We're trusted
We're been around since 1993 and are the UK's most recommended price comparison website[7].
Protect your business from injuries, theft and legal complaints
Easily compare multiple quotes to find the best deal
In partnership with Simply Business[2]
Roofers insurance is specialised business insurance for companies and individuals who work on roofs.
You can buy different types of business 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 equipment is 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 roofing firm or are a self-employed roofer, insurance can financially protect you if something goes wrong at work.
Without insurance you could end up paying some very high costs if your employee is injured while working, your equipment is stolen, or you are accused of damaging a client's property.
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 becomes ill or injured because of your work you could be responsible for the associated costs, including expensive compensation claims. This is far from an unlikely scenario: an average 47,000 construction workers are injured each year.[4]
Employers' liability insurance covers harm caused to employees, contractors, volunteers and anyone else doing any work for you. It's also a legal requirement.
If anyone becomes ill or injured because of your work you could be responsible for the associated costs, including expensive compensation claims. Construction is risky work, and things can unexpectedly go very wrong: 3 members of the public were killed because of construction work in the 2023/4 financial year[5].
Public liability insurance covers harm to members of the public. It is not a legal requirement, but many clients will insist you have it.
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.
From equipment falling onto a client's car to accidentally cracking a skylight, there are 101 ways the tools of your trade could end up causing expensive property damage that owners may expect you to pay for.
Public liability insurance will pay the costs of accidental damage to other people's property, whether that's a client, supplier or member of the public.
You can also take out professional indemnity insurance to protect you financially if you make a professional mistake or give bad advice that results in a financial loss for your client.
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.
Roofers could be found liable for everything from someone tripping over your equipment to you accidentally causing damage to a building.
Public liability insurance can cover the legal fees and compensation payouts in such cases.
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.
We can do this work for you.
We're been around since 1993 and are the UK's most recommended price comparison website[7].
We take the effort out of shopping around. Get quotes from top insurers in minutes.
Our mission is to save you money. We save our customers £1 bn+ on their bills every year[8]
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.
Tool insurance protects tools from loss, damage, or theft.
Personal accident insurance protects you if you're injured.
Business interruption insurance protects against disruption from events like fires.
Business contents insurance protects equipment, including in home offices.
Almost 9 in 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.
Per Year | Cheapest | Average |
|---|---|---|
Roofers (without heat application) | £247.98[10] | £305.10[11] |
Roofers (with heat application) | £1255.65[12] | £1256[13] |
The table shows the average prices paid by our customers for the most common types of roofers business 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 roofers policy that does not cover the application of heat.
The cost of fixing insurable problems yourself is usually significantly more expensive than taking out insurance.
Can be covered | Usually not covered |
|---|---|
✔ Financial loss | ✖ Intentional harm or damage |
✔ Business vehicle cover | ✖ Actions performed under drugs or alcohol |
✔ Legal expenses | ✖ Damage to property being worked on |
✔ Injuries, deaths and illnesses | ✖ Wear and tear |
✔ Tools and equipment | ✖ Breach of contract |
✔ Business contents | ✖ Improper use of business vehicles |
✔ Professional mistakes |
Public liability insurance, which covers harm to other people and their property. It's not a legal requirement, but some clients will insist you have it.
If you have any non-family members working for you, including labour-only contractors and volunteers, it is a legal requirement that you take out employers' liability insurance. This covers staff injuries and illnesses caused by their work.
Other types of business insurance that can offer valuable protection to roofers are:
Tool insurance - covers costs if tools are lost, damaged or stolen
Business van insurance - for your work vehicle (If you have several, you might want fleet van insurance)
Personal accident insurance - covers costs if you or anyone named on the policy is hurt at work
Business interruption insurance - covers costs if your work is disrupted by events like fires or the Covid-19 pandemic
The company that employs the roofer is usually liable for any roofing accidents.
Employers liability insurance will generally cover the associated costs. It is a legal requirement that all businesses with staff take it out.
No. Most standard public liability insurance policies won't cover you for performing faulty work. Similarly, most professional indemnity insurance policies won't cover you for defective workmanship either.
These insurance policies are designed to protect you where issues are caused by genuine mistakes and not irresponsible practices. Professional indemnity insurance, for example, will usually cover measurement miscalculations in your blueprints.
Yes, if they are labour-only subcontractors you will need employers' liability insurance. It is a legal requirement that you take out this insurance to cover any accidents or illnesses that happen to your staff at work.
A subcontractor is labour-only if your business supervises their work and provides them with the tools and materials they use for the job.
If you only work with bona fide subcontractors you probably do not need to insure them, and they are likely to have their own contractor liability insurance in place.
Bona fide subcontractors work independently from you and provide all their own tools, material and equipment.
Yes, you need to insure any vans or vehicles you use for your business. Standard van insurance policies do not cover business use.
Business van insurance will ensure that your van is properly protected both on and off the road while you're using it, and some policies can even protect tools and equipment that you store in your van.
If you own several vans you can also take out fleet van insurance which will provider cover for multiple vehicles under one policy.
Roofing comes with intrinsic risks. Falling from a height is one of the most common ways to get injured at work, making up 8% of all non-fatal accidents in the 2023/4 financial year[15]. Falling objects can also cause extensive damage to other people and their property.
Comprehensive roofers insurance can protect your business, your staff and everyone around you, so all you'll have left to worry about is patching leaks and fixing fascias.
Jake Edmonds 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.
According to Simply Business data, 10% of customers paid this amount or less monthly for a roofers insurance excluding the application of heat policy with Simply Business. Figure based on annual quotes 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
Source: UK Government's Construction Statistics in Great Britain Report 2024
Source: UK Government's Construction Statistics in Great Britain Report 2024
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.
88% of business insurance claims made by MoneySuperMarket customers were accepted in the 12 months before March 2025. Data from SimplyBusiness.
According to Simply Business data, 10% of customers paid this amount or less for an annual roofers insurance excluding the application of heat policy with Simply Business. Figure based on annual quotes purchased in 2024.
According to Simply Business data, 51% of customers paid this amount or less for an annual roofers insurance excluding the application of heat policy with Simply Business. Figure based on annual quotes purchased in 2024.
According to Simply Business data, 10% of customers paid this amount or less for an annual roofers insurance including the application of heat policy with Simply Business. Figure based on annual quotes purchased in 2024.
According to Simply Business data, 51% of customers paid this amount or less for an annual roofers insurance including the application of heat policy with Simply Business. Figure based on annual quotes purchased in 2024.
Average claims value for MoneySuperMarket customers who claimed on their business insurance in the last 12 months. Data provided by SimplyBusiness.
Source: Health and Safety Executive, Summary Statistics for Great Britain 2024
