Public Liability Insurance

xx_lucy_xx

Hi there,

Im wanting to set up my own dog walking/pet sitting business and need insurance, there is so many companies out there, i was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction?

Regards

Lucy

mattymoo

http://www.dogsit.com/nationalpetsittermembers2.html

Offers £2m PL cover in with the membership fee of £120 (plus £370 joining which is a bit steep).

http://www.ntapps.co.uk/about.asp# mentions insurance but doesn't say how much.

If you decide to stay away from the trade associations, you could try these people - http://www.insuremyliability.co.uk/
Just had a quick look at their quote site and if you type in "dog" - dog sitters, walkers and carers appears.

Otherwise most decent insurance brokers should be able to quote this type of business. Avoid the likes of Swinton who are geared towards household insurance.

dacouch

Fortis offer dog sitters / dog walkers for about £75ish for £2m, if you speak to a local broker they should be able to sort you a quote out which might be a little more than this.

http://www.fortisinsurance.co.uk/policyholders/how-to-buy/

stevesmiff

My mum does this as a sort of "mini business". I swear she pays less than £50 a year for her public liability insurance. I will ask her later where she gets it and let you know

stevesmiff

She just dug her paperwork out (bless her). She says it was £44.63 from www.publicliabilityinsurance.org.uk for £1,000,000 cover. She took it out in February so assume the price hasn't changed.

I don't know if it matters how much work you do. She runs it as a proper business but it is just her and takes up very little of her time. Just earns her a little bit of extra cash (her only real outlay is this insurance).

Hope this helps :-)

dacouch

The only problem with the link you have given is that it quotes £44.63 with MMA who do not have a great reputation for claims

stevesmiff

She has never claimed so can't comment on this side of things. What experience/knowledge do you have on MMA claims?

I've seen them come up on quotes I've had for my car in the past. I didn't know who they were so had a little delve and realised they only offered insurance through brokers (i.e. not direct to public) but didn't see any bad things about them.

I notice the broker in question also uses Fortis which you recommended earlier. They are only a few quid extra (£63.72) so I might suggest she switches to them at renewal if they are considered better?

dacouch

MMA in my experience (and virtually everyone else I know in the industries) are very cheap but not very cheerful. I have seen them decline ridiculous claims on Public Liability that were covered and any other company would pay without quibbling.

Have a butchers at this survey of brokers on Insurers (It does not include direct companies) http://www.instimes.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=376295

stevesmiff

Interesting read - thanks. Unfortunately the article doesn't actually mention MMA (or Fortis) so only have the "league table" to go by. They say that 62% is the average and MMA are 58% which isn't too hideous. Fortis is 70% which is obviously better.

I was very surprised at Norwich Union (Aviva now isn't it?) and AXA who are two of the biggest names about and they both scored lower than MMA at 57% and 44% respectively. These are two companies that you would "assume" are better than others just purely because they are household names. And then at the top you have Chubb and Hiscox - never heard of them!!!

I don't think this would put me off MMA too much but has certainly make me think twice about these bigger companies!

Thanks again...

mattymoo

Chubb and Hiscox are both high net worth insurers - their policies are sold to people in upper income brackets. They sell themselves on service and it really is gold plated with these two.

The league table was compiled from a survey of insurance brokers and their feelings about the various insurance claims departments they deal with. A broker will know the levels of service a firm is supposed to supply and will be quick to spot a firm that is not meeting that standard. A direct policyholder may simply assume that poor service is the norm in the case of Axa and NU.

In the case of NU, have a search for the threads that mention Asprea and you will see how bad things can be.

Unfortunately the article has moved to the "subcription only" part of the Insurance Times trade magazine website so you are just left with the league table.

dacouch

Let me know your opinions of MMA once you have had a claim with them