public liability/ personal accident cover.

[muppetlab]

Granted a small garden business might think they don't need it but consider that unless you are a limited company "YOU" will be responsible for any claim that means should you flick a stone up and into a passerby's eye, they could in theory sue you for tens of thousands of pounds, damages, loss of sight, loss of earnings, etc The claim could mean you lose everything, house, car, business. Given the claims culture we live in today, why give someone the excuse. Thats why the policies cover for millions because these sorts of claims should they happen can get very expensive. Not sure if anyone has ever been taken in such a case or whether its just heresay and rumour spread by insurance companies though.

[Pedroski]

hi.

iam doing a few garden maintance jobs on my own and am thinking about getting public liability cover for my piece of mind, but when i explain to customers that at present i have no form of insurance all they seem concerned with is if i have an accident.

so is this personal accident cover??

do most people have this??

i want to say iam fully insured but dont feel public liability is enough?

hope this makes sense

thanks carl.

 

Carlos, at the moment I have a PL and EL policy with Direct Line - it gives £1m public and £5 employers liability, plus tool cover for employees (incl temp ones). Cost is only £12/month or so. However, it doesn't cover tree felling and lopping, and so I am looking at a policy through Tree Surgeon Insurance : Specialist Tree Surgeon Insurance and Arboriculture Insurance ; Get a Quote. For just PL, I've been quoted just over £200/year. They were quite explicit in confirming that if I call in a subby climber with his own insurance, and he is in charge of the tree work, then I don't need EL to cover him as he is responsible for his own risks, not me, so long as I'm not the one giving orders - all to do with the "master and servant" relationship.

 

As for insurance for yourself, income protection insurance is probably your best type of cover to have. This will cover 60% of your taxable income should you not be able to work through injury or sickness. Some personal accident policies say they pay out for overnight hospital stays, but the fact is, if you cut yourself or break a bone the chances are you'll be in and out of hospital same day, and your recovery time will be at home, where you will be stuck with no income.

[Hodge]

hi.

iam doing a few garden maintance jobs on my own and am thinking about getting public liability cover for my piece of mind, but when i explain to customers that at present i have no form of insurance all they seem concerned with is if i have an accident.

so is this personal accident cover??

do most people have this??

i want to say iam fully insured but dont feel public liability is enough?

hope this makes sense

thanks carl.

 

When I used to do gardening and landscape work before the trees took over full time I had public liability insurance, most of my private customers would want to know f I had it before taking me on to look after their gardens, the hotels and old people's homes insisted on it. It didn't cost very much because at the time I didn't do tree work. Accidents can take place in any shape or form, if you are covered then you have peace of mind, strimming you may break a window or as a mate of mine did he broke the clients kitchen window while strimming.

[Rupe]

Carlos, at the moment I have a PL and EL policy with Direct Line - it gives £1m public and £5 employers liability, plus tool cover for employees (incl temp ones). Cost is only £12/month or so. However, it doesn't cover tree felling and lopping, and so I am looking at a policy through Tree Surgeon Insurance : Specialist Tree Surgeon Insurance and Arboriculture Insurance ; Get a Quote. For just PL, I've been quoted just over £200/year. They were quite explicit in confirming that if I call in a subby climber with his own insurance, and he is in charge of the tree work, then I don't need EL to cover him as he is responsible for his own risks, not me, so long as I'm not the one giving orders - all to do with the "master and servant" relationship.

 

As for insurance for yourself, income protection insurance is probably your best type of cover to have. This will cover 60% of your taxable income should you not be able to work through injury or sickness. Some personal accident policies say they pay out for overnight hospital stays, but the fact is, if you cut yourself or break a bone the chances are you'll be in and out of hospital same day, and your recovery time will be at home, where you will be stuck with no income.

 

Pedroski!!!

I thought you had a good understanding of this!!!!!!!!!!

 

EL does not cover you for the risk "he" may cause to a third party! EL is for your liabilty to him only, so you dont need it unless he injures himself. (by law you need it if you are employign him, but in your example where he is in charge then you dont)

 

So if you hire in a "subbie" then his PL might cover damage to a third party where he is the person in charge of the works that he is qulaified for (i.e the works that you have got him in for), but that does not mean you dont need EL to cover him because EL a completely different thing to PL anyway!!!!!!

 

You dont need EL becaue EL will NEVER cover any damge a hired in person or employee or subbie or whatever does to a third party!!!!!!!!!

 

 

EL is employers liabilty ( to the person hired in) not employeeeees liabilty (to a third party)

[Pedroski]

Pedroski!!!

I thought you had a good understanding of this!!!!!!!!!!

 

EL does not cover you for the risk "he" may cause to a third party! EL is for your liabilty to him only, so you dont need it unless he injures himself. (by law you need it if you are employign him, but in your example where he is in charge then you dont)

 

So if you hire in a "subbie" then his PL might cover damage to a third party where he is the person in charge of the works that he is qulaified for (i.e the works that you have got him in for), but that does not mean you dont need EL to cover him because EL a completely different thing to PL anyway!!!!!!

 

You dont need EL becaue EL will NEVER cover any damge a hired in person or employee or subbie or whatever does to a third party!!!!!!!!!

 

 

EL is employers liabilty ( to the person hired in) not employeeeees liabilty (to a third party)

 

Rupe, I do get it, and you've just confirmed what I said and this was also confirmed by the insurance co yesterday - I don't need EL for the instance I mentioned. However, for my work, where I might (or do) use employed labour under my control for ground work then I DO need EL. I'm tempted to stick with what I've got already!

[Rupe]

Ok, I thought you were one of the few who does get it, but your sentence that I highlighted above is confusing. It emplies that EL might cover the work that someone you hire in does for you, and that is not the case.

 

I think, from what you have explained that you have it well covered in terms of PL, and a policy that allows you to get in climbers with PL to cover the bit that they do which you are not insured for. The EL bit is up to you but its interesting that that is the only bit which is actually a legal requirement.

[likeitorlumpit]

Carlos, at the moment I have a PL and EL policy with Direct Line - it gives £1m public and £5 employers liability, plus tool cover for employees (incl temp ones). Cost is only £12/month or so. However, it doesn't cover tree felling and lopping, and so I am looking at a policy through Tree Surgeon Insurance : Specialist Tree Surgeon Insurance and Arboriculture Insurance ; Get a Quote. For just PL, I've been quoted just over £200/year. They were quite explicit in confirming that if I call in a subby climber with his own insurance, and he is in charge of the tree work, then I don't need EL to cover him as he is responsible for his own risks, not me, so long as I'm not the one giving orders - all to do with the "master and servant" relationship.

 

As for insurance for yourself, income protection insurance is probably your best type of cover to have. This will cover 60% of your taxable income should you not be able to work through injury or sickness. Some personal accident policies say they pay out for overnight hospital stays, but the fact is, if you cut yourself or break a bone the chances are you'll be in and out of hospital same day, and your recovery time will be at home, where you will be stuck with no income.

 

Is that the cost of the insurance or the cost of the tax

For you to have tool cover plus PL + EL for £12

That is the bargain of the year

My guess is there is a mistake

[Pedroski]

Is that the cost of the insurance or the cost of the tax

For you to have tool cover plus PL + EL for £12

That is the bargain of the year

My guess is there is a mistake

 

No, there is honestly no mistake. I've got the policy doc here and my payments are going through all proper. Try it yourself - go to Tradesman Insurance - Public Liability Insurance - Direct Line for Business and obtain a quote for tradesman insurance. I did mine as a sole trading landscaper, with EL for temp employees for 50 days per year and for up to 15 temp employees at one time. Without tool cover it was less than a tenner per month.

[Pedroski]

Ok, I thought you were one of the few who does get it, but your sentence that I highlighted above is confusing. It emplies that EL might cover the work that someone you hire in does for you, and that is not the case.

 

I think, from what you have explained that you have it well covered in terms of PL, and a policy that allows you to get in climbers with PL to cover the bit that they do which you are not insured for. The EL bit is up to you but its interesting that that is the only bit which is actually a legal requirement.

 

Nah, that's not how I meant it to come across Rupe. I know that EL is to cover my liability to the employee, and is nothing to do with his or my liability to a third party. P'raps I confused the issue when I said that the sub-contracted climber is responsible for his own risks if he's in charge - by 'his own risks, I was referring to his risks to himself, i.e. injury.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Pedroski

[Rupe]

Yes, I get you now. Its all gettign too complicated!