Public liability insurance
If a member of the public is injured, falls ill, or has their property damaged in your pub or bar as a result of your business, this this insurance will help you cover related legal fees if they seek compensation
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1Accurate as of September 2023
Protecting your business isn't a one size fits all, but it can be a one stop shop when you buy pub insurance.
Pub insurance is a term that refers to a bundle of business insurance products that can be bought together to protect a pub or bar and its owner. The main insurance you would buy as part of pub insurance is public/ product liability insurance. This will help you afford legal fees if something bad happens to a customer while visiting your business. But there is so much more that your pub insurance can do, like protect your stock and cover your earnings if your business is interrupted.
When you work with the public, you open your business up to all sorts of risks every day that you just can't avoid. But that doesn't mean that you can't be prepared for these risks. Business insurance for your pub can help you stay on top when things go wrong.
There are some great reasons to get pub insurance:
If you hire any employees, you are legally required to have employers' liability insurance
Public or product liability insurance will cover you if a customer trips and is inured or if something goes wrong with their food or drink which makes them ill
If your pub or bar is burgled, contents insurance will cover your stolen equipment and stock insurance will cover your stored food or drinks
Commercial buildings insurance will help you cover the cost of repairs if a fire breaks out and damages the building
There are two main types of business insurance at the heart of pub insurance. These offer some of the most important protection for you and your business, and in some instances are essential. These are:
If a member of the public is injured, falls ill, or has their property damaged in your pub or bar as a result of your business, this this insurance will help you cover related legal fees if they seek compensation
If you have employees, you are legally required to own employer's liability insurance, even if your employees are volunteers. This will cover legal fees if any of your employees are injured or fall ill while carrying out their work
There are lots of different types of insurance you can take out to protect your pub. When you take out public or employers' liability insurance, some of these cover types can be added to your policy:
If your business contents are damaged or stolen, this insurance will cover the cost of replacements
Protect your business building from flood damage, fire damage, and vandalism with this insurance cover
This will cover the cost of your stock of alcohol, soft drinks, and produce if it's stolen or destroyed
This will cover your business's income if a theft or damage to your pub stops you from doing business
Other than liability claims, this will help you cover legal fees for a range of issues, including tax disputes
If you are accidentally injured outside of work, this will cover some of your lost income and medical costs
The cost of pub insurance depends on a number of factors, including:
Having a more valuable business usually means that you need more insurance cover, so a higher turnover will make your insurance more expensive
The location of a pub can have a huge impact on how much things cost and the sort of clients you're likely to have. Areas with a high risk of big claims pay more for insurance
The insurance types you pick will add to your policy. More extra cover means higher premiums, and some types of cover are more expensive than others
The number of employees and the size of the pub itself will affect your insurance cost. Bigger businesses cost more to insure
'Excess' is an amount that you agree to contribute to cover the cost of your claim. Choosing a higher excess is one way to reduce your premiums
You will have to pay more for insurance if you have claimed on your insurance in the past or if you have been involved in any legal disputes
Comparing business insurance quotes with MoneySuperMarket is the easiest way to find an affordable deal on cover. Here's how it works:
Let us know about your business and what it does, and we'll find deals tailored to your requirements
You'll be able to compare your offers by cost, level of protection and any extras that are available
Once you've found the right deal for you, just click through to the provider to finalise your purchase
Pub insurance won't cover you for digital theft of money, but if you keep cash on the premises your insurance will cover it.
Insurance coverage for cash doesn't usually come as standard with business insurance. Some providers offer it as an optional extra that you can add to your policy when you apply. However, there are terms and limits to this type of cover.
Cash that you keep on your business property needs to be locked in a secure safe overnight. Insurance also has limits to how much cash they will cover. Details like these are important to look out for when reviewing your policy documents.
Standard home insurance will not typically cover buildings that you use for business. If you are renting the building that you are using for your pub or bar, it's the responsibility of your landlord to buy commercial buildings insurance. This will cover the cost of repairs if the building is damaged by something like a fire or vandalism.
To protect the contents of your business – such as the furniture, televisions, bar equipment – there is business contents insurance.
Pub insurance isn't a legal requirement. The only insurance that you are legally required to have as a public house owner is employers' liability insurance. All UK business owners with employees need this insurance, even if their employees are volunteers. The only exception to this law would be if you didn't have any employees or employed only your immediate family members.
The insurance products that make up pub insurance can cover a range of establishments, including:
Public houses
Bars
Wine bars
Pop-ups
Cocktail bars
However, the same policies can also protect other kinds of businesses and business owners, like shops, trades people, builders, salons, and more.
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