Public Liability Insurance 20 September 2022 at 1:27PM in Insurance & life assurance 7 replies 103 views

Loui523

Hi - Ive been advised to get some Public Liability insurance (from Major insurance company)  (Mates helping move boxes for house move).
Not on my house insurance and calls and google searches have led to "we only do this for businesses"
Can anyone recommend a company/companies that can help?
TIA

DullGreyGuy

Home insurance, namely contents in this case, includes both Public and Employers liability insurance as standard... I'm assuming you are getting some friends to help you move your home in exchange for beers or such.

Loui523

Hi - Thanks DullGreyGuy. Yip in exchange for beers & pizza  and I checked out my policy and it doesn't mention public liability just legal cover to pay lawyer fees - I am just trying to be careful in case one of them hurts themselves and cannot work. would it be know by anything else?

user1977

Not clear what risk you're wanting to cover - are you saying you have friends helping you with your house move, and you want to cover the risk of them suing you because you've somehow caused them a loss through your negligence? Are you sure your home insurance doesn't cover you for liability to third parties? Because that's pretty standard. I suppose it might depend exactly where the incident happens, but e.g. someone tripping on your garden path is the sort of thing which would be covered.

DullGreyGuy

Loui523 said:

Hi - Thanks DullGreyGuy. Yip in exchange for beers & pizza  and I checked out my policy and it doesn't mention public liability just legal cover to pay lawyer fees - I am just trying to be careful in case one of them hurts themselves and cannot work. would it be know by anything else?

Who is your Home Contents with? Would be highly surprised if they dont include PL and EL as its standard coverages however some do use other names like DL call it Personal Liability and I've seen others use Home Owners Liability 

Loui523

Thank you user1977 and DullGreyGuy - I  will go back and ask them again. Yes it is in case anyone gets hurts/trips etc.

Smithcom

Specific/Separate cover:  It will be difficult/expensive to arrange specific Public Liability insurance for this.  In any event, if you were to arrange said specific Public Liability Insurance, it wouldn't pick up the risk to employees (as defined by the policy), therefore, it would be Employers Liability cover that you would (also) need.

This risk (of public/employers liability - note I have deliberately not used capitals, because the terminology will be different on a domestic HH policy) should be covered under your Household Contents insurance.   As DGG mentions above, it may be called something different.   Note - Home Owners Liability is not the section that you need - it will be the Contents section's liability cover.   Liability to 'employees' (which is what these chaps/chapesses may be described as by an insurer) may be covered under the 'Liability to Domestic Servants' / 'Liability to Other Persons' section of the policy.

Should be fairly straight forward.  Check the policy wording.

(note - you are covered.  Not your friends.  You are covered in respect of your legal liability in respect of their injury.    Not a guaranteed pay out if someone gets injured.   They would need to establish legal liability

user1977

Loui523 said:

Thank you user1977 and DullGreyGuy - I  will go back and ask them again. 

You don't need to ask them, you just read your policy. But as above, this is only relevant where there's a case against you, not where something happens which is a pure accident (or your friends' own fault).