Self-employed Liability Insurance – A Layman Approach

Being a self-employed tradesman in the UK, it makes a lot of sense to get public liability insurance to protect yourself from heavy legal costs, should a client, third party or general public member sue you for personal injuries or damages to their property.

Some of the top UK insurance companies providing self-employed liability cover, can offer coverage for up to £5 million (depending on the level of cover desired), so that you have financial protection from claims filed against you by clients or members of the public.

Self-employed Public Liability for the Self-employed Tradesman

A self-employed public liability insurance plan covers a wide array of accidents, which specifically includes injury or property damage caused to clients, third parties or public members. It is important to know this as a self-employed tradesman because a self-employed liability cover protects you from claims made as a result of day-to-day business activities. You can find all the knowledge you need to stay up to date on public liability insurance here.

Just to give you a quick example, if you accidentally spill hot coffee on one of your clients during a meeting, you might be sued and required to pay thousands of pounds in injuries and damages (if there is any electronic equipment involved).

What Public Liability Means to a Self-employed Tradesman UK

Accidents happen and in some cases, they can cause serious personal injury and property damage.

Consider the following:

• It is now easier than ever to win damage compensation claims against businesses. What this means is, people (in this case your clients or others you interact with daily) will make a claim even if their chances of winning it are next to none. People do this because the cost to make a claim is minimal, while the compensation they get might be huge.
• Self-employed liability is one thing; however, should you decide to hire help down the road, even they can be the cause of a public liability claim filed against you.
• Chances are that the organizations or clients you work with will insist that you have an active public liability cover as this is something that is becoming increasingly common in the UK workforce, particularly when it comes to self-employed professionals.
• Situations might arise where a claim can be filed against you if you accidentally cause damage to property or personal injuries while visiting clients.

Choosing the Right Public Liability Insurance Policy

When choosing self-employed liability cover, you should always compare quotes between the top UK insurers. The right public liability insurance policy should not only be accessible to you at a fair price but must also offer the level or scope of cover which you require. For example, as a self-employed tradesman, does your public liability insurance protect you from claims against:

• Injury to a third party’s motor vehicle while on the job?
• Accidental damage of a client’s irreplaceable property during a visit?
• A public member tripping over your office items as a result of carelessly laid wires?

Final Thoughts

Running a business yourself is no walk in the park. You need to ensure that you are protected from public liability in the event that any unforeseen circumstances materialize.

Hire a good UK insurance broker to carefully assess quotes you have gotten from different UK public liability insurers. Pay special attention to any conditions and/or endorsements which may affect your coverage policy.

Understand what self-employed liability means to you as a sole UK tradesman and why it is important in today’s “no win, no fee” work culture.