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Plumbers insurance is specialised business insurance for plumbing firms, sole traders and contractors.
You can buy different types of insurance:
Employers liability insurance - covers costs if employees are harmed
Public liability insurance - covers costs if members of the public are harmed
Tool insurance - covers costs if tools are lost, damaged or stolen
🚩 Employers liability insurance is a legal requirement if you have staff
🚩Clients may insist you have public liability insurance
Whether you own a plumbing firm or are a self-employed plumber, insurance can financially protect you if something goes wrong at work.
Without insurance you could end up paying some very high costs if your equipment is damaged, your employee is hurt, or your work creates a major leak.
If you are a UK business and you have any non-family members working for you then by law you must have employers' liability insurance.
Without it, you can be fined up to £2,500 for every day you're not insured[3].
Employers liability insurance covers the compensation costs if a worker becomes ill or injured because of their work for you. This includes ex-employees.
For example, if a worker was exposed to toxics which created health issues years later they could sue their old employer for failing to put adequate health and safety measures in place.
If anyone who works for you becomes ill or injured because of their job you could be responsible for the associated costs, including expensive compensation claims.
Employers' liability insurance covers harm caused to employees, contractors, volunteers and anyone else doing any work for you. It's also a legal requirement.
Many people are wary about hiring tradespeople who do not have comprehensive insurance policies in place, and many organisations have policies prohibiting them from hiring uninsured companies.
Government contracts, for example, will usually insist you have a plumbers public liability insurance policy of at least £5-£10 million.
If anyone becomes ill or injured because of your work you could be responsible for the associated costs, including expensive compensation claims. Working with water and gas is risky work, and things can unexpectedly go very wrong
Public liability insurance covers harm to members of the public. It is not a legal requirement, but some clients will insist you have it, especially if you do commercial plumbing.
From a pipe leak ruining a client's office equipment to a blown fitting causing water damage a customer's home, there are 101 ways a plumbing job could end up causing expensive property damage that owners may expect you to pay for.
With public liability insurance your insurance provider will pay the costs of accidental damage to other people's property, whether that's a client, supplier or member of the public.
Business contents insurance can help you recover the cost of losing company equipment to fire, flood, theft and other disasters. Tool cover can offer similar protection for tools.
The risk of some types of equipment losses is growing. London saw tool theft from vans increase by 60% between 2020 and 2023.
You can be taken to court if a client or a member or the public believe they have been physically or financially harmed because of your company's business activities, including if their property is damaged.
Plumbing businesses could be found liable for everything from incorrectly fitting fixtures to a plumbing contractor slipping on-site and banging their head.
Public liability insurance can cover the legal fees and compensation payouts in the event of a claim.
That's how much was paid out in 2024. Without business insurance, those customers would have faced paying that bill themselves.
Comparing quotes from different insurers allows you to find the best deal out there.
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Public liability insurance protects you if your work harms members of the public.
Employers’ liability insurance protects you if your staff become ill or injured at work.
Professional indemnity insurance protects you if you are accused of negligence.
Tool insurance covers costs if your tools are stolen, damaged, or lost.
Product liability covers legal fees if your product causes injury to a customer.
Business interruption insurance protects against disruption from events like fires.
(Per Year) | Cheapest | Average |
|---|---|---|
Plumbing, heating and ventilation | £288.43[7] | £508.48[8] |
The table shows the average prices paid by our customers for plumbers insurance.
Average price means 51% of customers paid this amount or less. Cheapest price means 10% of customers paid this price or less.
According to our latest data, 10% of customers paid this when taking out an annual plumbers insurance policy.
The cost of fixing insurable problems yourself is usually significantly more expensive than taking out insurance.
Almost 9 in 10[10] of business insurance claims made by MoneySuperMarket customers were accepted last year.
All insurance has conditions and exceptions, so you should read your policy documents carefully to make sure you know what is and isn't covered.
When it comes to business insurance, the cheapest option may not be the best option for you. Sometimes it is worth paying a little more to get a better level of cover.
Financial loss: Compensation payouts to third parties that had their person or property harmed by your work activities
Business van insurance: Standard motor insurance policies won't usually cover vehicles that are used for work
Legal expenses insurance: For things like employment disputes, property disputes, and tax investigations
Accidental death: Offers a lump sum should you or an employee die as a result of an unforeseen incident
Tools and equipment: Cover to repair and replace business equipment that is damaged or stolen
Business contents: Covers items such as office furniture or computers and phone systems for if they’re damaged or stolen
Professional indemnity: Covers you if your business is responsible for any professional negligence
Personal accident insurance: Offers a lump sum payment if you or an employee are hurt and no longer able to work
Intentional harm or damage: Either by yourself or an employee
Poor workmanship: Most insurance policies won't cover you for events that are caused by incompetence, although professional indemnity will cover you for some types of negligence
Drugs or alcohol: If you or your employees were under the influence when the event you want to claim for occurred
Damage to property being worked on: Some policies won't cover damage to a person's property caused while you are working on it
Wear and tear: Insurance won't pay out for damage or breaking of tools or equipment that are the result of general wear and tear
Breach of contract: Some types of insurance will exclude cover for costs arising from you breaching a contract
Improper use of business vehicles: If you're using vehicles for work purposes without declaring that to your insurer, or if the person driving is not covered by the policy
It depends on what type of subcontractor you are.
If you are bona fide subcontractor you are responsible for your own insurance. Bona fide subcontractors work independently and provide all their own tools, material and equipment. Many employers will be reluctant to hire you if you do not have your own contractor liability insurance.
If you are labour-only subcontractors the company who hires you is responsible for insuring you and your work. They must have employers' liability insurance in place to cover any accidents or illnesses that happen to you at work. A subcontractor is labour-only if the business you're hired out to supervises your work and provides you with the tools and materials you use for the job.
Not legally, but many clients, contractors and trade associations will insist you have appropriate cover. The risks involved in gas installation also mean you could be faced with an extremely high bill if something goes wrong and you are uninsured.
Only plumbers who are gas safe registered engineers are qualified to work on gas heating systems. An insurance policy won't cover you if you are not properly certified.
Yes, if water damage has been caused by a plumber’s work, they may be liable for the costs of repairs.
This depends on the work carried out and any guarantees in place but plumbers are usually liable for around 12 months after the work is carried out.
Short-term trade insurance can cover you for a period of days, weeks or months. It is designed for on-off projects or jobs.
Being a plumber can be a risky job and accidents can happen, no matter how much experience and skill you have. While it’s a legal requirement to have employers liability insurance if you have staff, a public liability insurance policy can also be extremely useful if someone sues you.
A policy which covers your costs if you’re unable to work is also valuable – especially if you’re self employed. Around 1.7 million working people are currently suffering from a work-related illness[11] and if you’re self employed you’ll need to cover the loss of income. No insurance policies are the same so before you buy one, always compare the costs and the details of the cover.
Rebecca Goodman Personal Finance & Insurance Expert
MoneySuperMarket has won the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award, an independent seal of excellence, which recognises businesses that consistently deliver a world-class customer experience.
The only insurance plumbers are legally required to have is employers liability insurance if you have anybody working for you.
However, given the risks associated with the job many decorators take out public liability insurance, which covers costs if members of the public or their property are harmed. Clients may also insist you have this type of insurance.
The amount of public liability insurance that you need as a plumber depends on a variety of factors, including the size of your business, the nature of your work, and the level of risk associated with your operations.
If you buy through us you can choose from three levels of cover: £1 million, £2 million or £5 million.
You can put different types of work on one business insurance policy, but you must specifically add them to the insurance to be covered. You can do this when you take out the policy and you can also add extra trades on mid-way through by contacting your insurer.
Some examples of work you would need to add on to your plumbers insurance policy include:
bedroom, bathroom and kitchen fixture fitting
gas fitting
electrical work
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One of the best ways to get the lowest prices and best deals is to compare quotes from different companies. We do the work for you, comparing quotes side-by-side and giving you all the information you need so you can choose the right deal for your needs and your wallet.
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Our goal is to search deals from as wide a range of companies as possible so that you can choose the deal that suits you.
No, at this time business insurance is not an eligible product for unlocking our SuperSaveClub rewards. It is also not included in our Price Promise.
According to Simply Business data, 10% of customers paid this amount or less monthly for a plumbers insurance policy. Figure based on annual policies purchased in 2024.
Simply Business is one of the UK's leading providers of business insurance, serving 1 million customers across 1,500 trades.
Source: Gov.uk
Simply Business data 2024
YouGov Survey 1st October 2023 to 30th September 2024. Net recommended score derived from “Which of the following online service website would you recommend to a friend or colleague, or tell them to avoid?” Base: Current Customers of (MoneySuperMarket n=19272, CompareTheMarket n=17631, Go.Compare n=10457, Confused.com n= 8421, Uswitch n=681)
From 01.06.23 to 31.05.24 MoneySuperMarket customers received £1.59bn estimated savings based on (i) SuperSaveClub reward redemptions, and (ii) savings claims per product multiplied by the number of sales. Products included - Car, Home, Pet and Travel insurance, Broadband, Credit Cards, Loans and Mortgages.
According to Simply Business data, 10% of customers paid this amount or less for an annual plumbers insurance policy. Figure based on policies purchased in 2024.
According to Simply Business data, 51% of customers paid this amount or less for an annual plumbers insurance policy. Figure based on policies purchased in 2024.
Average claims value for MoneySuperMarket customers who claimed on their business insurance in the last 12 months. Data provided by SimplyBusiness.
88% of business insurance claims made by MoneySuperMarket customers were accepted in the 12 months before March 2025. Data from SimplyBusiness.
Source: Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - Key figures for Great Britain Report (2023/24)
