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We insure contractors of all business types, from builders to accountants to IT contractors. Whatever your profession, most contractors face similar dangers in their work – including accidents and injuries, unexpected events leading to missed deadlines, or damage to the equipment you’ve hired or invested in. To get a quote, you’ll need to choose insurance that’s targeted to your trade, but this page gives you an overview of the top reasons contractors need cover.
You know what matters to you most in how you operate as a contractor, so you’re in charge of your policy. Whether you want to cover yourself or your team for accidents on site, legal disputes with clients, or the tools you rely on, you tell us what you need and we’ll tailor your insurance around you.
Public and product liability insurance
In case someone gets injured or their property gets damaged as a result of your business.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case your employee gets sick or injured while they’re working for you.
Tools insurance
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
Business and office equipment insurance
In case your business and office equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Hired-in plant insurance
In case your hired-in plant items are lost, stolen or damaged.
Own plant insurance
In case your own plant items are lost, stolen or damaged.
Contract works insurance
In case your work in progress is destroyed, disrupted or delayed.
Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs while running your business.
Personal accident insurance
In case you or anyone you've covered has an accident.
Professional indemnity insurance
In case you've made a mistake in your work or provided a service that didn't meet the expected standards.
In case someone gets injured or their property gets damaged as a result of your business.
What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?
Legal and medical expenses relating to claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about public liability insurance
In case your employee gets sick or injured while they’re working for you.
What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?
Legal and medical expenses relating to 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 your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
What’s typically covered by tools insurance?
For example:
Read more about tools insurance
In case your business and office equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged.
What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about business and office equipment insurance
In case your hired-in plant items are lost, stolen or damaged.
What’s typically covered by hired-in plant insurance?
For example:
Read more about hired-in plant insurance
In case your own plant items are lost, stolen or damaged.
What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about own plant insurance
In case your work in progress is destroyed, disrupted or delayed.
What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?
For example:
Read more about contract works insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs while running your business.
What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
For example:
Read more about legal expenses insurance
In case you or anyone you've covered has an accident.
What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?
For example:
Read more about personal accident insurance
In case you've made a mistake in your work or provided a service that didn't meet the expected standards.
What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance?
Legal expenses relating to claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about professional indemnity insurance
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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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 October 2019 - 31 March 2020). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
£8.29 /month
£62.94 /year
A fencing contractor working on residential properties
Public liability insurance
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability insurance
Not included
Tools insurance
Not included
£76.58 /month
£680.71 /year
A small commercial flooring contracting company working in the local area
Public liability insurance
£5,000,000
Employers’ liability insurance
£10,000,000
Tools insurance
£8,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 23/09/2020). 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.
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 |
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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We handle claims, so you can get on with business
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.
Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
Does contractors insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
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.
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.
Depending on what you use to do your work, you may need other covers.
You may need more than tools insurance – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.
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 Freelance insurance or It consultant insurance?
If you provide these services alongside building work, make sure you’re covered:
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.
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
Call our team for free
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.
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2019
Having contractor insurance through Simply Business has saved contractors thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
As he was fitting a fence for a customer, fencing contractor Bruce (not his real name) needed to dig some holes. He followed the main contractor’s advice about where to use a digger and where to dig by hand, but the power company alleged a hit to a 15000v cable, which had to be repaired. Fortunately Bruce’s insurance stepped in to cover the cost.
£9,156.90
Covering the cost of accidental damage
£100
The excess amount stated in Bruce’s policy terms
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 600,000 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 contractors insurance.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always take professional advice. Read our full disclaimer
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© Copyright 2021 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.