Public liability insurance
Cover options for businesses and trades, including injury and property damage claims from customers and the public, and products liability.
What is public liability insurance?
Public liability insurance covers your legal liability if a customer, visitor, client or member of the public is injured, or their property is damaged, because of your business. It pays compensation and legal costs, up to the limit on your policy. It's often sold with products liability, which covers injury or damage caused by products you make or supply.
PIB Insurance Brokers arranges public liability as part of wider cover for trades, contractors, manufacturers, food and drink businesses, shops and charities. A broker can be particularly helpful when your cover is more complex, for example contracts that ask for £5m or £10m, work in clients' homes or on large sites, work at height or with heat, events, or products you import or export. See our guide to public and product liability insurance for the basics.
What public liability insurance covers
Public liability is usually part of a business policy, with related covers to consider alongside it. The summaries below are general examples of what may be covered in each section; your policy schedule and wording decide what is and isn't covered in any claim.
Core covers
Injury to other people
Compensation to customers, visitors, clients and the public injured because of your business, such as a trip over your equipment.
Watch for: Injury to your own employees, which needs employers' liability insurance.
Damage to other people's property
Damage you cause to property that isn't yours, such as a client's home while you're working there.
Watch for: Property in your care, custody or control, such as items you're working on, which may be limited or excluded.
Products liability
Injury or damage caused by products you make, supply, sell, repair or import.
Watch for: The cost of replacing or recalling a faulty product.
Legal costs
The cost of defending claims, often paid in addition to the limit.
Watch for: Fines and penalties.
Optional covers to consider
Employers' liability
Injury or illness claims from your staff. Usually required by law if you employ staff. See our employers' liability insurance page.
Watch for: Public liability doesn't cover employees.
Professional indemnity
Claims that your advice or design caused a client financial loss. See our professional indemnity insurance page.
Watch for: Public liability covers injury and damage, not financial loss from advice.
Tools and equipment
Theft of or damage to your own tools and equipment.
Watch for: Theft from unattended vehicles overnight, unless secured as required.
Contract works
Damage to the work you're doing before it's handed over.
Watch for: Defective workmanship itself.
Public liability for your trade
Insurers rate public liability on what you do. See our pages for:
- Construction and trades. Builders, electrical contractors, painters and decorators, groundworks and cleaning contractors.
- Food, drink and hospitality. Food and drink and hospitality.
- Manufacturing. Manufacturing.
- Charities. Charities.
How much cover do you need?
Limits of £1m, £2m, £5m and £10m are common. Check your contracts first: clients, councils and venues often set a minimum, and some ask to see your certificate before you start.
What public liability insurance does not cover
Typical limits across public liability policies:
- Problems that existed before the policy started: claims or circumstances you knew about before cover began are usually excluded.
- Deliberate acts: claims arising from deliberate wrongdoing, fraud or dishonesty are usually excluded.
- Injury to your employees: this needs employers' liability.
- Your own property: your premises, tools and stock need property or tools cover.
- Faulty workmanship: putting right poor work isn't covered, only the injury or damage it causes.
- Undeclared work: work at height, hot work or work abroad may be excluded unless declared.
- Claims above your limit: the policy pays up to its limit of indemnity, and anything above that is usually yours to pay.
- An excess on most claims: most covers carry an excess (the amount you pay before the insurer contributes), which varies by cover.
Conditions matter too: claims may also be reduced or declined if policy conditions aren't met. Common examples: hot work carried out without the permit or precautions the policy requires, or work at height beyond the declared limit.
How much does public liability insurance cost?
There is no standard price. What you pay depends on your trade and activities, your turnover or wage roll, the limit you choose, where you work and your claims history.
What affects the cost
- Trade and activities: work at height, hot work and heavy machinery usually cost more to insure than office work.
- The limit you choose: a higher limit usually costs more.
- Where you work: work in clients' homes, on large sites or abroad may change the cost.
- A clean claims record: insurers usually look at the last three to five years.
- Your excess: choosing a higher excess (the amount you pay towards each claim) may lower the premium, the price of your cover.
Why work with PIB Insurance Brokers
We explore your options
We can approach insurers that cover your trade and set out the differences in cover, not just price.
We look at what your contracts require
A contract's minimum limit, work at height or with heat, and work abroad may each change what you need.
We look for common gaps
A limit below what contracts require, activities not declared, or no products liability for goods you supply.
Here when things change
Our team is on hand throughout the policy year for advice, whether your circumstances change or you're not sure what to do next.
What our clients say
Reviews from PIB Insurance Brokers clients across the sectors we work with, collected by Reviews.io.
Need a higher limit for a contract? Talk to us.
Get a quoteFrequently asked questions
Is public liability insurance a legal requirement?
No. Public liability insurance isn't required by law in the UK. But clients, councils, landlords and venues often ask for it, and without it you'd pay compensation and legal costs yourself. Employers' liability, which covers your staff, usually is a legal requirement.
How much public liability cover do I need?
Check your contracts first. Clients, councils and venues often set a minimum, commonly £1m, £2m, £5m or £10m. Beyond that, think about the worst realistic claim your work could cause, such as a serious injury or a fire in a client's building.
Does public liability insurance cover personal injury?
Yes, for people who aren't your employees, such as customers, visitors, clients and the public. Injuries to your own staff are covered by employers' liability instead.