Compare insurance for plumbers

Plumber insurance brings together the business covers needed by people who fit, repair and maintain water, drainage and heating systems. It usually starts with public liability, then adds tools, employers’ liability and cover for work in progress.

Quotezone compares quotes for sole traders and plumbing firms, based on the jobs you do and the limits your customers ask for.

Leaks, floods and damage in a customer’s home

A small mistake with a joint or a valve can leave a ceiling soaked or a kitchen floor ruined. Public liability can pay a claim that your business damaged someone’s property (business.gov.uk).

Check the wording on two points. Some policies exclude the cost of re-doing your own faulty work, and some apply a higher excess to water damage.

Water damage can take weeks to show, such as a slow leak behind a bath panel. Many public liability policies cover damage that happens while the policy is in force, so keep cover running while past jobs could still cause a claim.

Heat work matters too. Soldering near timber or insulation is a fire risk, and insurers may ask if you follow a hot works routine.

Gas work and the Gas Safe Register

In Great Britain, HSE says anyone employed to work on gas appliances in domestic premises must be Gas Safe registered and competent in that area of gas work (HSE).

If you are not registered, keep to water and drainage work and tell your insurer. If you are, say so, because boiler and appliance work is often rated differently from general plumbing.

Landlords in Great Britain must arrange a gas safety check every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer (HSE). That can bring regular work from letting agents for registered firms.

Bathrooms, heating and building regulations

GOV.UK says you might need building regulations approval to install a bathroom that involves plumbing, to install or replace a heating system, or to add extra radiators (GOV.UK).

Registered installers sign off their own work, which saves the customer applying for approval (GOV.UK). Each scheme also has an insurance-backed warranty and a complaints process (GOV.UK).

GOV.UK sends readers in Scotland and Northern Ireland to separate rules, so confirm the rules locally before pricing bathroom or heating jobs there (GOV.UK).

Drainage, jetting and digging

Drain clearing, CCTV surveys and jetting carry their own risks, from a burst pipe inside the house to damage under a customer’s drive. Digging adds the chance of striking a buried cable or service pipe.

Many insurers price drainage separately from general plumbing, and some set a depth limit for excavation. List this work on your quote so the cover matches what you actually do.

New-build and commercial contracts

On new-build sites you will often work for a builder, who may ask for a minimum public liability figure and proof of employers’ liability for your staff. Schools, offices and hospitals can add permits to work and stricter access rules.

Contract works cover can protect a pipe run or heating system you have fitted but not yet handed over. That matters if another trade damages it before completion.

Consider a two-person firm that fits bathrooms and services boilers. It would list both trades, add tools cover for the van and take out employers’ liability for the second fitter.

When does a plumber need employers’ liability?

From the day you take on your first employee. GOV.UK says the policy must come from an authorised insurer and cover at least £5 million, and you must display the certificate where staff can see it (GOV.UK).

If you do not display it, you could be fined £1,000 (GOV.UK).

Are my tools covered if the van is broken into?

Only if your policy includes tools cover and you meet its conditions. Many insurers ask for tools to be locked away and out of sight, and some exclude theft overnight unless the van is in a locked garage.

If you carry costly kit such as press-fit tools or drain cameras, check the single-item limit as well as the total.

Pricing a plumbing policy

Insurers price each business on its own details. The points that usually move the premium are:

• domestic, commercial or new-build work
• gas and boiler work, if you are registered
• drainage, jetting or excavation
• your turnover, staff and subcontractors
• the public liability limit you choose
• where tools are kept overnight

Prices also carry Insurance Premium Tax, set by HMRC at a standard 12% (HMRC).

Get plumber insurance quotes on Quotezone

Tell us about your trade, turnover and the cover you want. Before you choose, compare how each quote treats water damage, gas work and tools.

The form is short. Start your plumbing quote on Quotezone whenever you are ready.

You might also need

Heating engineers who also wire controls can compare electrician insurance. If you work alongside builders on larger jobs, see builders insurance, and for the van itself, compare van insurance.