Public liability insurance for roofers

How the wording fits the job

The wording matters because public liability cover has boundaries. The name of the policy does not tell you where every boundary sits.

The certificate is useful evidence for a customer, but the policy wording decides far more than the certificate shows.

The day-to-day exposure is easier to judge through examples. For this subject, look at: materials or tools fall; rain enters during unfinished work; and heat damages the roof or adjoining property. Each example can involve different facts and exclusions. Mention it if it forms part of the work you undertake.

Do not rely on memory if you can check: flat, pitched and industrial roof work; heat processes and maximum height; and scaffolding, subcontractors and weatherproofing. Read the answer back as though you were checking somebody else’s form.

Set the certificate beside the full policy documents. The certificate confirms useful basics, but it cannot show every condition. An unexplained clause is a reason to ask a question, not to guess.

Where a claim might begin

The following examples are worth discussing if they occur in your work:

• Materials or tools fall
• Rain enters during unfinished work
• Heat damages the roof or adjoining property

The cause, timing and people involved can all change the outcome. Keep that in mind when reading the wording.

Use “rain enters during unfinished work” as a test case. Picture the actual premises and the people moving through them. Then check whether the activity, location and possible damage all fit the description you plan to submit.

Compare it with “materials or tools fall”. One may concern injury and the other property damage, yet both could arise from the same working area.

If the policy provider would be surprised to hear about the example, the original description probably needs another look.

What to check before starting the form

A hurried estimate can cause confusion later. Check:

• Flat, pitched and industrial roof work
• Heat processes and maximum height
• Scaffolding, subcontractors and weatherproofing

Check “flat, pitched and industrial roof work”, “heat processes and maximum height” and “scaffolding, subcontractors and weatherproofing” against recent invoices and the work diary. The description should cover ordinary jobs as well as the less frequent tasks that customers still ask you to do.

The resulting documents also need a clear position on check exclusions for the roof being worked on. If they do not, ask while the quotation can still be changed.

Two reminders from this page are “hot-work warranties can be strict” and “check exclusions for the roof being worked on”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “flat, pitched and industrial roof work”, ask about it before the cover is needed and retain any written reply.

If the provider asks for an estimate, make a fair one and note how you arrived at it.

Read beyond the policy summary

• Hot-work warranties can be strict
• Check exclusions for the roof being worked on
• Contract works may protect unfinished work

Pay attention to instructions that use words such as “must” or “always”. Ask what happens if a condition cannot be followed on a particular job.

Check the awkward jobs too

Compare the trading name on invoices with the name shown on the quotation. The connection should be clear to a customer reading the certificate.

Price matters, of course, but a cheaper quotation is not useful if it leaves out the work that creates the risk.

If you later stop offering part of the service, keep records of the old work. The change may help at renewal, but it does not erase jobs already completed.

Before closing the file, return to this point: contract works may protect unfinished work; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.