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Up to £10 million worth of cover
You can get up to £10 million worth of public liability cover for all members of the public that interact with your business.
Protects your business against liability claims
Covers your business against legal fees, expenses, and compensation claims made against your business. This protects against injury or damage to people's property.
Available for all types of SME business
From an initial analysis to managing your account, we'll always be on hand to offer help.
Protect your excess
In the event of a claim, you normally need to pay an excess before the insurer will reimburse you. For a small cost, this cover will reimburse you for your policy excess if you need to claim.
1. Option to add employers liability insurance
Often there is an option to add a certain amount of employer’s liability insurance to your public liability insurance as part of your cover.
2. Optional extras
Multiple useful “extra” options – tools, contract work, plant, personal accident and more.
3. Unusual businesses
If your business doesn’t tick all the usual boxes we will do our best to find you the right solution.
Cover up to £10 million from our insurers
Public liability insurance definition
Public liability insurance cover protects business owners and professionals who interact with customers and members of the public. Public liability insurance protects you and your business against claims made for personal injury or property damage that a third-party claim to have suffered as a result of your business.
What is public liability insurance?
Public liability insurance cover can help protect your business against claims made for loss, damage, or injury to the public or their property caused by your company. Getting public liability insurance at the right level of cover is a simple way of making sure that you and your company are protected. If your business is found to be at fault, it will cover compensation claims.
It’s one of the most important types of insurance a business should have. Whether you’re a self-employed sole trader working at a customer’s property, small business owner or large corporation, if you have premises visited by members of the public, accidents that harm people and property can occur. This may lead to expensive and inconvenient fees as well as pose a threat to your professional reputation. Having public liability insurance in place can give you peace of mind that, should an unfortunate incident occur, you’ll have it covered.
For example, you may have carried out a repair job at a customer’s premise that resulted in accidental damage to their property. In this instance you would need to pay an excess amount previously agreed with your insurer but further costs resulting from the damage and up to the limit of indemnity selected would be covered by your public liability insurance.
If you run offsite events such as craft fairs, public liability insurance ensures that the policy holder is covered against accidental damage, loss of property, injury or death of a member of the public at the event.
Public liability insurance is widely recommended but it is not a legal requirement for most businesses. Certain businesses (those working with dangerous animals, riding schools, nuclear sites, and train track constructors), have specific laws requiring them to have public liability insurance. But for most businesses, the main consideration will be if you employ one or more members of staff.
How does public liability insurance work?
You select the level of public liability insurance you require ranging from £1 million to £10 million for members of the public that interact with your business. Cover is available for all types of businesses from dog walkers, bands, cafés, carpenters to scaffolders and high-risk businesses.
Public liability insurance covers you from compensation claims made against your business. It can also cover legal fees and costs depending on the specific options you choose. This protects against injury or damage to people’s property.
In the event of a claim, you usually need to pay an agreed excess before the insurer will reimburse you. For an additional cost you can purchase an additional policy which will reimburse you for your excess should you need to claim.
What does public liability insurance cover?
Public liability insurance covers your business in two areas; bodily injury and property damage made to a third party. Insurance cover includes:
- Compensation claims – For a member of the public or their property, when injured as a result of your businesses actions.
- Legal expenses – An optional extra to cover the cost of any legal proceedings, if a claim is made against your business.
- Repair costs – The cost of repairing damage to a customers or member of the public’s property.
- Medical fees – To cover the cost of any medical treatments, including the cost of ambulance call outs, if the NHS submit a claim against you.
Your insurance policy will cover compensation claims made against your business along with the associated legal costs to both you and the claimant, should your business be deemed as responsible for the claim.
Compensation payments are calculated taking multiple factors into account, such as the claimants’ loss of earning, associated
injury and ongoing medical cost, covering the cost of repairing or replacing damage caused to their property.
All of these can add up to a scary sum and one that your business may not have the cashflow to handle. If you’re covered by public liability insurance, you will have peace of mind that the issue can be resolved in a professional and efficient manner, reducing the impact to you and your business.
Business owners who employ one or more members of staff are legally required to have employers’ liability insurance in place. This protects you against the cost of claims for compensation from employee illness or injury that has been brought about as a consequence of working for you. This is critical for the protection of your employees and your business. Employers’ liability insurance can also be offered alongside your public liability insurance.
More about public liability insurance
Why compare public liability insurance?
Comparing public liability insurance with Compare Switch offers many benefits, including:
- Up to £10 million worth of cover
- Option to add employers liability insurance
- Optional extras include tools, contract works, plant, personal accident and more
- Suitability, if your business doesn’t tick all the usual boxes, we will do our best to find you the right solution
We compare cover up to £10m across the market, providing you with the best deals. What’s more, you can add optional extras such as employer’s liability or tool cover to provide cover for your needs. We work with market leaders such as AXA, NIG, Eaton Gate and more. Once you’ve found the quote that works for you, review, confirm and complete. Your insurance certificate will then be sent to you.
Compare and find business insurance online with our easy to use insurance finder service. Tell us a bit about your business and what you need, and we’ll work out the best business insurance for your requirements.
