Public Liability Cover: What to Ask
Public liability is for claims that your business injured someone or damaged someone else's property. It is different from cover for stolen tools, employees or the cost of simply redoing a poor repair.
Which cover answers which problem?
| Problem | Cover to look at |
|---|---|
| A customer says your work damaged their home | Public liability, subject to the insured activity and policy terms |
| Tools stolen from the van | Tools/equipment cover with the relevant vehicle and storage conditions |
| An employee is injured through work | Employers' liability |
| A faulty repair needs doing again | Do not assume public liability pays for correcting your own work |
The trade description matters
A roofer working at height, a plumber doing hot work and a gas engineer need the insurer to know those activities. A cheap policy for a different work description is not a useful substitute.
Check one real job against the policy
Send the broker: “I do [normal work], including [height/hot work/gas/subcontracting where relevant]. Is that activity covered, what excess applies, and are there conditions I must follow?” That resolves the missing detail rather than comparing certificates by price alone.
Use the cover limit your client actually requires. The ABI explains liability cover; employers' liability has separate requirements.
Updated 29 October 2026 · Report a factual error