Home insurance to cover domestic cleaner (servants cover)

waynevdk

Hello,

Am about to employ a domestic cleaner via an agency but spotted the small print in the contract saying that I would be an "employer" to the cleaner and therefore need my household insurance policy to provide employer's liability cover in respect of domestic servants with a minimum of £10 million [sic] per claim!

Is this valid?

Thanks - Wayne

dacouch

It is a legal requirement for anyone with employees to have Employers Liability Cover (There are a few exceptions).

The vast majority of decent Home Insurance Policies include Employers Liability for Domestic Employees eg cleaners.

Give your Insurers a ring to confirm.

If you know which Insurer your with we can check quickly before you ring them

raskazz

Tell the agency to shove their contract where the sun don't shine.

Unless the cleaner works for you and you only, or you deduct tax and NI from their 'wages', then they are essentially an independent contractor and so to attempt to impose the requirement of employer's liability on you is ludicrous.

The buildings liability section of most policies will be sufficient to cover any liability to the cleaner but this section will not qualify as an employer's liability policy under the terms of the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, and probably won't have a limit of liability as high as £10 million.

Badger_Lady

I've certainly never seen this before - all my cleaners have been self-employed or employees of an agency. I'd feel more comfortable with that situation... being an "employer" feels like it could get complicated

cogito

Tell the agency to shove their contract where the sun don't shine.

Normal T&Cs for the industry.

waynevdk

Thanks everybody for your input! I never thought of myself as an employer, since this doesn't seem to be a problem when other tradespeople come into my home to undertake houshold work for me (e.g. oven or carpet cleaning). I will check with my home insurer, Thanks again!