Insurance for builders, starting less than £55 per year
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Builders insurance is a package of business insurance for people who work in the building trade. It protects you if your work injures someone or damages their property, and it can be extended to cover your staff, your tools and the work you’re carrying out. Whether you’re a hod carrier, a self-employed builder or a house builder running a small team, you choose the covers that match the jobs you take on.
Every Tradesman Saver policy for builders includes public liability insurance, products liability, financial loss, legal expenses and accidental death cover as standard. You can then add employers’ liability, tools insurance and professional indemnity when you get your quote.
Builders public liability insurance covers you if a third party, such as a client or a passer-by, is injured, or their property is damaged, because of your work. If someone makes a claim against you and you’re found liable, your policy covers the legal fees and any compensation you have to pay, which can include an injured person’s medical costs and lost earnings.
On a building job, that could be a neighbour tripping over materials left on the pavement, or a dropped tool accidentally damaging a client’s car. Accidents happen even with good health and safety in place, and a single claim can cost far more than a year’s premium. Your cover applies on site, off site and at your own business premises.
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Complete our simple quote form with basic details about your business.
Compare quotes from our panel of insurers & chose any optional covers you may need.
Choose the quote that’s right for you, activate your policy and view your certificates online.
Public liability insurance isn’t a legal requirement in the UK, but most builders treat it as essential. Many clients, main contractors and local authorities won’t let you start work without proof of cover, and some set the level of cover they expect. Commercial clients and local authorities typically ask for £5 million. Having it in place can help you win bigger contracts as well as protect you.
Employers’ liability insurance is different. If you employ anyone, even part time, it’s legally required, and you could be fined if you don’t have it. It covers you if an employee is injured or falls ill because of their work. You can add it to your builders insurance quote.
Building is also one of the more dangerous trades to work in. Between falls, heavy tools and working in people’s homes, the risk of injury or damage is higher than in most jobs. The right cover gives you peace of mind that if something goes wrong, one bad day won’t put you out of business.
Your standard policy covers injury to third parties and damage caused to their property by your work. It doesn’t cover everything, so it’s worth knowing the limits before you buy:
Your policy documents, including the IPID and policy wording, set out the full list of exclusions and limits, so check them before you buy.
Public liability is the starting point, but most builders add at least one other cover. You can add these to your Tradesman Saver policy when you get your quote:
Some cover you might need comes from other providers. Tradesman Saver doesn’t sell van insurance, so your van needs a commercial motor policy. Buildings insurance for a property, and structural warranties for new homes, are separate products too.
Builders insurance with Tradesman Saver starts at less than £55 a year. The cost of your cover depends on a few factors:
As a guide, a sole trader bricklayer based in London, with no employees, five years’ experience and no claims, was quoted £54.88 a year with £1 million public liability. A limited company builder in Surrey working on houses, new builds and alterations, with three employees and £5 million public liability, was quoted £1,136.80 a year. The table below shows both quotes in full. When you get a quote, we compare prices from our panel of insurers so you can choose the one that suits you.
Legal expenses, financial loss and accidental death cover are included in the price as standard. We’re not on comparison sites, so you can save by coming direct to us.
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£54.88 / year A bricklayer working on domestic and small commercial properties less than 10 metres in height
£100.92 / month £1,136.80 / year A builder working on private dwelling houses including new builds, alterations and repairs
The above quote examples were taken from our online system on 06/11/25 and include insurance premium tax but exclude our £10 admin charge. These are real quotes but your own personal quote will vary dependent upon your circumstances and the level of business insurance cover you require.
Most insurance policies have an excess: the amount you pay towards a claim before your insurance covers the rest. The standard public liability excess is £250. Tools cover carries a £100 excess, rising to £250 for theft from an unattended vehicle, and contract works cover carries £250, or £500 for theft or malicious damage.
The table shows the standard excesses under a Tradesman Saver policy. Check your own quotation to see exactly which excesses apply, as they can vary with the type of work you do.
| Insurance cover | Excess |
|---|---|
| Public Liability | £250 |
| Products Liability | £250 |
| Employers Liability | No Excess |
| Financial Loss | 10% of claim value(£2,500 minimum) |
| Professional Indemnity | £250 |
| Contract Works | £250(£500 Theft/Malicious Damage) |
| Tools / Equipment | £100(£250 Unattended vehicle) |
| Legal Expenses | No Excess |
* Total number of live policies as of 31/10/2025
If something goes wrong on a job, tell us as soon as you can. Here’s what happens next:
1. Register your claim using our online claims form.
2. Give us the details: your policy number and a clear account of what happened, when and who was involved. Photos and witness details help if you have them.
3. We notify your insurer and pass on everything it needs.
4. Your insurer assesses the claim. If it’s valid, the insurer settles it, less your excess. Depending on your cover, that can include legal costs and compensation for injuries.
5. We keep you updated through to settlement.
Before you claim, check your policy covers what happened and that you’re within the time limits in your policy wording.
From only£75per year 
From only£55per year Builders insurance isn’t one single policy. Every Tradesman Saver policy for builders includes public and products liability, financial loss, accidental death and legal expenses cover as standard. You can then add optional covers, such as employers’ liability, tools, contractors all risks (contract works insurance), hired-in plant and professional indemnity.
Tools cover isn’t included as standard, but you can add it to your builders insurance when you get your quote. It helps cover the cost of repairing or replacing your tools and equipment if they’re lost, stolen or damaged, up to the limit you choose. The standard excess is £100, or £250 if they’re stolen from an unattended vehicle.
If a member of the public trips over one of your cables or a tool damages a client’s property, that’s a public liability claim. It’s covered by your standard policy, whether or not you’ve added tools cover.
Yes, in most cases. As a self-employed builder, a claim against you can come straight out of your own pocket, and many clients will ask to see your public liability certificate before you start. You can arrange self-employed public liability insurance online, with the same five covers as standard. If you take on anyone to help, even for a single job, check whether you need employers’ liability too. If you mainly work for main contractors, see our subcontractor insurance.
We insure most professional builders, from hod carriers and house builders to commercial builders and general building contractors. We don’t insure self-build projects. You can choose up to three trades on our online quote form, so you’re covered for everything you do. If your work is more specialist, get in touch and we’ll check we can cover it.
Most builders insurance policies run for 12 months and can be renewed each year. Public liability cover responds to incidents that happen while your policy is in force, so keep your cover running without gaps if you’re working on jobs back to back.
You’ll need your name, address and the type of work you do. We’ll also ask about the size of your business, including your annual turnover and how many people work for you, and whether you’ve made any claims in recent years. The more accurate your answers, the more closely your policy will match the work you do.
Yes. You can pay annually, or spread the cost of your cover in monthly instalments to help with cashflow. Paying monthly can cost more overall. so it’s also worth checking both prices on your quote before you choose.
Your policy starts from the date you select when you buy, so you can arrange it the same day a client asks for proof. Your quote, purchase and documents are all online, and you can download your certificate straight away.
No. Builders insurance protects your business: it covers claims if your work injures someone or damages their property. Buildings insurance covers the structure of a property against risks such as fire and flood, and it’s usually bought by the property owner. Tradesman Saver doesn’t offer buildings insurance. If you’re working on a new build or an extension, the works themselves can be covered by contractors all risks, which you can add to your policy.
Tradesman Saver offers builders insurance for less than £55 a year, with five covers as standard: public liability, products liability, legal expenses, financial loss and accidental death. Add employers’ liability, tools or contractors all risks cover, choose the date your cover starts and manage everything online. Please check the policy wording and IPID for full details, including limits and exclusions.
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