What insurance should my builder have?

Main types of insurance builders should have

There are actually a few different types of insurance policy that a reputable builder should have. As their customer, the two that you’ll be most affected by are:

• Public liability insurance – This is the insurance policy that will cover the builder against any associated legal costs if a member of the public is injured by their work
• Employers’ liability insurance – If your builder employs any other workers, they’ll need to be covered by employers’ liability insurance to ensure that anyone working on site is covered. That includes both full-time employees and labour-only subcontractors employed on a short-term basis

A sensible builder will usually also have:

• Tools insurance to protect their tools and equipment from damage or theft
• Personal accident insurance to cover themselves against any injuries they suffer on site
• Professional indemnity insurance to protect them against legal costs associated with a customer claiming that their work was not up to standard

Other insurance for builders

In addition to the above important types of insurance, builders may also have any one or more of the following additional insurance policies:

• Builders risk insurance
• Contract works insurance
• Business interruption insurance
• Business van insurance
• Commercial property and contents insurance
• Product liability insurance
• Goods in Transit insurance
• Legal expenses cover

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