Painter and Decorator InsuranceÂ
Specialist business insurance for painters & decorators, from £4.16 per month.*
- Join over 150,000 customers**
- Get a quote in under 60 seconds
- Public Liability for Painters & Decorators
- Tool and equipment cover
- Employers’ Liability and more
From £4.16* a month
What does painter and decorator insurance cover?
Our painter and decorator insurance provides the crucial liability protection you need to guard against potential claims, helping you operate with confidence and avoid financial risks. It includes Public Liability as standard, with the option to add extras like Employers’ Liability, Contractors Works cover, and Plant & Tools cover.
Our policy is designed with flexibility in mind, allowing you to customise our Contractors All Risk cover to suit your specific needs. You can select the level of cover required for contractor works and any plant or tools you own or hire. By choosing one or more of these options, employee tools and personal belongings will also be covered, up to £500.
Make sure you have the correct insurance for your trade and be sure to check if any exclusions are relevant to what you have planned in policy documentation.
Public Liability
Employers' Liability
Contractors Works
Plant & Tools
Financial Loss
Public Liability
- Up to £5 million available.
- Protection from claims by a third-party (EG member of the public) who sustains injuries or has their property damaged as a result of your actions.
Employers’ Liability
- Up to £10 million available.
- If any employee suffered physical injury or a fatality because of the employer’s negligence. If that staff member sought compensation, the insurer would handle the cost of the claim.
- If you employ any staff members, Employers’ Liability is a legal requirement.
Contractors Works
- Up to £250,000 worth of cover
- This cover can protect you against loss or damage to any permanent or temporary works you’re responsible for, including all the materials.
Plant & tools hired
- Up to £50,000 worth of cover.
- Covers you for loss of or damage to, hired tools and equipment, temporary buildings, caravans, or similar that you have hired in connection with any contract works being undertaken by you.
- Cover also includes your legal liability for hiring charges following damage to any hired property.
Plant & tools owned
- Up to £75,000 worth of cover.
- Covers your tools and equipment, temporary buildings, caravans, or similar that are owned by you and used in connection with any contract works being undertaken by you.
Employees tools & personal effects
- This covers tools and personal items owned by your employees while on any site, or those you’re responsible for under a joint working agreement.
- It’s not available as a standalone cover but comes with either Contract Works or Own and Hired Plant & Tools cover, with protection up to £500.
Financial Loss
- Up to £50,000 per claim available.
- Protection from claims from other parties relating to financial losses not directly consequent upon bodily injury or damage.
- Cover for bona fide subcontractors, who should have their own insurance.
- Claims for financial losses relating to non or late delivery of products to third parties.
For information on exclusions in your cover please refer to policy documentation.
Why do you need painters and decorators cover?
Insurance for painters and decorators can offer essential protection from various risks and liabilities associated with your work. With the best of intentions, sometimes things go wrong and having suitable insurance can acts as a safeguard to your business assets, employees, and clients, with financial protection.
By investing in painters and decorators’ insurance, you can operate your businesses with confidence, knowing that you have the necessary protection in place if claims should occur. These examples highlight the importance of painter and decorator cover:
Protection from claims if a client suffers injury or property damage.
Although low risk, accidents can happen and lead to claims from accidental injury to a client or damage to their property. This could be a client tripping over your equipment, or it could be paint spilling on a household item, such as a rug or carpet.
Either way, in the event of an accident like this, you are vulnerable to a substantial compensation claim, as well as other associated cost. Public liability insurance can cover you if you find yourself in this situation.
An employee or temporary worker suffers a workplace accident.
Painting and decorating work brings several risks from materials and equipment and general hazards. As an employer, you are responsible for providing a safe workplace for and painters and decorators you hire.
If employees or temporary workers are involved on your projects, employers’ liability is a legal obligation with fines of £2500 per day for failing to comply.
Providing proof of public liability cover as a contractor.
Painter and decorators’ public liability insurance might be necessary to fulfil contractual obligations with clients, contractors, or companies. Many contracts stipulate that contractors and subcontractors must have appropriate insurance coverage to protect all parties involved in a project
Accidental damage caused to plant and tools you own or hire.
As a painter and decorator, you could be working on a full house repaint, using hired painting equipment that gets accidentally damaged, preventing you finishing the job.
Without Plant and Tools insurance, you may need to pay to replace or repair this equipment, eating into your profits. With the insurance, these costs would be covered, so you can replace the tools quickly and finish the job on time.
Our experts explain why...
“Our Tradesperson insurance is specifically designed to cater for those involved in undertaking highly manual tasks and activities. We don’t just offer liability insurance for yourself and your business but also protection against allegations from staff members concerning accidents at work and we can also include cover for Contractors All Risks, which is designed to protect your material responsibilities when undertaking contracted work, cover for hired and owned plant and tools you use and cover for your staff’s tools. Our product gives you the confidence you need to focus on your specialist service, knowing that you have taken out cover that suits your needs and protects you, where you expect it to give you insurance protection.”
Mandy Czyz, Protectivity Underwriter
How much does painter and decorator insurance cost?
The cost of your painter and decorator insurance will depend on several factors. These include the size of your business, whether you primarily work on residential or commercial properties, and your annual turnover. The number of employees you have and the types of projects you undertake, such as interior painting, exterior work, or jobs involving working at heights, will also influence your premium.
Investing in specialist painters and decorators insurance is not just about protecting you from financial losses. At Protectivity policies start at just £4.16* a month.
Prices from
£4.16* a month
Explainer quote
Policy cost
£4.16* a month
Policy type
Painters Insurance
Duration
Annual
Turnover
Up to £250,000
Public Liability
£1,000,000
This example is based on a real quote from our website on 1/10/2024. If your circumstances and cover needs differ, your quote may be more or less expensive than the above example. The quote you receive will reflect the information you share about your event. The quoted price may vary from those displayed here.
Have a question?
For further information on your policy, renewals, making a claim and contacting us, you’ll find an extensive list of FAQs on our Help & Support page.
Why choose Protectivity for your painter and decorator insurance policy?
Let the reviews of over 3,500 customers explain why you should choose us.¹
Trusted by over 150,000 customers.
Experienced insurance providers for over 30 years.
Over 3,500 highly rated reviews.
Proof of our excellent customer service.
Experienced Claims Handling
A smooth and efficient claims process.
UK Based Customer Support
Our UK sales team are here to help.
Frequently
Asked Questions
If I hire an apprentice painter, do I need to change my insurance?
Yes, you would need to inform us. The policy defines Employees as including “any person engaged under a work experience, youth training or similar scheme”.
Employers’ Liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ anyone, and the policy states that you must undertake to supply full details of your company and all subsidiary companies at inception of the insurance and promptly thereafter following acquisition or disposal of any subsidiary company.
Am I covered for damage caused by paint fumes or chemical reactions from products I use?
Yes, our insurance for painters and decorators covers accidental injury to a third party and accidental damage to a third parties property arising from your business activities.
Is my painting equipment covered if I store it in my home or personal vehicle?
Yes, if your equipment is stored inside your home, in your buildings, then cover is permitted, our insurance also covers theft from unattended vehicles, but with specific conditions. For items inside the vehicle, it must be secured with all factory-fitted locks and alarms, and keys removed. It must be garaged in a locked building or parked in a secure compound. There are also restrictions on theft from “Unsecure Locations”, which include driveways and public or private roads.
Are there any exclusions to be aware of?
There are various exclusions on this policy product that apply to different classes of insurance cover, all of which you can see within the policy wording and quote summary. The most relevant for painting and decorating is an exclusion for spray painting and for working away from your premises using heat.
Do I need specific insurance for working at heights as a painter and decorator?
There is no special consideration for working at height, we can only permit you to work up to 5 metres above the surrounding floor or ground level.
What items are covered under the Own Plant and Tools cover?
The insurer defines this cover as contractors’ plant, tools and equipment demountable and temporary buildings and/or caravans and/or other items of a like nature and materials and/or stores and/or any other property of whatsoever nature used or intended for use in connection with any contract works. There are conditions and exclusions you need to ensure you adhere with, please ensure you take a view of these before proceeding further.
What does Contract Works cover?
Contract Works is designed to cover you for Damage and Loss to works whether permanent or temporary, to include materials used for which you are responsible for, being your property whilst you are undertaking works, not including tools, plant and equipment you own or that you have hired in for the works. We are unable to provide cover for materials and stock away from any contract site unless in transit and we cannot consider cover for contract works that exceed 24 months.
Are you able to cover the plant I use for my trade?
Yes, we can cover plant you own and plant you hire in. We have different sums insured that can be selected and the sums selected also have single article limits for plant you own and maximum hire charges for equipment you hire. Please also note that if you own or have hired a single piece of plant equipment that costs more than £10,000, when its not in use it is stored in a securely locked building of standard construction or is immobilised in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.
Can I include liability cover for subcontractors, who I use to assist my business?
This depends on your agreement with your subcontractors. Bona-fide subcontractors will have to have their own insurance cover and cannot be included on your insurance policy and in the numbers requested herein, you will be obligated to retain proof of their insurance. Labour-only subcontractors can be included on your policy of insurance, for work they provide under contract with yourself and your business only and should be included in the total numbers you provide in this application of insurance.
Does your policy allow me and my staff to provide work using heat away from our premises?
No, not for the majority of trades available to be selected, with the exception of some of the builders trades, landscapers trades and electricians, where there will be an endorsement added to your policy, allowing you to undertake work away from your premises, subject to you complying with a set of conditions outlined in the added endorsement titled ‘Hot Working and Use of Heat Equipment away from your Premises Condition Precedent.
Do I need insurance if I work from home?
Yes, you need public liability insurance to protect you against claims arising from accidental injury to a client or damage to their belongings.
Can you cover my tools for damage, loss and theft?
Yes but this is subject to conditions and exclusions. For example we are unable to cover loss due to disappearance or shortage and theft from unattended vehicles unless the vehicle is stored in a garage, locked building or secure compound. Please make sure to read the conditions and exclusions in full.
Does this insurance policy cover me for working overseas?
This cover is meant for work in the United Kingdom, however it will allow cover abroad temporarily (max 25 days throughout your annual policy), for manual work in the EU and non-manual work anywhere in the world, in conjunction with your Business only.
Discover more from Protectivity
This page content has been created for general information and should not be taken as advice.
*Prices quoted refer to a quote raised from our website 01/10/2024. Prices will differ depending on requirements. Make sure you have the correct level of cover for what you need. For the most accurate pricing, please get a quote and for full details on what is covered refer to our policy documentation with your quote.
** Based on Protectivity sales data from 2007 to Sep 2024
¹Based on live Feefo data