Public liability insurance

-Chris-

Free Member
Oct 1, 2009
317
7
My friend is looking for public liability insurance, he's a general handyman, putting up shelves, the odd bit of painting, laying new patios etc. Where would be good places for him to get quotes from please? Any other handymen here that have public liability insurance? What sort of costs would he be looking at?
 

Frank the Insurance guy

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    Oct 28, 2020
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    meadowbroking.co.uk
    For this type of thing, if your friend is happy to go it alone without advise from a professional broker there are plenty of online "Do It Yourself" policies such as:
    https://www.moneysupermarket.com/business-insurance/
    https://www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk/

    For Public Liability only for a single person I would expect the annual premium to be under £100.

    If he wants some professional advice and support, I suggest he contact an independent broker, but expect to pay £50-£100 more.
     
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    WaveJumper

    Free Member
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    Aug 26, 2013
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    Plenty of places on the internet to find a quote as detailed above, but paying a little extra for some specialist advice can save you a lot of heartache if things go wrong down the line. How many business have found to their horror they were not covered for loss of income due to a pandemic cheap is not all ways the best.
     
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    echloe

    Free Member
    May 23, 2021
    17
    3
    United States
    Hoping someone can help me.

    I'm a self-employed electrician in business for 23 years.

    Last year a customer sued me for damages. I dispute that I caused the damage but that's neither here nor there right now.

    My public liability insurance company is paying the customer's claim but has refused to renew me because they say they are pulling out of the market.

    My broker rang around and says no one else will touch me because of my outstanding claim.

    Without public liability insurance, I'm effectively out of business. I have no other skills and a wife & family to support.

    Is there anything I can do? I'm distraught as you can imagine.
     
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    Frank the Insurance guy

    Business Member
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    Oct 28, 2020
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    meadowbroking.co.uk
    Hi @echloe - sorry to hear of your situation.

    Unfortunately it is not uncommon to hear of your situation, but there may be things you can do.

    One thing to be aware of is that there is a shift in the insurance market, particularly in respect of the construction industry - with some insurers withdrawing from this sector (as is the case with your current insurer), and the remaining insurers increasing their rates.

    Last year a customer sued me for damages. I dispute that I caused the damage but that's neither here nor there right now.

    Potential Insurers will need not know what the claim (allegations) were for and the associated costs of the claim. The key thing is to demonstrate to a new insurer what you have learned from the allegations - have you changed the way you work or processes, to eliminate or reduce the possibility of a similar claim happening again?


    My broker rang around and says no one else will touch me because of my outstanding claim.

    You should ask your broker for a list of the insurers they have approached, as this will be useful to pass on to other brokers you speak to (as it saves them time to focus their efforts on insurers that were not approached).

    Have you spoken to another broker for a second opinion/search?

    In my experience, insurance is available for most things/situations - particularly if you have put new measures in place to prevent a re-occurrence of the claim. However, it can sometimes come down to whether the insurance quote is financial viable - it may be too expensive to be practical.

    For "freak" events that lead to claims, a number of insurers are open to treating these as likely to be a one-off, never to be repeated incident.

    Is there anything I can do?

    Definitely talk to another broker to check the market for you - make sure they are independent and are not tied to only one insurer! The broker should be willing to spend time to understand your business and the circumstances surrounding your claim, supporting you on the best way to present your established business to potential insurers.

    I am happy to take a look for you - send me a message on here with your contact details, or give me a call/email using my contact details below!
     
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    echloe

    Free Member
    May 23, 2021
    17
    3
    United States
    Hi @echloe - sorry to hear of your situation.

    Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to hear of your situation, but there may be things you can do.

    One thing to be aware of is that there is a shift in the insurance market, particularly in respect of the construction industry - with some insurers withdrawing from this sector (as is the case with your current insurer), and the remaining insurers increasing their rates.



    Potential Insurers will need not know what the claim (allegations) were for and the associated costs of the claim. The key thing is to demonstrate to a new insurer what you have learned from the allegations - have you changed the way you work or processes, to eliminate or reduce the possibility of a similar claim happening again?




    You should ask your broker for a list of the insurers they have approached, as this will be useful to pass on to other brokers you speak to (as it saves them time to focus their efforts on insurers that were not approached).

    Have you spoken to another broker for a second opinion/search?

    In my experience, insurance is available for most things/situations - particularly if you have put new measures in place to prevent a re-occurrence of the claim. However, it can sometimes come down to whether the insurance quote is financially viable - it may be too expensive to be practical.

    For "freak" events that lead to claims, a number of insurers are open to treating these as likely to be a one-off, never to be repeated incident.


    generalliabilityinsure.com
    Definitely talk to another broker to check the market for you - make sure they are independent and are not tied to only one insurer! The broker should be willing to spend time to understand your business and the circumstances surrounding your claim, supporting you on the best way to present your established business to potential insurers.

    I am happy to take a look for you - send me a message on here with your contact details, or give me a call/email using my contact details below!
    thank you so much
     
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