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From building sites to ongoing client renovations, works under construction are vulnerable to accidents and damage. Contract works insurance is designed to cover the project you’re on, so if the work gets destroyed or you lose your materials, you and the client are financially protected. You can restore the work in progress to its pre-damage status, and safeguard against additional losses.
Alongside well-known covers like public liability insurance, plant, and employee protection, many construction insurance policies feature contract works cover as a popular option for trades companies and professionals. It’s designed to cover your regular building and construction site work, if disasters like storm, flood, or fire cause damage, or someone breaks in and steals or vandalises your materials and project.
Vandalism
Flood
Fire
Theft
Storm
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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
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*The price is for £1 million of public liability insurance - 10% of customers paid £41.87 or less annually between 1st Oct 2023 - 31st Mar 2024. Equivalent to £3.49/month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). If you complete a quote more types of cover will be available, these all have additional costs.
£20.56 /month
£182.76 /year
A self-employed builder working on residential properties in the local area
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Contract works
£50,000
£160.75 /month
£1,428.90 /year
A small building firm that works on medium sized contracts, both residentially and commercially, with 1 office only worker
Public liability
£5,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Contract works
£250,000
How we work out example quotes. These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 09/06/2021). 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 property. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
Depending on your set-up, clients and business type, these expert covers might be helpful too:
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83% of claims were settled in 2023
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. "Settled" covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Having contracts works insurance through Simply Business has saved construction and trade professionals thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
While working on a client’s loft conversion, Annie’s (not her real name) works site was broken into, with evidence of forced entry and theft of multiple tools and appliances. The optional contract works insurance added to Annie’s business policy helped provide cover for the delay to the project, while she replaced her tools and organised repair works.
£11,299.51
Covering the cost of theft
£100
The excess amount stated in Annie’s policy terms
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 900,000 customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business 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 contract works insurance.
You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Contract works insurance only covers things related to a specific contract, such as the materials needed to complete a job. Contracts all-risk cover is designed to cover multiple elements of your business.
Contract works usually refers to work done by builders and other tradespeople and businesses. It’s common terminology for construction sites too, where projects tend to be long-running works in progress. Your contract works are the work and tasks you’ve agreed to complete for your client, as part of your contract with them.
This will depend on the contracts and agreements you have in place, both with your client and any third parties involved in the project you’re working on. Some contracts will require a minimum level of insurance to be in place before work commences, and contract(s) works insurance will often be factored into this, or highlighted as a requirement.
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.
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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