Public liability insurance for window cleaners

What the policy needs to reflect

The practical test is simple enough: could the policy provider recognise the job from the description you supplied? If not, the description may be too vague.

The schedule, endorsements and main wording work together. Reading only the certificate can leave out the conditions and exclusions that affect a claim.

The following situations are a useful reality check: a hose causes a trip; equipment damages glazing or a vehicle; and water enters a building. These examples do not promise that a claim will be covered. They bring out details that a broad business label can hide.

The provider may need a clear account of: maximum height and access equipment; domestic or commercial split; and work near roads and the public. Do not make a risky activity disappear by choosing the nearest convenient description.

Check that the final wording follows the answers supplied during the quotation. An unexpected restriction should be queried. Do not leave a doubtful restriction until somebody asks for the certificate.

How the problem can arise

Think about the following before asking for a price:

• A hose causes a trip
• Equipment damages glazing or a vehicle
• Water enters a building

One incident can involve more than one part of a policy. Report the facts and let the insurer consider them.

Look closely at “water enters a building”. Record who controlled the area, what equipment was in use and whether another business or household was affected.

Also look at “equipment damages glazing or a vehicle”. If another contractor, venue or customer controls part of the site, keep the agreement and any instructions they supplied.

Keep the exercise practical. Use jobs you have done or genuinely expect to do, rather than remote possibilities added simply to make the list longer.

Prepare the facts first

The quotation will be easier to complete if you first confirm:

• Maximum height and access equipment
• Domestic or commercial split
• Work near roads and the public

Use “maximum height and access equipment”, “domestic or commercial split” and “work near roads and the public” 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.

If the form offers only broad categories, choose the closest honest description and use any available notes box to explain the difference.

Two reminders from this page are “check treatment of the glass being worked on” and “control public access below”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “maximum height and access equipment”, ask about it before the cover is needed and retain any written reply.

Do not accept a description simply because it is the closest choice in a menu. Ask if it does not fit the work.

Wording to read before buying

• Check treatment of the glass being worked on
• Control public access below
• Powered access may need separate cover

Limits, excesses and exclusions answer different questions. Check all three rather than stopping at the headline figure.

Finish with the paperwork

Look back over the jobs completed during the past twelve months. Include the occasional work, not just the service that brings in most of the turnover.

Contracts sometimes ask for more than a limit. Read the whole insurance clause and query anything you do not understand.

Keep a simple note of later changes: a new service, different premises, extra staff or a larger contract. Ask whether the policy record needs updating rather than assuming the change can wait.

A last check should cover: powered access may need separate cover; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.