How much is Public Liability Insurance for gardeners?

If you are working as a gardener, you’ll need to calculate your overheads. In doing so, you not only need to know what things cost, but also that you’re not paying too much. As a necessary business expense, this could also include your insurance.

What is public liability insurance, and do I need it?

It’s good practice to have public liability insurance. It protects you against claims from third parties for injuries or damage to property caused by your work.

If you work for any large or public sector organisations, they may insist you have public liability cover before they work with you.

Public liability claims are common and can leave you facing a court order to pay thousands of pounds. If you can’t pay, your business and potentially your assets may be at risk.

How much will public liability insurance cost?

Because every business is different, it’s not possible to give a precise cost without knowing more about your specific circumstances. However, the factors that affect how much you will pay are more certain.

Calculating the cost of public liability

Two of the most important factors that determine your premium include:

• the amount of cover you want 
• whether you’re going to combine your policy with other insurance products.

Typical limits for public liability  cover for a small business is between £2 million and £10 million.

What other factors are considered?

The way your business is set up and how many, if any, employees you have are also factors. For example, a sole trader will usually pay less for insurance than a limited company with five employees depending on their trade.

You may not consider gardening high risk, but if you work on projects that are seen as riskier than normal, perhaps because they are high value, or have more technical requirements your insurance may cost a little more.

Finally, the geographical area in which you work may also affect the cost of your premium, as well as your previous claims history.