Insurance for subbies

[Mark Bolam]

I think what Felix means that a lot of insurance for landscaping etc. specifically excludes tree work, certainly above a certain height.

[felixthelogchopper]

Just now, Marc said:

How do you mean, it’s not against the law to work weekends or be self employed without PLI

I mean are you covered by the landscapers insurance as working at height is normally excluded? It's one reason why insurance for landscaping work is cheaper than that for tree work.

[Marc]

24 minutes ago, felixthelogchopper said:

I mean are you covered by the landscapers insurance as working at height is normally excluded? It's one reason why insurance for landscaping work is cheaper than that for tree work.

I see, yes the policies are in a prominent position.

 

Not everyone I work for does, I make my choices as long as everyone knows where each other stands.

[hamilton32]

53 minutes ago, Marc said:

Why do you need it for weekend work where is the legal requirement to have PLI? ELI on the other hand if you injure someone and they/you are not covered... 

I will put it like this, I employ someone to cut the tree at my house they fell a chunk and wipe out my extension and do a vanishing act, I can more than likely claim on my house insurance.

If you seriously hurt or even kill someone you work with how do you cover that?

 

So if a builder landscaper employs you to do a job you take on the risk? Are you invoicing the client or is the builder/landscaper paying you? I work for a landscaper on Saturdays once a month through the year doing his high hedges and tree work he pays me - I work on his insurance.

 

if I was invoicing the client that’s a different thing altogether I’d also make sure I’d have ELi also.

If something goes wrong and you drop something through someone's property surely it's better to be covered to fix it through your own insurance, as it's your fault. Especially at such a low cost. Not everyone has house insurance. And people aren't going to want to pay for excess and premiums for things that aren't their fault and why should they.

I'd invoice the landscapers, but the ones I worked for weren't covered for anything over ten meters. i'd work for them as a climber and having my own PL insurance just meant if something went wrong we were definitely covered. And yeah you're right about employers liability it is a legal requirement I didn't know that when I started.

[Rich Rule]

I think you are missing the point mate.

 

Whoever is invoicing the client is the main contractor and they are managing the risk therefore they should have the insurance.

 

Unless you are working as a bonafide sub contractor, then you do the job with your own tools and carry the risk and have your own employees and therefore require ELI.

 

see where we are going with this...?  In other words the landscapers should either have the correct insurances in place for PL, EL and working at height or they send you out to do the job and pay you accordingly.

[felixthelogchopper]

1 hour ago, hamilton32 said:

If something goes wrong and you drop something through someone's property surely it's better to be covered to fix it through your own insurance, as it's your fault. Especially at such a low cost. Not everyone has house insurance. And people aren't going to want to pay for excess and premiums for things that aren't their fault and why should they.

I'd invoice the landscapers, but the ones I worked for weren't covered for anything over ten meters. i'd work for them as a climber and having my own PL insurance just meant if something went wrong we were definitely covered. And yeah you're right about employers liability it is a legal requirement I didn't know that when I started.

If it's not your job, you might find your insurer disagrees.

[Marc]

@hamilton32 As Rich Rule has pointed out think carefully about the risk you are taking, if your invoicing the client direct and feel more comfortable with the PLI in place then so be it otherwise I wouldn’t bother.

 

Ive had a few companies try to strong arm me into getting my own PLI, and I’m cool with that only my rates will more than double... that usually puts that to bed and we carry on as is.

 

You can’t pay labourer rates and expect a bonafide job.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Marc

[Steve Bullman]

As I said at the start of the thread.  My insurance isn't worth the paper its written on, but I buy it each year anyway.  Mostly just to satisfy the companies I work for who are being mislead by their own insurers.  Its pennies in comparison to what I earn from the companies per year anyway.  If push comes to shove in the event of an accident then it will be interesting to see how things played out.

[Mark Bolam]

Interesting isn't how I'd describe it if you get splatterbonged working for someone without relevant ELI.

[hamilton32]

3 hours ago, Rich Rule said:

I think you are missing the point mate.

 

Whoever is invoicing the client is the main contractor and they are managing the risk therefore they should have the insurance.

 

Unless you are working as a bonafide sub contractor, then you do the job with your own tools and carry the risk and have your own employees and therefore require ELI.

 

see where we are going with this...?  In other words the landscapers should either have the correct insurances in place for PL, EL and working at height or they send you out to do the job and pay you accordingly.

Yeah Im with you now. I think I may have been nieve in thinking I could claim on it on someone else's job. Luckily nothing ever went wrong and I got paid a decent wage.

But yea we can conclude you just need both ELI(legally) and PL(to cover your ass)to do your 'own' jobs.