to make sure that you select 'barber shop' when choosing your cover.

• Do I need barber insurance if I don’t own a shop?

  Every UK business must have employers’ liability insurance if they employ people – it's a legal requirement. And although it’s the only insurance you need to have by law, it's worth looking into other types of insurance that you might need.

  Even if you don't have your own barber shop, it's important to protect your tools – but also to protect yourself against customer claims. If you don’t have insurance and your hairdryer or styling products get damaged, you’d have to pay out of your own pocket to replace them.

  There are four types of self-employed barber insurance that you may need:

  • public liability insurance
  • employers’ liability insurance (if you have staff)
  • tools insurance
  • stock insurance
• Do I need barber insurance if I work from home?

  If your business is home-based and you don’t employ staff, you're not legally required to take out insurance. Insurance covers those unexpected moments – so if someone steals your hairdryer or you injure a customer and you’re not covered, you could be out of pocket.

  If you work from home, don’t assume your home insurance policy covers your business. Some home policies don't cover you for liability and stock insurance.

• What’s the difference between paying by Direct Debit and paying in one lump sum?

  Simply Business offers three ways for you to pay for your policy, so you can choose the payment type that suits your business best. You might prefer to pay in one go or you’d rather pay a regular monthly amount, it’s your choice.

  Here are the three ways you can pay for your policy:

  • one-off credit or debit card payment
  • BACS payment
  • Direct Debit

  If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly installments.

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

  If you have unspent convictions it’s important you disclose these to your insurer. But having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t mean you won’t be able to buy insurance for your business. All insurers look at CCJs and IVAs differently – with some applying stricter rules than others.

• 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.

We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always take professional advice. Read our full disclaimer