What Does Plumbers’ Insurance Cover?

Tradesmen need to be fully insured, that much is a given. But do plumbers need their own specialist plumber insurance, and what’s included in the price?

Plumbers’ insurance will cover you for the specific (and dangerous) risks you’ll face in your day to day work.

Not only will good plumbers’ insurance cover you and your materials, but public and third party liability which you’ll use should things go wrong.

In this article, we’ll cover questions such as:

• What insurance do plumbers need?
• Am I covered for public liability as a plumber?
• Does plumbers’ insurance cover materials?

Plumbing is a high-risk profession where working with the public, dangerous tools and potentially noxious substances comes as part of the package. This is why you need comprehensive cover to protect you.

What insurance do plumbers need?

Plumbers, builders and other tradesmen all need to have specialist insurance for their line of work. This will allow them to work in others’ homes safely, and will cover the costs of repairs if unintentional damage is done. This applies not only to their clients’ property, but anything else they happen to damage as well.

The kind of work you undertake as a plumber in particular means you need different cover than, say, a joiner would. You’ll be working on essential parts of a home such as heating and waste disposal, which your client cannot afford to go long without. You may also be working with gas, which requires totally different training and comes with higher risks.

You need to purchase insurance before you take on work. If you do not, it means you would be trading illegally.

Am I covered for public liability as a plumber?

Yes, as standard. Public liability is the single most important part of tradesmen’s insurance. It protects your clients – or any member of the public – in the event that a claim should arise and you are responsible.

Basically, this is exactly what you’ll need to claim if you accidentally damage your client’s property while working on the site. Their public liability insurance will cover the cost of the labour and materials involved in fixing what’s gone wrong.

All Risks is another type of policy which is good to have. As suggested by the name, it covers almost everything else you can imagine. All Risks insurance includes cover for contract works such as damage to the project being worked on, own plant, hired-in plant and employee’s tools.

While purchasing plumbers’ insurance, you may be offered additional cover. Professional indemnity insurance is to cover your legal liability for the advice and design that you provide. Whereas other insurance covers what you do and use, professional indemnity covers what you say.

But public liability and professional indemnity does not cover employees. If you have someone working for you on a temporary or permanent basis, you’ll need employers’ liability cover.

Subcontracting out some work? If you use subcontractors, they need their own insurance: public liability at a minimum. If they don’t and something goes wrong, you’ll have to pay for damages yourself.

Does plumbers’ insurance cover materials?

Yes, if you add on this extra cover. Products liability will cover you in the event of a claim relating to parts and materials you install. Bought a faulty pipe? This is the policy you need if the pipes are damaged or wrong, and the job suffers delays as a result.

In the majority of cases, the insurance provider you have your policy with will pursue the manufacturers. As long as the part turns out to be defective, it wasn’t your own fault and you installed the materials correctly, the manufacturer will be liable.

Talk to our experts today about any of your plumber insurance questions.

If you need plumbers’ insurance and want to get the best value, call us today and one of our plumber insurance experts can help explain all the different options and will find you the most competitive quote and terms available. We look forward to working with you.