Public Liability Insurance and ruined carpet....

user94

Hello all

I currently have a Site Insurance Policy from  Self-Build Zone UK, as I’m extending and refurbing a house to live in.  As part of this insurance, I have Public Liability Insurance – do you know what this covers?

 

I unfortunately managed to ruin a friends (or ex-friends!) new carpet...will my public lability insurance cover that even though it was not at my house or would that not be covered at all?

 

Any things to say/not to say to the insurance?

 

If I could I would just pay to get it sorted but unfortunately I physically can’t!

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

tacpot12

Public liability insurance for building works can cover a range of risks, so its really down to your insurer as to what they cover. You should have a policy document that explains what is covered under "Public Libability". Public Liability means liability to someone who is unconnected with the work, so not you and not the builders doing the work - it might include damage to property, or it might only cover damage (injury) to people. 

So you will need to call your insurer, and it's probably worth doing so even if you aren't covered as there is probably a condition that requires you to inform the insuer of the potential for a claim. 

Before calling, have a think about how the accident happened and whether there was any neligence on the part of anyone else. Also find out from the neighbour how old the carpet was and what sort of material it is made from. If your insurance won't cover it, they can still sue you if you have been negligent in some way, so it is worth thinking about how the accident occured and how you might have prevented it. The age of the carpet and the material will help you establish what they have lost financially. They can't expect you to buy them a new carpet if the old one was near the end of its life. 

DullGreyGuy

Need more context on both what you have the insurance for and how you managed to damage the friends carpet

user1977

So has the carpet got anything to do with the house you're extending/refurbing? Your post is very unclear about what's actually happened.

Aretnap

From a quick search and a glance at the policy terms it looks like it only covers liabilities related to the building work. So if you or one of your contractors is careless with a blowtorch and set fire to the next door neighbour's house you are covered, but you would not be covered if you went round for dinner at a friend's house and spilled red wine all over their carpet.

So how did you damage the carpet and was it related to the building work?

Do you have contents insurance covering your possessions at wherever your living at the moment? If so it will also come with an element of personal liability cover which will cover you for liabilities arising out of your social or leisure activities.