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Commercial insurance protects businesses against losses that happen as a result of normal business activities – particularly when a compensation claim is made. There are different types of cover for different types of risk, from legal liability, to property damage, to employee-related issues.
Our commercial insurance is specially designed for small businesses and all their unique needs. We’re here to help you make sense of the different types of cover and find the right policy for you, leaving you free to focus on making a success of your business.
From injuries to legal costs, if you were hit with a claim, would you have the funds to handle it? Business insurance is there to protect you against unexpected costs.
You can build your policy from a range of different covers to suit your individual needs. It’s up to you to decide what cover works best for your line of work. Most businesses usually start with public liability insurance when building a policy. It protects your business against injury, illness, and property damage claims from members of the public. Beyond that, you can tailor your policy to cover the different risks your business faces.
Simply Business also offers professional indemnity, employers' liability, commercial combined insurance and a range of other types of commercial insurances.
Public liability insurance
In case your business and products cause an injury or property damage.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your business.
Professional indemnity
In case a client loses money because of your advice, services or designs.
Contents insurance
In case something happens to your fixtures, fittings, or operational equipment.
Business legal insurance
In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your business.
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
Stock insurance
In case something happens to your products and consumables.
Tool insurance
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
Buildings insurance
In case something happens to your business premises.
Own plant insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you own is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Hired-in plant insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you've hired in 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.
Excess insurance
In case you need to make a claim on your insurance policy.
In case your business and products cause an injury or property damage.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
**If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.**
Read more about public liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your business.
Claims against your business for:
**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:
In case a client loses money because of your advice, services or designs.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about professional indemnity insurance
In case something happens to your fixtures, fittings, or operational equipment.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about business contents insurance
In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your business.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about business legal insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about personal accident insurance
In case something happens to your products and consumables.
Claims against your business for:
For example :
Read more about stock insurance
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about tool insurance
In case something happens to your business premises.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about business buildings insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you own is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Claims against your business for:
For example :
Read more about plant machinery insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you've hired in is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Claims against your business for:
For example :
Read more about plant machinery insurance
In case your building work in progress is damaged by something like a fire, flood or vandalism.
Claims against your business for:
For example :
Read more about contract works insurance
In case you need to make a claim on your insurance policy.
Claims made by you for:
For example :
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
This depends on different factors like the type of work you do, what kind of insurance you need, and the level of cover you need. The riskier insurers think your business is, the more you're likely to pay for your policy. 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.
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10% of our customers paid up to £38.32 a year for a public liability insurance policy between 1st April 2023 - 30th June 2023. Equivalent to £3.19 per month based on a monthly cost when paying for the policy in one annual payment. Paying monthly is usually more expensive as you'll pay interest. Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
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 | No excess | £750 |
Employers' liability | No excess | No excess |
Contents | £200 | £4,000 |
Stock | £200 | £4,000 |
Main building | £200 | £400 |
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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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.
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2022
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.
We started out as a team of 5 back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 900,000 customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their insurance.
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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 off licences. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
While it isn't illegal to have no commercial insurance in place, some regulators may require you to have it before you can operate. The only type of commercial insurance that's compulsory by law is employers' liability insurance. If you have staff, it's likely that you'll need this cover.
Most businesses with employees need to have at least £5 million of employers' liability insurance. Other covers depend on the type of work your business does, and whether clients, contracts or regulatory bodies need you to have a certain level of cover. You can think about it in terms of how much you might need to pay out in claims if something goes wrong. Simply Business offers £10 million of employers' liability insurance.
Yes, you can buy commercial insurance before registering your business, and even before you've started trading. Keep in mind that when buying an insurance policy, insurers will ask for details like your business address, the type of work you do, and your actual or expected turnover.
You can buy commercial insurance before you start trading, but some types of business will need a trade licence to operate. If you need a licence and begin trading without it, your insurance may be invalid. Trade licences are usually issued by the relevant licensing authority or by the local authority.
Yes. You may start offering additional services that require you to use different skills or carry out different tasks. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to give us a call on 0333 0146 683 to update your policy before you take on this new work.
If you don’t have the correct type of cover in place for the work you do, you may be unable to claim on your policy if something goes wrong.
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:
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.
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.
Make sure you’re covered for the services you provide:
The types of businesses we insure:
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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© Copyright 2024 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.