Handyman insurance: key facts
- Public liability is not a legal requirement for a sole-trader handyman, but most customers, letting agents and property managers will ask to see it.
- Insurers price handyman cover by the activities you declare. A job you didn't declare, such as roofing or heat work, may not be covered at all.
- Employers' liability is a legal requirement once you employ anyone, with at least £5 million of cover. Fines can reach £2,500 a day.
- A sole-trader handyman typically pays roughly £70 to £400 a year (rough guide, including 12% Insurance Premium Tax).
- Any work on gas fittings or appliances must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. A handyman policy won't make it legal.
- In England, notifiable electrical work such as a new circuit or a consumer unit replacement must meet Building Regulations Part P.
- Drilling through a hidden pipe or cable is one of the most common handyman claims.
What does handyman insurance cover?
Handyman insurance is a package of covers rather than one product. The core is public liability, which pays out if your work injures someone or damages their property. Most handymen add tool insurance, and anyone with staff must add employers' liability.
| Cover | What it protects | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | Injury to customers or the public, and damage to their property, caused by your work. | Every handyman. This is the core of any policy. |
| Tools and equipment | Your power tools, hand tools, ladders and kit if they are stolen, lost or damaged. | Anyone whose tools would cost hundreds or thousands to replace. |
| Employers' liability | Claims from staff or helpers who are injured or made ill working for you. | A legal requirement once you employ anyone, including casual or labour-only help in many cases. |
| Personal accident | A lump sum or weekly payment if an accident at work, such as a fall from a ladder, leaves you injured. | Sole traders who have no sick pay to fall back on. |
| Income protection or sickness cover | A regular income if illness or injury keeps you off work for weeks or months. | Self-employed handymen with bills and no employer support. |
| Products liability | Injury or damage caused by something you supplied or fitted, after the job is finished. | Anyone who buys and fits items such as handles, blinds or brackets. Usually bundled with public liability. |
| Business vehicle use | Using your van or car to drive to jobs and carry tools. | Every handyman who drives for work. Arranged through your motor insurer, not the handyman policy. |
Handyman public liability insurance: which jobs are covered?
Handyman public liability insurance covers the activities listed on your policy schedule. Everyday low-risk tasks are usually included as standard, while work at height, heat work, roofing and anything structural normally has to be declared and can raise the price or be excluded.
A rough guide to how insurers tend to treat common handyman work. Always check your own schedule.
| Type of job | Examples | How insurers usually treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Low-risk, usually standard | Flat-pack assembly, putting up shelves, curtain poles and blinds, door handles and locks | Normally covered as standard. |
| Light repairs and decorating | Changing tap washers, re-sealing baths, minor plaster patching, painting, wallpapering, tiling small areas | Usually covered, though some insurers list decorating or tiling separately. |
| Outdoor work | Fencing, shed repairs, decking, jet washing, gutter clearing | Often covered, but gutter work may count as work at height and jet washing can carry property damage conditions. |
| Higher risk, must declare | Roof repairs, chimney work, working above two storeys, using scaffold towers | Often excluded or loaded. Some policies set a maximum working height. |
| Heat work, must declare | Blowtorches, soldering pipework, hot air guns for paint stripping | Often excluded, or allowed with conditions such as an extinguisher on site. |
| Regulated work | Any gas work, notifiable electrical work | Gas needs Gas Safe registration. Electrics beyond like-for-like swaps need declaring and the right competence. |
Is handyman insurance a legal requirement?
No law makes a sole-trader handyman buy public liability insurance. The only compulsory business cover is employers' liability, which you need as soon as you employ anyone, with at least £5 million of cover under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
Even without a legal duty, working uninsured is a real risk for a handyman:
- Customers and agents ask for it. Letting agents, housing associations, landlords and property managers usually want to see a public liability certificate, often for £2 million or £5 million, before giving you work.
- You work inside people's homes. One flooded kitchen can cost thousands, and without insurance you pay.
Employers' liability and helpers. If you pay someone to help you, even for a day, they may count as your employee for insurance purposes. Labour-only subcontractors who use your tools, work under your direction and can't send a substitute are often treated as employees. Employers who need this cover and don't have it can be fined up to £2,500 for every day they're uninsured.
How much does handyman insurance cost?
A sole-trader handyman typically pays roughly £70 to £400 a year for handyman insurance, depending on whether you buy public liability alone or add tools and personal accident cover. These are rough guide figures and include Insurance Premium Tax at 12%.
| Typical set-up | Rough guide price per year |
|---|---|
| Sole trader, public liability only | £70 to £200 |
| Sole trader adding tools and personal accident | £150 to £400 |
| Handyman business with staff (adds employers' liability) | £450 to £1,000 |
What pushes your premium up or down:
- The activities you declare. Flat-pack and shelf work is cheap to insure. Adding roofing, heat work or scaffold towers can raise the price noticeably.
- Your public liability limit. £1 million is the usual minimum. £2 million and £5 million cost more but may be needed for agency or commercial work.
- Maximum working height. Ground-floor and stepladder work is cheaper than ladder work on second storeys.
- The value of your tools, and whether you want them covered in the van overnight.
- Turnover and staff numbers. Employers' liability is priced on wages, so taking on help changes the premium most.
- Your claims history and how long you've been trading.
What to check before you buy handyman business insurance
The cheapest handyman business insurance can leave gaps around undeclared jobs, height limits and heat work. Check these points before you pay.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Listed activities | The schedule should name every type of job you do. Anything missing may not be covered. |
| Height limit | Many policies cap working height, for example at 10 or 15 metres or two storeys. Work above the limit can be uninsured. |
| Heat work conditions | Look for rules such as keeping an extinguisher on site and checking the area after finishing. Breaking them can void a fire claim. |
| Tools in vehicles | Check overnight exclusions, the need for forced entry, and any limit per item. |
| Property damage excess | Escape of water claims often carry a higher excess. |
| Asbestos exclusion | Most policies exclude asbestos claims, so knowing when to stop work matters. |
| Damage to the item you are working on | Some policies exclude damage to the very thing you are fixing, such as the door you are hanging. |
Rules and regulations handymen should know
Handymen in the UK don't need a licence for general maintenance work, but the law limits what you can do with gas and electrics, and sets rules for asbestos, working at height and consumer contracts. An insurance policy doesn't make illegal work legal.
- Gas work. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, anyone who works on gas fittings or appliances for payment must be on the Gas Safe Register. That includes disconnecting a gas cooker.
- Electrical work in England. Building Regulations Part P covers electrical safety in homes. Notifiable work, such as adding a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, or some work in bathrooms near a bath or shower, must either be done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme or notified to building control. Replacing a socket, switch or light fitting like for like is usually not notifiable, but it still has to be done safely. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check locally.
- Asbestos. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos in Artex ceilings, textured coatings, old floor tiles, pipe lagging and boxing-in panels. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require you to find out if asbestos is present before drilling, sanding or cutting, and to stop if you suspect it.
- Working at height. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to self-employed people as well as employers. Ladders should only be used for short, low-risk tasks, such as gutter clearing.
- Your duty to customers. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If a job falls short, the customer can ask you to put it right or reduce the price.
- Cancellation rights. If you agree a contract with a customer in their home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 generally give them 14 days to cancel, and you must give them written cancellation information. There are exceptions, such as urgent repairs, so check the detail.
- Driving to jobs. Your van or car insurance must include business use, or a claim could be refused.
Common handyman insurance claims
Most handyman insurance claims come from accidental damage in customers' homes, especially drilling into hidden water pipes or cables, followed by injuries from falling items, ladder accidents and stolen tools.
- Drilling into a hidden pipe. You fix a TV bracket to a wall, the drill hits a water pipe and the leak ruins the ceiling below. These escape of water claims can cost thousands.
- Hitting a cable. A screw through a buried cable means an electrician's bill plus making good.
- A shelf or curtain pole falls. The fixings fail weeks later and it smashes a TV or injures someone.
- Fire from heat work. Soldering near timber or using a hot air gun on old paint sets light to hidden dust or insulation.
- Ladder fall. You fall while clearing gutters. Public liability doesn't pay you, so this is where personal accident cover helps.
- Van break-in. Tools are stolen overnight. Cover depends on the overnight conditions.
Starting a handyman business: checklist
To start a handyman business in the UK, register with HMRC, decide which jobs you will and won't do, get insurance that names those jobs, and put simple customer paperwork in place.
- Register as self-employed with HMRC, or set up a limited company.
- Decide your list of services, and what you'll turn down or pass on, such as gas and notifiable electrical work.
- Get insured: public liability naming every activity, tools cover, personal accident, and business use on your vehicle.
- Do basic training: asbestos awareness, safe ladder use and first aid are all worthwhile.
- Use written quotes and terms, including cancellation information for contracts agreed in customers' homes.
- Add employers' liability before anyone helps you, even on a casual basis.
Odd job man insurance: use a broker or buy online?
Buying odd job man insurance online works if your jobs fit the insurer's standard list. A broker is more useful when your work is varied, includes heat work or height, or you employ help, because they can check each activity is properly covered.
Online trade drop-downs suit simple work, but handymen often do jobs that sit between categories, and the wrong choice can leave you uninsured for the work that matters most. A broker who arranges cover for handymen can compare insurers, explain height and heat work conditions, and help if you claim.
For a wider guide to every type of business cover, see our small business insurance guide.
Related guides
Handyman insurance: frequently asked questions
Is handyman insurance a legal requirement in the UK?
Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement for a sole-trader handyman, but most customers, letting agents and property managers expect it. Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement once you employ anyone, with at least £5 million of cover.
How much does handyman insurance cost?
A sole-trader handyman typically pays roughly £70 to £400 a year, including 12% Insurance Premium Tax. Public liability on its own sits at the lower end, while adding tools and personal accident cover moves you towards the top. These are rough guide figures only.
What does handyman public liability insurance cover?
It covers claims from customers or the public if your work injures them or damages their property, such as a leak after drilling into a pipe or a shelf that falls and hurts someone. It only covers the activities named on your policy.
Am I covered for jobs I didn't tell my insurer about?
Possibly not. Handyman policies are priced on the activities you declare, and a claim from an undeclared job such as roofing or heat work can be refused. Tell your broker about every type of job you do, even occasionally.
Can a handyman do electrical work?
A handyman can usually replace a socket, switch or light fitting like for like, as long as it is done safely. In England, notifiable work such as a new circuit or a consumer unit replacement must meet Building Regulations Part P and be done by a registered electrician or notified to building control.
Does handyman insurance cover my tools in the van overnight?
Only if your tools cover includes it, and many policies have conditions. Common rules are that the van must be locked, the tools out of sight, and the theft must involve forced entry.
Do I need employers' liability if a friend helps me on a job?
Often yes. If you pay someone to help and they work under your direction, using your tools, they are likely to count as an employee for insurance purposes even if they're casual. Employers' liability is then a legal requirement, and fines for not having it can reach £2,500 a day.
What happens if I find asbestos during a job?
Stop work, keep people away and tell the customer. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 you should check for asbestos before disturbing materials in buildings from before 2000, such as Artex or old floor tiles.
Is property maintenance insurance the same as handyman insurance?
They are very similar. Property maintenance insurance is the term insurers often use for handymen who work for landlords, letting agents and housing providers. Agents may ask for a higher limit, such as £5 million.
Do I need tool insurance for handymen if I have home insurance?
Usually yes. Most home insurance policies exclude business equipment, or limit cover for tools used for work and kept in a vehicle. Tool insurance for handymen fills that gap.