Public liability insurance for roofing contractors falls under the category of a high risk trade. This is due to the heights that a roofer can work at and also the risk involving the use of heat. Liability insurance for roofers is a must for all in the trade.
To be classified as a roofer depends on the percentage of any roof works. Any roof work that is over 20 % of your annual turnover classifies you as a Roofer. If you under insure yourself and put yourself as a builder or maintenance man to save yourself money, then if you had to make a claim the insurers would find out exactly what you should be classified as and will deny your claim resulting in all you have paid in premiums becoming worthless and you could end up with nothing.
Just imagine if you didn’t have roofer’s public liability insurance but you were classed as a roofer and when you were doing work on a roof a tile slipped and fell and hit a member of the public. Or you were doing heat works on a roof and the roof set alight burning down the entire premises. These are situations which have arisen and if the relevant liability for roofers is not in place then you will be liable. A likely result would see the closure of your company and put all your assets at risk.
There is also the risk at work with accidents involving your staff. They could sue you if they had an accident and if you did not have employer’s liability for roofers you would be paying them from your pocket. In fact, as an employer, you are obliged by law to hold employers liability insurance. This part of your insurance is not an option but a must! If you are paying someone more than 20 % of their annual wage then they are classed as your employee.
It is also imperative as a roofer you have the correct height restrictions on your roofers insurance i.e. 10 metres, 15 metres or 25metres. If you have the incorrect height restrictions on your policy this can also invalidate a claim, so you must be sure as to what heights you work to. We can provide rates for hot roofer’s insurance and flat roofers insurance.
Roofers face far higher premiums for their public liability and employer’s liability insurance than many other trades in the construction industry. The reasons for this are many fold – roofs, by their very nature – are high and sadly that means that any minor accident can suddenly become very serious (such as dropping a hammer!) compared to working at ground level. Also, where an employee falls off a ladder or scaffolding, or off the roof, the injuries caused are obviously very serious resulting in very high compensation. Lastly, if you use heat at any time, you will need to mention this and the premium will be higher again because of the extra risk of fire damage to the building you are working on.
Insurance companies are reluctant to insure roofing contractors because of the risks involved. However, we have several specialist insurance schemes for roofers (both with and without heat) and already insure many businesses like yours all around the country. The reason why so many roofing specialists choose us is because we negotiate with different insurance schemes to obtain the best terms and lowest premium for each and every client. If you do not use heat and have less than 5 workers, we can offer instant quotations and cover by clicking here.
