Public Liability Insurance for Personal Trainers

Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement for personal trainers, but gyms often expect it and some councils, such as Solihull and BCP, ask for £5 million of it before you can train clients in their parks. Because you also design programmes and give advice, most trainers buy professional indemnity alongside it, and employers’ liability becomes compulsory once you take on staff.

What can go wrong when you train clients?

Claims against personal trainers tend to fall into two groups. The first is an accident: someone trips over equipment, a kettlebell is dropped, or a member of the public is hurt during an outdoor session. The second is about your judgement: a client says the programme you set, the weights you chose or the advice you gave caused an injury or made a health condition worse.

Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, every contract to supply a service includes a term that the trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill. A client who says you fell short of that standard may bring a claim, even if you think the session went normally.

Example. Priya is a self employed personal trainer who runs a weekly bootcamp in a council park and one to one sessions in clients’ homes. During a bootcamp, a dog walker trips over one of her resistance bands and breaks an ankle. Separately, a client who noted a knee problem on his intake form says a lunge progression Priya set caused a cartilage tear. The dog walker’s claim is a public liability claim. The client’s claim turns on the advice and programme she gave, which is closer to professional indemnity. How a policy splits those two depends on its wording, so Priya asks for both to be quoted together.

Which covers usually fit a personal trainer?

• Public liability. Injury to clients and the public, and damage to property such as a client’s floor or a gym’s equipment. See what public liability insurance is.
• Professional indemnity. Claims that your instruction, programme or advice was negligent. Our guide to what professional indemnity insurance is explains how it differs from public liability, and public liability and professional indemnity together covers buying both.
• Product liability. Relevant if you sell supplements, own brand kit or meal plans as products. See product liability insurance.
• Equipment cover. Weights, bands, mats and trackers that travel in your car. What is covered away from home depends on the policy wording.
• Employers’ liability. Compulsory if you employ other trainers or staff.
• Cyber and data cover. Worth considering if you hold client health records online or coach through apps. See what cyber insurance covers.

What may gyms and councils ask for?

If you work freelance in a gym, the gym may ask for copies of your own public liability and professional indemnity certificates, your qualifications and a first aid certificate before letting you train members. The limit they ask for is set in their contract, not by law.

Councils are more specific. Solihull Council says permits are required to hold fitness training or small group sessions in its parks, and asks for public liability cover to the value of £5 million, personal training certification at REPs or equivalent, a relevant first aid qualification, a risk assessment, an emergency and first aid plan, and a DBS check if you work with children or vulnerable adults. Its sessions are limited to 90 minutes. BCP Council says you need a licence to hold an outdoor exercise class on its parks, open spaces or beaches, with public liability insurance to a minimum of £5m, instructor certificates, a first aid qualification and a DBS certificate if working with under 18s.

Other councils run their own schemes, so check with the council before you start using a park.

Where you train	What may be asked for	Covers to consider
Commercial gym (freelance)	Your own insurance certificates, qualifications, first aid	Public liability, professional indemnity
Council park	Permit or licence; councils such as Solihull and BCP ask for £5 million public liability	Public liability, equipment
Clients’ homes	Proof of insurance on request	Public liability, professional indemnity, equipment
Online coaching	Terms of service, data handling	Professional indemnity, cyber and data
Studio with staff	Employers’ liability certificate on display	Employers’ liability, public liability, contents

What do you need to know about client health information?

Most trainers ask new clients to complete a health questionnaire. The ICO lists data concerning health as special category data, which covers past, current and future health status, conditions, tests and treatment. That means you need to keep intake forms secure and only collect what you need.

Those forms also help your insurance. If a client later says you ignored a condition, a signed questionnaire and notes showing how you adapted the programme are often the first thing an insurer asks for.

What affects the price of personal trainer insurance?

We do not publish typical prices. Insurers look at:

• the types of training you offer, for example strength, boxing, high intensity classes or rehabilitation work
• group sizes, outdoor sessions and the ages of your clients
• your qualifications and how long you have been training clients
• whether you give nutrition advice or sell supplements
• whether you coach clients abroad online, which affects the territorial limits you need
• turnover, the number of trainers you employ and any claims history
• the limits of indemnity and excess you choose

What should you have ready when you ask for a quote?

• your qualifications and first aid certificate
• a list of every service you offer, including classes, online coaching and nutrition advice
• where you train and the largest group you run
• the limits any gym or council has asked for
• annual turnover and the number of staff or subcontracted trainers
• a list of equipment with replacement values
• details of any complaints, incidents or claims in the last five years

Ask us for a quote and we will look for cover that fits your work. You can call us on 01795 841 310, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Frequently asked questions

Is public liability insurance compulsory for personal trainers?

Not by law. The ABI’s guide for small businesses lists employers’ liability, if you employ anyone, and motor insurance as the covers required by law. A gym or council can still make public liability a condition of letting you work there.

Do I need professional indemnity as well as public liability?

If you design programmes or give advice, it is worth having. Public liability is aimed at accidents, while professional indemnity is aimed at claims that your advice or instruction was negligent. Many claims from clients involve both, so look at them together.

Does my insurance cover me training clients in a park?

It depends on the policy wording, and on whether the council requires a permit. Councils such as Solihull and BCP ask for £5 million public liability as part of their permit or licence.

I only coach online. Do I still need insurance?

The public liability risk is lower, but a client can still say your programme injured them, so professional indemnity is the main cover. Check the territorial limits if you have clients outside the UK. If you also run outdoor sessions with dogs or near dog walkers, our page on public liability insurance for dog walkers shows the other side of park risk.

Do I need employers’ liability insurance?

Only if you employ someone. Gov.uk says you must have it as soon as you become an employer, with cover of at least £5 million, and you can be fined £2,500 every day you are not properly insured.

Sources

• legislation.gov.uk: 49
• www.solihull.gov.uk: Fitness training permit
• bcpcouncil.gov.uk: Fitness activities in our parks
• ICO: What is special category data
• GOV.UK: Employers liability insurance
• ABI: Smeinsuranceguidejanuary2026

Reviewed by Christine Anderson, Broker, Solar Protect. Last reviewed 10 November 2026. Solar Protect is the trading name of Solar Insurance Services (Medway) Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This page is general information, not personal advice.