Handyman insurance

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Handyman measuring wall

Why do you need handyman insurance?

Handyman, handywoman, property maintenance, odd jobs expert. However you’d describe what you do, every day is different. Putting up a shelf and hanging a door one moment, changing a tap the next. Dealing with heavy tools and fragile materials. Accidents and mistakes are par for the course – although you can’t stop them from happening, you can cover yourself against the costs.

  • Protection from big claims like accidental injury or damage
  • Peace of mind for you, your business, and your customers
  • Insure what you need so you’re protected against legal costs, tools, or personal accidents


What does handyman insurance cover?

We put you in control, because you know what matters to you and your business. Whether you’re concerned about accidents on site or theft of the tools and equipment you use to run your business, you pick what goes into your policy.


How much does handyman 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 £4.74 per month

Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.

Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes

Example handyman insurance quotes, real prices

zurich insurance
chiswell insurance

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

Business and office equipment

£50

£750


How it works

Pick what goes into your policy

Get prices from a range of insurers

Buy online in minutes

Direct to
insurer

Highstreet
broker

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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.


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

0333 043 8527

Online

Contact us on our website whenever suits you

Phone

Call our insurance experts during office hours (calls are charged at a local rate)

FAQs

Find answers to common insurance questions


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.

£51 million in claims paid out in 2023

83% of claims were settled in 2023

Example claim

Having handyman insurance through Simply Business has saved maintenance and odd jobs experts thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.

Theo saved more than £16,500

Theo (not his real name) was working on a customer’s bathroom – removing the suite, replacing the floor, and decorating. He tried to turn off the water at the mains but failed to do so fully as he didn’t realise the supply to the area had been shut off by the water board. The bathroom then flooded as a result. Luckily, he could turn to his handyman insurance to cover the cost of putting things right.


Chosen by nearly 1 million small businesses and landlords


Handyman 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 handyman insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.

It’s a good idea to start with an assessment of the risks your business might face.

If you have people working for you, you’re legally required to have employers’ liability cover.

If you’re in contact with members of the public in your work, public liability insurance is an important one to consider too.

If you use any specialist equipment for carrying out odd jobs and property maintenance, you might want to think about getting tool cover. This is a key type of insurance for most self-employed handypeople.

Other covers for handymen and handywomen to consider include:

If you have people working for you, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.

You may not be legally obliged to have any extra insurance on top of that, but there are some additional covers worth considering if you want to protect other elements of your business.

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 0146 683 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 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:

  • 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 installments.

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 0146 683. 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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