Public liability insurance for carpenters and joiners

Putting the question into context

The policy needs to match the work as it is really done. A tidy trade name on its own does not tell an insurer enough.

Cover applies within the stated dates, activities, limits and conditions. That sounds plain, but it is where many misunderstandings begin.

Three parts of the work deserve a closer look: a fitted unit damages a wall or person; dust or tools damage a customer’s property; and a product fails after delivery. Use the list to find the parts of the work that need a clear answer in the quotation and policy.

Before opening a quotation form, find the information behind these answers: workshop versus site turnover; structural, roofing or fire-door work; and products made, fitted or imported. A brief written clarification is easier to rely on than a half-remembered conversation.

If a customer requested the insurance, compare the certificate with the contract before sending it. Dates and limits should agree. If the answer is not clear, ask before the first job relies on the cover.

Where the exposure comes from

The risk becomes clearer when it is broken into real events:

• A fitted unit damages a wall or person
• Dust or tools damage a customer’s property
• A product fails after delivery

Do not assume that a familiar accident is automatically insured. Conditions and exclusions still apply.

The example “a product fails after delivery” is useful because it forces the question into a real setting. Consider the likely scale of damage, any contract conditions and whether the activity was declared.

Then turn to “a fitted unit damages a wall or person”. If it is a regular possibility, it belongs in the conversation before cover is bought. If it is exceptional, explain when it occurs.

This kind of check takes only a few minutes. It gives the quotation questions some context and makes a vague answer easier to spot.

Have these answers ready

Use actual business records where you can. The provider is likely to need:

• Workshop versus site turnover
• Structural, roofing or fire-door work
• Products made, fitted or imported

Use “workshop versus site turnover”, “structural, roofing or fire-door work” and “products made, fitted or imported” to describe the business as it operates now. Include occasional work when it creates a different hazard, even if it produces little of the annual turnover.

A customer may later read only the certificate. You should still keep the fuller schedule and endorsements for your own records.

Two reminders from this page are “tools and workshop machinery need their own cover” and “check products liability”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “workshop versus site turnover”, ask about it before the cover is needed and retain any written reply.

Keep the quotation record with the policy. If the wording describes a narrower business, ask why.

Do not skip the endorsements

• Tools and workshop machinery need their own cover
• Check products liability
• Fire-safety work deserves precise disclosure

The certificate is only a summary. Use the schedule, wording and endorsements for the fuller picture.

Before you submit the quote

Read a recent contract and compare its insurance clause with the limit and business description you plan to buy.

A short written record can save a long disagreement about what was said when the cover was arranged.

Do not discard the earlier policy when a new one begins. A claim can arrive well after the work was completed, so the documents in force at the time may still be needed.

Do not let the following point get buried: fire-safety work deserves precise disclosure; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.