Public Liability Insurance for Tradesmen: What Each Trade Actually Pays

August 24, 2026 4 Min Read

Public liability insurance for tradesmen typically costs between £50 and £300 a year. Most tradespeople pay somewhere around £100 to £120. That single blended range is what almost every comparison guide gives you, no matter which trade you’re in. What none of them state plainly is how much your specific trade moves that number. A window cleaner and a scaffolder are not the same risk. Treating them as one average hides the real spread.

Quick Answer: Public Liability Insurance for Tradesmen

Public liability insurance for tradesmen costs £50 to £300 a year on average. Most policies land near £100 to £120. Lower-risk trades like window cleaning sit near the bottom of that range, often close to £5 a month. Higher-risk trades — scaffolding, gas work, roofing — sit near the top, closer to £10 to £15 a month. No source publishes exact per-trade prices. Real quotes depend on your turnover, claims history, and location. But the risk ranking below holds true across every insurer researched.

Why the “Average Cost” Number Hides the Real Story

Every comparison site quotes the same blended figure. That’s technically accurate. But it flattens a genuinely wide spread. A trade working at height or with gas carries far more risk per job than routine, low-risk work. Insurers price for that risk directly. The guides just don’t show you where your trade actually sits.

Public Liability Insurance for Tradesmen, by Trade

Here’s the relative risk ranking, from lowest to highest, based on the risk factors insurers themselves cite.

Window cleaning. One of the lowest-risk trades covered here. Premiums sit near the bottom of the range, close to £5 a month. The main risk is limited property damage, not serious injury.

Couriers. Also low-to-moderate risk. The main exposure is vehicle incidents and minor delivery damage. There’s none of the structural or height risk that pushes other trades higher.

Construction and general building. Sits in the middle of the range. Risk varies a lot by the specific job. A small repair carries less risk than a full structural build, so premiums here vary more than most other trades.

Tree surgery. Moves toward the higher end. Power tools, height, falling branches, and nearby property all add up to real injury and damage risk.

Roofing. Also toward the higher end, for the same height-related reason as tree surgery. There’s also the risk of dropped tools or materials landing on property below.

Scaffolding. One of the highest-risk trades on this list. Height, structural load, and the risk of serious third-party injury if a scaffold fails all push premiums up.

Gas engineering. The highest-risk trade here. If something goes wrong with gas work, the worst case is fire or explosion. No other trade on this list carries that risk, and it shows up directly in the price.

What Public Liability Insurance Actually Pays For

It’s worth being specific about what this policy covers. The name alone doesn’t make it obvious. Public liability insurance pays out if your work causes injury to someone who isn’t your employee, or damage to property that isn’t yours. Take a real example. A roofer drops a tile that cracks a client’s greenhouse. Or a gas engineer’s work leads to a leak that damages a neighbouring flat. The policy covers the claim, the legal costs, and any compensation owed, up to your coverage limit.

Coverage Limits: £1m, £2m, or £5m

Most policies offer a choice of £1 million, £2 million, or £5 million in cover. Many commercial contracts require at least £2 million before they’ll hire a tradesperson at all. Check what your typical client or site expects before choosing the lowest limit to save money. The jump from £1 million to £5 million is often smaller than tradespeople assume. Insurers price the base risk into the policy either way. That means the extra protection at the top tier tends to cost proportionally less than the jump from no cover to basic cover.

FAQ: Public Liability Insurance for Tradesmen

Do I legally need public liability insurance as a tradesman?
It’s not a legal requirement in the UK for most trades, but most commercial clients, site managers, and letting agents will require proof of cover before hiring you, which makes it effectively mandatory for regular work.

How much does public liability insurance cost for tradesmen?
The UK average is £50 to £300 a year, with most policies around £100 to £120. Your actual cost depends heavily on your specific trade, turnover, and claims history.

Does a gas engineer pay more than a window cleaner?
Yes, significantly. Gas engineering carries the highest risk profile of the trades compared here, due to the severity of a worst-case outcome like fire or explosion, while window cleaning sits near the bottom of the risk scale.

What level of cover do I actually need — £1m, £2m, or £5m?
Check what your typical client or contract requires first. Many commercial contracts specify at least £2 million. The cost difference between tiers is often smaller than tradespeople expect.

Does public liability insurance cover damage I cause to a client’s property?
Yes. It covers third-party property damage and injury caused by your work, along with legal costs and compensation, up to your policy’s coverage limit.