Tradesmen and Professional Insurance

Public Liability Insurance covers any damage caused by you (the insured) to a customer’s (third party) property, or for any injury to a third party if it is your fault. As professional insurance brokers, we are able to provide a wide range of different quotes for most, if not all, trades, including a wide range of optional extensions to consider such as employers’ liability, personal accident, tools and personal possessions.

Home-Worker Insurance provides essential cover for manual and non-manual trades that are run from home. There are  a variety of policies available with cover tailored for businesses that provide services to companies and the manufacturing of goods from home – and require cover for their business liabilities and contents as well as the option to extend their cover to include their buildings.

Traditionally, people like Accountants, Surveyors, Engineers, Solicitors and Architects, were regarded as ‘professionals’, however a professional is now regarded as any person who offers ‘specialist advice or service’. The professional person must exercise whatever degree of skill and care is reasonably expected of any competent practitioner in that profession at that time. If a person provides advice or a service to another and carries that work out negligently, they can be held legally liable for the consequences. Normally, such advice or services are provided under the terms of a contract. Liability can arise because there has been a breach of duty of care or a breach of contract (the latter normally only covered by a professional indemnity or “PI” policy where there has also been a breach of duty of care).

Contract Works Insurance (also known as Contractors’ All Risks) covers temporary and permanent construction works plus materials should they be damaged, or if materials or tools are stolen prior to completion. This kind of professional insurance can be used to cover new builds, refurbishments, repairs or extensions, and can be taken out in the name of the contractor, the property owner or in joint names, dependent upon the wording of the contract. Contract Works Insurance is usually taken out on an annual policy covering all projects, but it is also available to cover a one-off or single project.

Commercial Legal Expenses Insurance can be sold as an add-on to commercial risk policies, e.g. Public Liability, Professional Indemnity, or Property, or offered on a stand-alone basis. Unexpected legal disputes can be costly at the best of times, but with the ever-changing burden of employment legislation, Inland Revenue demands and a rise in contractual disputes, your business must be covered for every eventuality.