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Public Liability Insurance

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Public liability

Where can I get public liability insurance?

You can buy public liability insurance in a number of ways.

What do I need to ask about when buying public liability insurance?

  • The level of cover - Some insurers will quote you a public liability cover of £5 million, when for a very little extra you could secure £10 million. Some insurers' charges vary only marginally between significantly different levels of cover.
  • The excess - The amount you will have to pay to make a claim. Some insurers demand an excess of £50, while others charge £500.
  • Exclusions - specific activities could be vetoed under the policy.
  • Working abroad - Your policy could be null and void if you work outside the UK. Check there are no geographical restrictions that could affect you.

When buying public liability insurance, the insurer will require details of the business, the number of employees, previous losses and details of the risk to be insured.

When completing a proposal form, answer all questions fully and disclose all relevant facts as failure to do so could invalidate the policy.

Before being accepted for cover, it may be a condition that the premises have to be inspected and some improvements made before cover is given.

Check the policy document thoroughly, in particular the extent of the cover and the exclusions and conditions.

Can I buy an insurance package that will cover all my business needs?

Insurance providers will generally include several types of covers in one package which could be more economical - as opposed to buying different individual covers from different providers.

As well as public liability insurance, examples of other types of cover that could be included in one comprehensive package are:

  • Employer liability insurance (compulsorary)
  • Product liability
  • Professional indemnity
  • Property & contents
  • Personal injury
  • Business interruption
  • Tools insurance

Direct Line

Direct Line for Business provide Public Liability Insurance as standard cover in all eight of their business insurance products.

Some of these include Products Liability or Property Owners Liability, depending on the sector . Most provide a level of £2 million of Public Liability cover as standard except Tradesman Insurance (£1m).

Direct Line for Business is a new venture from Direct Line, one of the UK's leading car and home insurers, offer up to £10 million worth of Employers Liability Insurance cover in eight business insurance products as standard or as an optional extra, depending on your sector.

  • Tradesman Insurance - optional extra
  • Shop Insurance in the standard contract and ideal for :
    • Hairdressing salons, clothes shops, grocery shops, sandwich bars, carpet and flooring, furniture shops, newsagents, butchers and florists
  • Residential Property Insurance optional extra
  • Commercial Property Insurance - optional extra
  • Office & Surgery Insurance in standard contract
  • Business from Home Insurance - optional extra
  • Hotel insurance - standard contract
  • Pub & Restaurant Insurance - standard contract

Offering a 10% online discount and a guarantee to beat your existing business insurance renewal quote. Plus, if you insure your van with them, they'll give 10% discount on every additional van insured.

For more information, visit their website or call one of the numbers listed.

Insurance Choice

Warwickshire-based Insurance Choice offer Public Liability Insurance and Employers Liability Insurance in one handy package.

Levels of public liability cover range from £1m - £5m. They quite rightly recommend that you take out the highest level you can afford.

Employers Liability cover is £10million as standard - twice the minimum legal limit.

For more information, visit the Insurance Choice website www.insurancechoice.co.uk.

Policy Details: Tel: 0844 55 77 415

Decision Finance

Online broker Decision Finance can arrange public liability insurance together with any other insurance covers you need on your tea break - that's how fast and simple they claim the quote process is.
Industries and sectors covered by Decision Finance - a trading name of Xbridge Ltd - are:

  • Charity, care homes and voluntary sector insurance
  • Hair & Beauty
  • Home-based professionals
  • Home workers
  • Landlords
  • Manufacturers
  • Office & Surgeries
  • Printers
  • Pubs & Restaurants
  • Shop & Retail
  • General Trades & Construction covers over 200 trades including:
  • bricklayers
  • builders
  • cleaners
  • computer software developers
  • hairdressers
  • plasterers
  • plumbers
  • window cleaners

Apply online and you'll get firm quotes from well known insurers such as the Prudential, Norwich Union, Groupama and Zurich.
Website: http://www.decision-finance.co.uk

AXA

Insurance giant AXA offer Public Liability cover as part of a wide range of tailored insurance packages for businesses.

Their Tradesmen Insurance package, for instance, suitable for plumbers, plasterers, etc., offers public liability cover of £1m, with the option to increase it to £5m.

It could suit if your turnover is £500,000 or under and you have eight or less employees and no premises to insure.

Included in the deal is up to 50 man days cover for temporary staff, plus Personal Accident cover. There are similar deals for most trades and professions, including:

  • Shop & Retail - £2m with the option to increase to £5m (more about shop insurance)
  • Offices (eg barristers, solicitors) - £2m as standard, with option of up to £5m
  • Home workers - £1m as standard, with options up to £5m
  • Office (eg barristers, solicitors) - £2m as standard, with option of up to £5m

AXA also offer public liability cover for:

  • Hotels
  • Pubs & Wine Bars
  • Restaurants
  • Surgeries (Doctors, Dentists, Vets)
  • Construction & associated industries
  • Hauliers
  • Manufacturers & Wholesalers
  • Motor traders

For more information, visit the AXA Business Insurance website or call 0845 6039 823.
You can also request a callback by filling in your contact details online together with a brief description of your enquiry.

Hiscox

Small to medium-sized businesses can buy Public Liability insurance from Hiscox UK as part of their Professional Office Package. It's individually tailored to meet the needs of professional workers - including insurance brokers!

Aimed at businesses whose operations are mostly concerned with clerical-based activities, professions covered are:

  • Accountants
  • Advertising consultants
  • Agricultural consultants
  • Architects
  • Communications consultants
  • Estate agents
  • Insurance brokers
  • IT consultants
  • Management consultants
  • Marketing consultants
  • Public relations consultants
  • Solicitors
  • Surveyors
  • Publishers

Choose between £1 million, £2 million and £5 million worth of public liability cover.

Other covers you can choose from to create an all-in-one insurance package are:

  • Professional indemnity
  • Employers' liability
  • Office contents and computers
  • Portable equipment e.g. laptops
  • Legal expenses
  • Business interruption
  • Buildings

You can pay the premium monthly, interest free, which, Hiscox claim, can save you up to 6% compared to some insurers.

Small business can buy online at http://business.hiscox.co.uk. Larger businesses should go through their broker.

Tel. 0845 213 8900

MORE THAN

MORE THAN BUSINESS offers two levels of public liability cover depending on your turnover - £2m if your turnover is under a million, and £5m cover for larger businesses turning over more than a million a year.

The £2m level is aimed at small contractors, home workers and home services and covers up to 5 workers.

There's also the option to add on Employers' Liability insurance cover for 1 employee (not open to Limited Companies).

As a policy holder, you can access free professional advice 24/7 on legal questions, health & safety matters and stress counselling.

During working hours, you can contact them for help on VAT and PAYE.

Also check out the excellent Knowledge Centre where you can listen in to podcasts on topics such as business start-ups, working from home and pointers for landlords looking for insurance advice.

For sole traders, partnerships and Limited Companies with an annual turnover over £1 million, the level of public liability cover is £5m.

Here, there's no limit on the number of manual workers or employees you can cover.

For more information, call free on 0800 072 3994.
Website: http://www.morethanbusiness.com

Other Brokers

  • Insurance brokers can advise you on various products to suit your needs. Visit the British Insurance Brokers Association website for details of members. www.biba.org.uk
  • ABI (Association of British Insurers) website features a list of members who provide public liability insurance cover. www.abi.org.uk
  • You can search for a broker on the Institute of Insurance Brokers (IIB) website. inst.ins.brokers@iib-uk.com
  • You can buy online via interactive quote systems.

What if something goes wrong?

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulates the sale of insurance. Their website has details on how to make a complaint. www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk

If you are unhappy with the policy sold to you, or the manner in which a claim against you has been handled by your insurer, contact your insurer direct and lodge a formal complaint.

If you remain unhappy with their response to your complaint, you can refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service who will look into the matter on your behalf. www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk