Builders' insurance
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Rated 4.7/5
Based on 38,034 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Why is builders’ insurance important?
Builders’ insurance protects you against the cost of accidents and mistakes at work. While you can’t stop them from happening, you can make sure you’re covered. Whether it’s just you or you have others working with you, it’s protection for your business and your customers.
- Protection from big claims like accidental injury or damage
- Help to keep going when an unexpected event gets in the way
- It covers what you need from legal costs, to tools, to personal accidents
What does builders insurance cover?
You understand your business best – that’s why we put you in control. Whether you want to cover yourself for accidents on site, legal disputes with clients or the tools you need to run your business, you pick what goes into your policy.
Public liability insurance
In case you or your employee injure someone or damage their property.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case an employee gets sick or injured while working for you.
Tools insurance
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
Stock insurance
In case materials you're responsible for, like bricks, are lost, stolen, or damaged.
Business and office equipment insurance
In case things like laptops or office filing cabinets are lost, stolen, or damaged.
Hired-in plant insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you've hired in is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Own plant insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you own is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Contract works insurance
In case your building work in progress is damaged by something like a fire, flood or vandalism.
Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs from running your business.
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at or outside of work.
Professional indemnity insurance
In case a client loses money because of your advice, services or designs.
What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?
- accidents while working at your premises, or on a commercial or residential building site
- accidents while building new structures, or altering, converting or extending existing ones
- accidents that happen because of your work, or faulty materials, equipment or parts
For example:
- a wall you’re building accidentally falls on a member of the public
- your employee accidentally puts a ladder through someone’s window
What you’ll need additional cover for
- if you do work other than building on some standalone jobs – for example, electrical work, plastering, or plumbing
What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?
- employee illness or injury caused by working for you
- medical bills and legal fees due to employee illness or injury
- some temporary or casual workers may be covered – find out which ones
**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:
- your bricklayer develops a repetitive strain injury in their shoulder
- your apprentice gets an electric shock from a faulty power tool
What’s typically covered by tools insurance?
- loss, damage or theft of your hand tools, power tools and equipment
For example:
- a flood at your workshop causes water damage to your Stihl saw
- you turn your back on site for a minute and your tool box is stolen
What you’ll need additional cover for
- tools left in your van, hired plant, machinery, stock or contents
What’s typically covered by stock insurance?
- loss, damage or theft of materials like bricks and cement
For example:
- your bricks are stolen from the site you’re working on
What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?
- loss, damage or theft of things like your work laptop
For example:
- you take your laptop on site and drop an electric drill on it
- your work laptop is stolen from your home
What you’ll need additional cover for
- your tools, materials and machinery
What’s typically covered by hired-in plant insurance?
- loss, damage or theft of things like excavators, rollers, cement mixers etc. you’ve hired in
For example:
- a bulldozer you’ve hired is stolen from the site you’re working on
- you damage a cement mixer you've hired by dropping a saw into it
What you’ll need additional cover for
- tools and plant machinery you own
What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?
- loss, damage or theft of things like excavators, rollers, cement mixers etc. you’ve hired in
For example:
- your bulldozer is stolen from the site you’re working on
- you damage your cement mixer by dropping a saw into it
What you’ll need additional cover for
- plant machinery you hire in
What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?
- repair costs for the work you have in progress on a building site or job if it’s damaged or destroyed
- labour, materials and tools to get the job back to the stage it was at before it was damaged or destroyed
- damage caused by things like fires, floods, storms, vandalism or theft
For example:
- a fire partially destroys a house extension you’re in the middle of building
- high winds rip the roof off a summer house you’re in the middle of putting up in a customer’s garden
What you’ll need additional cover for
- existing structures already on the site you’re working on
What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
- legal expenses resulting from your day-to-day business activities, like disputes with employees
- the cost of legal claims relating to property damage, nuisance or trespass
- HMRC investigations, and tax and compliance disputes
- includes a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline, and crisis PR support to help you protect your business’s reputation
For example:
- if an employee is injured at work and brings a case against you
- if your site is vandalised and you bring a case against the vandals
What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?
- injury or death at work or outside of work, for anyone covered on the policy
- lost income, medical costs and hospitalisation benefit
For example:
- you lose a finger while working on site
- your casual labourer breaks his leg while on a night out
What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance?
- legal costs of defending yourself if you give bad advice that causes a client to lose money
For example:
- you design an extension to a house and it collapses within the first year
- you advise a customer to use superglue to hold up kitchen cabinets and they fall off the wall
How much does builders’ insurance cost?
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
Prices start from £6.81 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
How we work out example prices We take the highest price from the bottom 10 per cent of all our customers paying in monthly instalments (based on data from 1 July to 31 December 2019). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
Example quotes, real prices
£9.47 /month
£96.59 /year
A builder working on residential alterations, conversions and extentions
- 5+ years experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Manchester
Public liability
£1,000,000
Empoyers' liability
Not included
Tools
Not included
£121.28 /month
£1,237.05 /year
A builder working on commercial new builds, alterations, conversions and extensions
- 5+ years experience
- Limited company
- 3 employees
- Based in Swansea
Public liability
£5,000,000
Empoyers' liability
£10,000,000
Tools
£9,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 13 May 2020). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
What kind of excess should I expect?
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
| Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
| Employers' liability | No excess | No excess |
| Tools | £60 | £500 |
| Stock | £100 | £500 |
| Business and office equipment | £50 | £750 |
You'll get a complete breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
How it works
Pick what goes into your policy
Only pay for what you need
Get prices from a range of insurers
Choose the best fit for you
Buy online in minutes
Get your documents the same day
Direct to
insurer
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Compare policies from a range of trusted insurers
Buy online or over the phone in minutes
Access support by phone or online
We handle claims, so you can get on with business
How do I choose insurance?
Making sure you have the right type and level of insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
You may need more than public liability to cover certain types of damage
Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
Make sure you cover the total cost of replacing all your tools
Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people
Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
Depending on what you use to do your work, you may need other covers
Does builders’ insurance cover my work correctly?
Make sure you’re picking the right trades to protect you properly
Do I need cover for other types of work?
If you provide these services alongside building work, make sure you’re covered
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face
In some situations you may need more than public liability to cover certain kinds of property damage. Learn about hired-in plant and contract works insurance.
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 tools insurance.
If you have people working for you, including labour-only subcontractors, part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.
You may need more than tools insurance – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.
With more than 1,500 trades to choose from, it’s worth making sure you’re picking the right trades to protect you. For example, do you also need roofer insurance or bricklayer insurance?
What’s the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim? Taking legal fees and damages into consideration, decide whether up to £2 million or up to £5 million is more appropriate.
Talk to an expert
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon-Weds 09.00am - 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am - 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am - 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am - 02.00pm
Call our team for free
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 team any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.
£30 million in claims paid out in 2019
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2019
Example claim
Having builders’ insurance through Simply Business has saved builders thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Andy saved more than £4,335
Andy (not his real name) was working on a loft conversion for a customer when his ladder fell onto someone else’s car. It damaged the bonnet, roof and windscreen. Luckily Andy’s insurance covered the cost of the repairs.
Insurance payout
£4,335.00
Covering the cost of the damage to third party property
Andy’s costs
£100
The excess amount stated in Andy’s policy terms
Chosen by 600,000 small businesses
We started out as a team of 5 back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 600,000 customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their insurance.
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Rated 4.7/5
Based on 38,034 reviews
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Builders’ 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 builders’ insurance.
What can affect the price of my policy?
Is business insurance a legal requirement for builders?
Can I get business insurance without a trade licence?
What type of builders’ insurance do I need?
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14 January 2020 • 2-minute read
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© Copyright 2020 Simply Business. All Rights Reserved. Simply Business is a trading name of Xbridge Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Registration No: 313348). Xbridge Limited (No: 3967717) has its registered office at 6th Floor, 99 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NG.