Flooring contractors insurance
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For 80% of settled claims
Why do you need flooring contractor insurance?
From other businesses on site to the materials you’re using, your trade brings specific risks – we’re used to working with them, insuring thousands of contractors across the UK. Flooring contractor insurance is built to be your backstop if an injury or property damage is blamed on your business, starting with public and product liability cover.
- public and product liability between £1 million and £10 million
- quotes start at £5.14* a month based on 2019 data
- optional personal accident cover for your own accidents and injuries
Insurance for flooring contractors – what does it cover?
From damaging a client’s floorboards to employee injuries, insurance for flooring contractors can keep you protected against a range of risks. A public liability claim, for example, can run into thousands of pounds, especially where expensive materials are involved. We provide options for public and product liability, employers’ liability, tools, plant, stock and personal accident cover, plus legal expenses.
Public liability insurance for flooring contractors
In case an injury or property damage is blamed on your flooring business.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case an employee gets sick or injured because of working for you.
Tools insurance
In case your flooring tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
Stock insurance
In case something happens to the flooring materials you keep in supply.
Hired-in plant insurance
In case your rented plant machinery, like a sponge cleaner, is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Own plant insurance
In case your own plant machinery, like a floor saw, is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Contract works insurance
In case your work in progress is damaged by disasters like fire, flood, or vandalism.
Legal expenses insurance
In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your flooring business.
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
Public liability insurance for flooring contractors
In case an injury or property damage is blamed on your flooring business.
What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- damage to someone’s property, caused by your work
- injuries caused by your business activities
- accidental damage or injury caused by your employees, if you have any
For example:
- while installing Amtico flooring you lean in some liquid screed, getting it on the customer’s carpet and causing permanent damage
- a child cuts their foot on some of the debris left by your flooring company – they need stitches and a week off school
What you’ll need additional cover for
- 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 an employee gets sick or injured because of working for you.
What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- an employee, including another contractor or casual labourer, suing you after falling ill because of working for your flooring business, or
- making a claim for an injury they’ve had while working for you
**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 subcontractor suffers health problems which impact their asthma after inhaling large amounts of adhesive – they claim you didn’t supply the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- an employee suffers a head trauma after debris falls on them from the scaffolding site
Tools insurance
In case your flooring tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
What’s typically covered by tools insurance?
- loss, damage, or theft of your hand tools, power tools, and specialist flooring equipment
For example:
- your bladed trowel and flooring nailer are stolen during a break-in
- there’s a water leak in your garage and some of your tools are damaged
What you’ll need additional cover for
- larger plant items you use to carry out your flooring work – you’ll need to add our specific plant cover for these
Read more about tools insurance
Stock insurance
In case something happens to the flooring materials you keep in supply.
What’s typically covered by stock insurance?
- loss, damage, or theft of your work materials, or items you’re planning to sell
For example:
- there’s a fire in your garage and a bulk of stock you’ve just collected gets damaged
- the marble you’ve just had delivered for a hotel job is stolen from the site unit
Read more about stock insurance
Hired-in plant insurance
In case your rented plant machinery, like a sponge cleaner, is lost, stolen, or damaged.
What’s typically covered by hired-in plant insurance?
- loss, damage, or theft of things like drilling units and saws which you’ve hired in
For example:
- you hire an installation kit while yours is being fixed, but your employee breaks several parts during a job
- the drills you’ve hired for a big school building contract are stolen overnight
What you’ll need additional cover for
- tools and plant machinery which you own yourself – you’ll need to add our specific own plant insurance or tools cover for this
Read more about hired-in plant insurance
Own plant insurance
In case your own plant machinery, like a floor saw, is lost, stolen, or damaged.
What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?
- loss, damage, or theft of things like your own floor sander or pointing machine
For example:
- the two floor saws you’ve just bought are damaged in a fire on site, and need replacing
- one of your employees jams the floor sander and it needs replacing
What you’ll need additional cover for
- plant machinery you’ve rented – you’ll need to add our specific hired-in plant cover for this
Read more about own plant insurance
Contract works insurance
In case your work in progress is damaged by disasters like fire, flood, or vandalism.
What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?
- repair costs for the work you have in progress 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 fire, flood, storm, vandalism, or theft
For example:
- the site you’re working on suffers extreme vandalism overnight, setting your job back by nine weeks while you pull up and re-do multiple stages
- a thunderstorm causes the roof on your client’s property to partially cave in, allowing rain water to damage the flooring you’ve already done
Read more about contract works insurance
Legal expenses insurance
In case you have to pay legal costs connected with your flooring business.
What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
- legal costs attributed to your 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 as a recommended flooring professional
For example:
- your client is disputing their contract, stating you’ve finished the job two weeks later than planned, and used the wrong materials – you end up paying for legal representation
- after several warnings and complaints from customers, you’re forced to dismiss an employee – they file a legal suit against you and you need to recover the costs involved
Read more about legal expenses insurance
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or off-duty.
What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?
- accidental injury or death at work or elsewhere, for anyone covered on the policy
- lost income, medical costs, and hospitalisation benefit
For example:
- you catch your foot on a bench at the weekend, falling and breaking your wrist – you’ll need at least four weeks off work
- your employee suffers a bad burn over the weekend at a firework party, and will need two weeks off work
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 flooring contractors 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 £5.14 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 July - 31 December 2020). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
Example flooring contractor insurance quotes, real prices
£10.31 /month
£83.08 /month
A self-employed flooring contractor working in residential properties in the local region
- 1-2 years' experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Edinburgh
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Tools
Not included
£78.37 /month
£696.6 /month
A small floor contracting firm working across the UK on projects for residential and commercial properties, using fixed woodworking machinery
- 5+ years' experience
- Limited company
- 1 employee
- Based in Newcastle upon Tyne
Public liability
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Tools
£5,000
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 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.
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 flooring contractors insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
In some situations you may need more than public liability to cover certain kinds of property damage. Learn about hired-in cover and contract works cover.
Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
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 tool cover.
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.
Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
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.
Does flooring contractors 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 carpet fitter insurance or tilers insurance?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
If you provide these services alongside building work, 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
Call our team
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.
£30 million in claims paid out in 2019
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2019
Example claim
Having business insurance for contractors through Simply Business has saved professionals thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Coren saved more than £9,000
Coren (not his real name) sent one of his employees to a large commercial job while he was on holiday. The employee damaged an induction loop while working, causing the client to raise a claim. The public and employers’ liability cover in his flooring contractors’ insurance took care of the accidental damage costs.
Insurance payout
£9,066.00
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Coren’s costs
£100
The excess amount stated in Coren’s policy terms
Chosen by 800,000 small businesses
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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Flooring contractor insurance FAQs
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 flooring contractor insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Yes. It’s important to make sure you have the right type and level of insurance for the different types of work you do. For example, if you’re a plumber, you may also do building work on certain jobs – you’ll need additional cover for this, but you can have it all on the one policy. When you start your quote, you’ll have the option to add another trade or profession to your policy. If you need to add a third trade, give us a call on 0333 043 8527 and one of our insurance experts will help you set up your policy in minutes.
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 043 8527 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.
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.
If you change your business legal structure from sole trader to limited company mid-way through your policy, give us a call straight away on 0333 043 8527. It’ll only take us a few minutes to cancel your existing policy and replace it with one that correctly covers your new legal structure. It’s worth bearing in mind that your insurer and premium amount may need to change.
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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