When should I buy public liability insurance?

Why the work description matters

Treat the quotation questions as part of buying the cover, not as a formality to get through quickly. An unclear answer is better queried before payment.

Public liability normally centres on accidental injury to other people and accidental damage to their property. It does not make every loss connected with a job recoverable.

Look beyond the value of the invoice and consider: your first paid job is booked; a tender or venue asks for evidence; and you begin visiting customer premises. None of these situations has an automatic insurance answer. They are useful prompts for checking the scope of the quotation.

Write down the facts rather than estimating them in a rush: the first date you need cover; known incidents, complaints or circumstances; and upcoming jobs outside your usual pattern. Where the position varies between jobs, explain the usual work and the exception.

Use the policy summary as an introduction, then turn to the schedule and endorsements for the details that affect the work. Query any uncertain point while other quotations are still open to you.

The risks hidden in an ordinary job

Run through these situations against the jobs you accept:

• Your first paid job is booked
• A tender or venue asks for evidence
• You begin visiting customer premises

The policy response depends on the full circumstances. A short list on a webpage cannot replace the wording.

Think about a recent job where “a tender or venue asks for evidence” might have arisen. The customer, premises and method of work are often more informative than the occupation name alone.

The point about “you begin visiting customer premises” may follow a different policy route. Check it rather than assuming that every loss connected with the business belongs under public liability.

Read the proposed wording against those real examples. Query a gap before accepting the cover.

Details to gather for the quote

Write down the answers to these points before opening the form:

• The first date you need cover
• Known incidents, complaints or circumstances
• Upcoming jobs outside your usual pattern

Set aside a few minutes for “the first date you need cover”, “known incidents, complaints or circumstances” and “upcoming jobs outside your usual pattern”. Accurate answers now make it easier to check the schedule and business description when the documents arrive.

This record is useful at renewal as well. It shows what was declared and makes changes in the business easier to identify.

Two reminders from this page are “do not backdate information” and “keep confirmation of the start date”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “the first date you need cover”, ask about it before the cover is needed and retain any written reply.

Read the finished form once more before sending it. A missing activity is easier to correct at this stage.

Questions for the provider

• Do not backdate information
• Keep confirmation of the start date
• Check renewal before long contracts continue

Read the schedule and endorsements beside the main wording. Important restrictions are often shown there.

Before the next job starts

Read any special terms added for the activity, site or method of work. Decide whether the precautions are realistic for every relevant job.

Do this while the details are fresh. It is much harder to reconstruct an answer after somebody has complained.

Finally, make sure the business could follow every stated precaution on a busy day. If a condition does not fit the way the work is carried out, ask about it. Ignoring an impractical condition is not a safe solution.

The final note for this particular subject concerns: check renewal before long contracts continue; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.