Security industry insurance
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Based on 39,375 reviews
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For 80% of settled claims
Why is security company insurance important?
Small security companies. Freelance professionals. Bouncers and guard patrols. Risk comes with the territory, but might not always be obvious. Would you have the funds ready to cover an employment claim, for example, or a damaged work laptop? Our policies start with public liability insurance for third party accidents and injuries, and build from there.
- security company insurance, 24/7 UK-based claims support
- equipment, accident, and employee cover – you choose what you need
- rated 4.7/5 based on 39K+ public liability customer reviews
What does security business insurance cover?
Typically, we’ll start with public liability insurance, built to cover security industry professionals against accidents and injuries, usually to clients and other third parties. You can also build in cover for your essential equipment, plus any employees you have, legal expenses, and personal accidents which may stop you doing active work.
Public liability insurance (security industry)
In case your security business causes property damage, or an injury.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your security business.
Business and office equipment insurance
In case something happens to equipment like your phone or two-way radio.
Legal expenses insurance
In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your security business.
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or elsewhere.
Public liability insurance (security industry)
In case your security business causes property damage, or an injury.
What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- damage to someone’s property, caused by your work
- an injury or illness caused by your business activities
- certain accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees
For example:
- you leave your work bag out on the floor of a client’s busy reception area, causing someone to trip and break their knee
- while patrolling a commercial premises you accidentally knock a shelf of electronic products onto the floor, which break and need replacing
What you’ll need additional cover for
- your own failure to prevent a break-in, or to protect the property you’re contracted to
- 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 security 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 falls from a height while patrolling a client’s premises, breaking their leg and three ribs
- a contractor you’ve hired is attacked on a shift and suffers a fractured skull – they won’t be able to work for you or any other client for at least six weeks
Business and office equipment insurance
In case something happens to equipment like your phone or two-way radio.
What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?
- theft of the equipment you use to operate, rather than portable trade tools
- loss of your equipment
- flood, fire, or accidental damage
For example:
- your two-way radio kits are stolen from the back of your van while you’re parked at a motorway services
- you buy five new lone worker alarms for your patrol, which are left on a client’s site and never recovered
Read more about business and office equipment insurance
Legal expenses insurance
In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your security business.
What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
- legal costs attributed to your security 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 support to help you protect your reputation within the security industry
For example:
- a local business sues your company for property damage, and you need to hire legal representation
- your business hasn’t been registered correctly for tax, and you incur legal costs while dealing with HMRC
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’re struck on the head by a piece of falling equipment on your client’s premises, and need time off work for recovery, as well as hospital check-ups
- your employee breaks his leg at a wedding, and can’t work as normal for at least six weeks
Read more about personal accident insurance
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
How much does security industry 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 £5.16 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
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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 September 2021 - 28th February 2022). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
Example security insurance quotes, real prices
£40.7 /month
£361.79 /month
A self-employed bouncer who works for retailers during the day
- 2-3 years' experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Bradford
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Contents & business equipment
Not included
£557.79 /month
£4958.17 /month
A small security company who use guard dogs to patrol
- 5+ years' experience
- Limited company
- 4 employees
- Based in AB16 7LL
Public liability
£5,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Contents & business equipment
£10,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 16/04/2021). 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 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
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How do I choose insurance?
Making sure you have the right type and level of business 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.
Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Does security insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
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.
Does security 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 door supervisor insurance or security guard insurance?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:
Other types of 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.
Talk to an expert
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am - 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am - 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am - 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am - 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am - 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am - 02.00pm
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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. The figure below is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.
£28 million in claims paid out in 2021
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2021
Chosen by 800,000 small businesses and landlords
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 800,000 customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
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Security 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 insurance for security companies in the UK. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Most insurers will start with public liability insurance for security industry companies – it can protect you from a claim if someone is injured or their property gets damaged because of your work. Lots of freelancers and firms also choose to add business equipment cover for the essential kit they rely on, from two-way radios and alarms to a phone or laptop.
You’ll usually need employers’ liability insurance if you employ anyone – for example a temp you hire during the busy Christmas season or a contract security guard to share the load with. It’s almost always a legal non-negotiable, so don’t brief anyone without it, or you could face fines of up to £2,500 a day for each employee.
This depends on your business, and which insurer is providing your cover. Prices start from £6.35 a month for our security business customers – we work this out by taking the highest price from the bottom 10 per cent of all our customers paying in monthly instalments (based on data from 1 July - 31 December 2020). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
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.
You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to 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 instalments.
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 check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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