Public Liability Insurance for Plumbers

Public liability insurance for plumbers pays compensation and legal costs if your work injures someone or damages property that belongs to someone else, subject to the policy wording, and escape of water is the risk most plumbers have in mind. If you employ anyone, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement as well, and cover for tools, contract works and design work may also fit how you trade.

What can go wrong on a plumbing job?

Plumbing claims tend to be about water, heat and access. The realistic risks include:

• A joint, valve or fitting you installed weeps or fails, and water damages ceilings, floors, electrics and contents, sometimes in a neighbouring flat.
• A blowtorch used for soldering scorches timber or insulation and starts a fire.
• A customer or visitor trips over tools, pipe offcuts or lifted floorboards.
• Drilling or cutting into a hidden cable or pipe.
• Disturbing asbestos in an older building and exposing others to it.

On asbestos, HSE tells workers to take extra care where a building was built or refurbished before the year 2000, and says around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos related diseases. Some liability policies limit or exclude asbestos claims, so check the wording.

Example. Priya is a sole trader plumber who fits a new bathroom in a top floor flat. A compression fitting under the bath was not fully tightened and weeps over a long weekend while the flat is empty. Water comes through into the flat below, ruining a ceiling, a carpet and a television. The downstairs owner claims on their own home insurance, and their insurer then pursues Priya for the cost. Without public liability cover she would have to deal with that claim herself. With cover, her insurer would handle it, subject to the policy terms and her excess. The cost of putting the fitting right is a separate question that depends on the policy wording.

Which covers fit a plumber’s work?

Most plumbers and heating engineers combine a few covers. The right mix depends on whether you work alone, employ staff, design heating systems or work on larger sites.

Cover	What it deals with	Who it fits
Public liability	Injury to other people and damage to their property caused by your work, such as water or fire damage	Any plumber working in homes, businesses or on site
Employers’ liability	Compensation if an employee is injured or becomes ill because of the work they do for you	Compulsory once you employ staff, with cover of at least £5 million
Tools and equipment	Theft of or damage to tools, including from a van if the policy allows	Anyone who relies on their own kit to work
Contract works	Damage to the system or bathroom you are installing before handover	Larger installs, and contracts that ask you to insure the works
Professional indemnity	Claims that your design, sizing or advice was wrong and caused a financial loss	Heating engineers who design systems or size heat pumps

For more on each, see our guides to what public liability insurance is and employers’ liability requirements. GOV.UK says you do not need employers’ liability insurance if the only person you employ is a family member, such as a husband, wife, son or brother.

What will clients, letting agents and main contractors ask for?

Householders seldom ask to see a certificate, but letting agents, housing associations, property managers, schools, councils and commercial clients may ask for proof of public liability before you start, and may set a minimum limit of indemnity. Main contractors may also ask for employers’ liability if you have staff, and evidence of your Gas Safe registration if you do gas work.

Check any contract for insurance clauses before you sign. If a client asks for a higher limit than you hold, ask us to check the policy can be changed first. Our page on how much public liability insurance you need explains how limits are set.

Does gas and heating work change your insurance?

Yes. Tell the insurer exactly what you do, because gas, boiler and heating work is a different risk from bathroom fitting. HSE says that in homes and workplaces such as shops, restaurants, schools and hospitals, work on gas fittings must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and that it is illegal for anyone else to do it. The rules sit in the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. HSE also says landlords must only use a Gas Safe registered engineer for maintenance and safety checks, which is why letting agents may ask for your registration details as well as your insurance.

GOV.UK guidance on building work in the home says the installation of a new or replacement heating system or boiler is notifiable, regardless of fuel type, unless a registered installer does the work and self certifies. Under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, every water fitting must be of an appropriate quality and standard and suitable for the circumstances in which it is used.

Insurers will also ask about heat work. Some policies set conditions for using blowtorches, such as clearing combustible material and checking the area after you finish, and a claim may be affected if those conditions are not met. What applies depends on the policy wording, so read it.

Do plumbers need professional indemnity insurance?

Public liability is written around injury and physical damage. A claim that your design was wrong and cost the client money is different. If a heat pump you sized cannot heat the house, and the client has to pay for a larger unit and new radiators, nothing has been damaged, but the client has lost money. If you design systems, carry out heat loss calculations or advise for a fee, a professional indemnity policy may be worth considering alongside your liability cover.

What drives the price of cover for a plumber?

• The type of work: general plumbing, bathroom fitting, gas and boiler work, heat pumps, commercial or industrial work.
• Whether you use heat in your work, and how often.
• The limit of indemnity you choose for each claim.
• Your turnover, wage roll and the number of people working for you, including labour only subcontractors.
• Your claims history, particularly any escape of water claims, and how long you have traded.
• Qualifications and registrations, such as Gas Safe.
• The excess you agree to pay on property damage claims.

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

• Your business name, trading status and how long you have been trading.
• A description of your work, including any gas, oil, unvented hot water or heat pump work.
• Estimated turnover for the next 12 months and wages for any employees.
• Details of subcontractors you use and whether they carry their own insurance.
• The limit of indemnity your clients or contracts ask for.
• Any claims or incidents in the last five years, including those that did not lead to a payment.
• The value of your tools and where they are kept overnight.

Answer every question fully. Section 3 of the Insurance Act 2015 requires a business to make a fair presentation of the risk before the policy starts, including every material circumstance it knows or ought to know. Our guide to fair presentation explains this. Solar Protect is an FCA authorised insurance broker: ask us for a quote and we will look for cover that fits your work, or call 01795 841 310, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Frequently asked questions

Does public liability pay to repair my own leaking fitting?

It depends on the policy wording. Some policies deal with the damage the leak causes to other property but not the cost of replacing the faulty fitting or redoing your work. See our page on whether public liability covers damage to client property.

Is employers’ liability insurance needed for an apprentice?

Yes, unless an exemption applies, such as employing only a family member. GOV.UK says you can be fined £2,500 for every day you are not properly insured, and could be fined £1,000 if you do not display your certificate.

Can I do bathroom refits under the same policy?

That depends on the policy wording, so tell the insurer before you take the work on. Bathroom refits can involve tiling, joinery, electrical work and removing walls, so describe all of it. Our page for builders covers wider building work, and our page for electricians covers the electrical side.

Do I need separate cover for gas work?

Not necessarily separate cover, but the insurer must know you do it. Your Gas Safe registration and the categories of work you are registered for are details an insurer may ask about when you apply.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Employers liability insurance
• HSE: Workers
• legislation.gov.uk: 3
• HSE: Employers
• GOV.UK: Building work replacements and repairs to your home
• legislation.gov.uk: 4
• HSE: Faqs

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.