Third party liability insurance
Join over 900,000 UK customers with cover from £3.19 per month*
Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes
- UK-based expert support, online and on the phone
- Get covered and all your documents the same day
- Compare tailored insurance for 3rd party cover from trusted brands
Compare quotes from leading brands
Rated 4.7/5
Based on 39,771 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Third party liability insurance – why is it important?
As a business owner, you need to make sure you’re protected against third parties claiming against you for injury, illness, or damage to their property. Would you have the funds ready to cover a claim? Our policies start with public liability insurance for third party accidents and injuries – then you can build from there.
‘Third party’ includes your customers, clients, suppliers, and any other member of the public, who could make a compensation claim against you if they’re injured or their property is damaged.
- compare cover from expert UK brands and protect your business
- rated 4.7/5 based on 39K+ public liability customer reviews
- public and product liability between £1 million and £10 million
What does third party liability insurance cover?
Third party liability insurance (public liability insurance) can cover the cost of legal fees and compensation costs if someone sues your business for injury or damage.
For example if you run a cafe and a supplier slips on a trailing cable while delivering ingredients, or if you’re a builder and you accidentally damage a parked car while moving your equipment. In these examples, the person who has suffered injury or damage (the ‘third party’) could claim compensation. The compensation amount can take into account things like medical bills, lost income, and replacement or repair costs. If you’re found liable, you will usually have to pay the legal fees of the other side as well as your own legal fees.
Your public liability insurance can cover these costs, up to the limit of your policy. Simply Business offers £1 million of cover up to £10 million.
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 - select options
In case you need to make a claim on your insurance policy.
Public liability insurance
In case your business and products cause an injury or property damage.
What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- damage to someone’s property, caused by your work
- an injury or illness caused by your business activities
- certain accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees
For example:
- you accidentally knock a shelf of products onto the floor while working on a client’s premises, which break and need replacing
- you leave a trailing cable outside your premises, causing someone to trip and injure their back
- an accident happens at your premises and someone is injured because of your work
**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 anyone gets ill or injured while working for your business.
What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- an injury to someone you employ, including contractors and temps, that happens as a result of working for you
- a member of staff (including casual workers) falling ill due to your business
**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:
- one of your employees falls down some stairs in your business premises, and makes a claim against you for chronic shoulder pain
- a temporary employee traps their hand in a door at your premises, causing several fractures
- a member of staff trips on a ledge on their way to a meeting, injuring their hip
Professional indemnity
In case a client loses money because of your advice, services or designs.
What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- costs related to fixing inadequacies or other errors in your work
- advice that your client believes was wrong and caused a financial loss
- problems in your services, ranging from mistakes to negligence
For example :
- you send erroneous documents to your client, delaying their project and causing a financial loss
- your client spends money combating damage you caused when sending documents to the wrong people
- you’re advising a new business but setting up isn’t smooth – they claim for financial losses
Read more about professional indemnity insurance
Contents insurance
In case something happens to your fixtures, fittings, or operational equipment.
What’s typically covered by business contents insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- destruction and damage of your contents equipment, such as furniture or photocopiers
- cover for flood or fire damage, plus theft and vandalism
For example:
- some of your business equipment, including a printer, is damaged by a fire
- several TV screens you use for virtual meetings are stolen by thieves
- an upstairs leak in your premises causes damage to the sofa and chairs in your reception area
Read more about business contents insurance
Business legal insurance
In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your business.
What’s typically covered by business legal insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- VAT disputes
- theft of your company’s identity illegally
- compensation under data protection legislation
For example:
- HMRC is investigating your VAT affairs, triggered by seemingly incorrect figures on your return
- a fraudster steals your company’s bank details and buys goods to set up a new line of credit with banks or retailers
- a client is claiming you didn’t process their data in accordance with GDPR, and is seeking compensation
Read more about business legal 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?
Claims against your business for:
- accidental injury or death of anyone you’ve chosen to cover in your policy – whether this happens at work or elsewhere
- medical costs, lost income, and hospitalisation benefit
For example:
- your business partner, who’s named on the policy, is injured while ice skating and left permanently disabled
- you fall down some stairs at home and lose the use of your right arm
- an employee you’ve covered is playing squash at the weekend and hits their head on the wall, causing concussion and a hospital stay
Read more about personal accident insurance
Stock insurance
In case something happens to your products and consumables.
What’s typically covered by stock insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- loss, damage or theft of essential stock
- destruction of stock caused by fire or flood
- the cost of replacing items that you’re going to sell
For example :
- a fire in your shop destroys key stock
- your stockroom gets flooded by a leaking pipe
- someone breaks into your shop, stealing stock and damaging stock they leave behind
Read more about stock insurance
Tool insurance
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
What’s typically covered by tool insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- stolen tools and equipment
- accidental damage to the tools you need for your business
- loss of specialist equipment and [TRADE] tools
For example:
- your tools are stolen from your car or van
- you lose some expensive equipment on the way to a job
- a flood causes irreparable damage to your tools
Read more about tool insurance
Buildings insurance
In case something happens to your business premises.
What’s typically covered by business building insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- the cost of structural repair (or rebuilding from scratch) following damage to your building
- damage to fixtures and fittings
- underground pipes and cables that you’re responsible for
For example:
- your shop’s wooden floor is damaged during a flood and needs replacing
- your employee damages an interior wall installing new equipment, as well as a glass door
- after a pipe bursts, you need to spend lots of money replacing flooring
Read more about business buildings insurance
Own plant insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you own is lost, stolen, or damaged.
What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- replacement of own plant machinery should yours be damaged or stolen
- water damage to your own plant machinery
- accidentally injuring someone else while you’re working, or afterwards as a result of the work you’ve done
For example :
- an excavator is stolen during an overnight break-in at your works site
- you drill through a water pipe while working on a construction site, causing extensive damage
- your storage unit is flooded, damaging your cement mixer and generator beyond repair
Read more about plant machinery insurance
Hired-in plant insurance
In case plant machinery, like excavators, you've hired in is lost, stolen, or damaged.
What’s typically covered by hired-in plant insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- expensive costs and charges, if hired equipment gets damaged, lost, or stolen
- equipment that’s on-site or in transit
- causing injury or property damage while you’re working, or afterwards following your work
For example :
- there’s an overnight break-in at your work site and an excavator is stolen
- you cause damage to a water pipe by drilling through it while working on site
- a flood damages a hired cement mixer and generator beyond repair
Read more about plant machinery insurance
Contract works insurance
In case your building work in progress is damaged by something like a fire, flood or vandalism.
What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- work in progress on domestic and commercial sites
- on-site damage to your tools that you need to complete the job
For example :
- there's a fire at your place of work, setting back the completion date of the job
- a flood destroys your specialist [TRADE] equipment
- someone breaks into your site and steals your tools
Read more about contract works insurance
Excess insurance - select options
In case you need to make a claim on your insurance policy.
What's typically covered by excess insurance?
Claims made by you for:
- the cost of the excess you’d have to pay when making a claim on a cover included in your business insurance policy
For example :
- strong winds cause severe damage to the roof of your property – you don’t have to pay the £250 excess thanks to your excess insurance
- a guest accidentally breaks a television during their stay at your property and thanks to your excess insurance, you don’t need to pay excess on the claim
- a guest’s child trips on a loose carpet and breaks their arm – they claim compensation and you don’t pay excess due to your excess 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 3rd party liability 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 £3.49 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
*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.
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 | 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.
How it works
Pick what goes into your policy
Only pay for what you need
Get prices from a range of insurers
Choose the best fit for you
Buy online in minutes
Get your documents the same day
Simply Business
Direct to
insurer
Highstreet
broker
Compare policies from a range of trusted insurers
Buy online or over the phone in minutes
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 insurance claims work for xTRADEx?
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.
£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
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.
Chosen by 900,000 small businesses and landlords
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.
Compare and buy in minutes
Documents arrive today
Rated 4.7/5
Based on 39,771 reviews
Here to help
Help from UK-based experts
24/7 claims
Make a claim any time
Third party liability 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 insurance for off licences. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
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.
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:
- View all business insurance covers
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
Helpful articles for businesses
Keep up to date with Simply Business. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on social media.
Subscribe to our newsletterInsurance
Public liability insuranceBusiness insuranceProfessional indemnity insuranceEmployers’ liability insuranceLandlord insuranceTradesman insuranceSelf-employed insuranceRestaurant insuranceVan insuranceInsurersAbout
About usOur teamAwardsPress releasesPartners & affiliatesOur charitable workModern Slavery ActSection 172 statementSocial mediaSite mapAddress
6th Floor99 Gresham StreetLondonEC2V 7NG
Northampton 900900 Pavilion DriveNorthamptonNN4 7RG
© 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.