Sml Shield

Trusted by over 400,000 with their insurance needs

Sml Star

Our service is rated ‘Excellent’ on Feefo

Sml Agent (1)

Over 2000 insurance specialists ready to support you

Tradesman Insurance

Cover for hundreds of trades, from painters and electricians to gardeners.

  • An adaptable tradesman insurance that can cover you and your tools.
  • Build your own policy by choosing from a range of liability options and specialist tradesman covers.
  • Access your quotes, policies and renewals in your online account

Call us on 0330 173 3617 or get a quote online

A shield with a tick inside it on a big translucent blue circle
Women in a boiler suit standing, working on something on an exposed platform directly above her
If you need additional assistance arranging your insurance, find out how our teams can support

One of the UK's leading independent insurance brokers

Flexibility (1)

Easily compare quotes

From our panel of trusted brands

Trusted brand icon

Overall service rating 4.6 / 5

Based on 4645 customer reviews

Feefo Logo

Why choose tradesman insurance with Towergate?

Thumbs up with three stars spanning above

Specialist insurers for your business

We search a panel of carefully selected insurers for a tradesman insurance policy that works best for you.

Line drawing of persons head and shoulders wearing a hard hat

Quick tradesman insurance quote

Friendly advisers on-hand to help get you the right quote quickly.

House icon with a hammer in one diagonal and a spanner over the hammer in the other diagonal

Build your own tradesman policy

Tailor your own policy and choose the covers that suits you most

Circle with a pound sign in the center and rays around it

Pay by Direct Debit

We offer a quick and easy Direct Debit instalment scheme so you can spread payment over ten months. 

About tradesman insurance

Whether you are a plumber, a carpenter, a builder, electrician or a gardener, we cover hundreds of different trades with tradesman insurance.

Tailor your policy to meet your specific requirements with our wide range of liability options. Our cover can include trades that require working with heat (blow lamps etc) and working at heights up to 15 metres and depths down to 2 metres.

We cover a wide range of properties and types of tenants including multi occupancy, students, local authority placements, unoccupied and much more. You can compare prices from a range of leading insurers - so you get the right landlord insurance policy for your needs.

Rosette head with a blue tick

The right cover for your business

Experts in their field, our tradesman insurance team understand the subtle differences in requirements between the trades, so they can tailor your policy according to your unique needs. Our policies remain flexible as you grow, whether it is when you take on employees, purchase new equipment or take on larger contracts. You can adjust your tradesman cover with a simple call.

Money bag being held by one hand with another holding the neck of the top

Specialist tradesman cover

We can provide specialist types of cover such as ‘contractors all risks’ (CAR) cover for your own plant, hired-in plant, and contract works cover. Our brokers, however, can source policies which include many of these features combined in one policy as you need them. We can even provide trade specific cover, such as professional indemnity for PAT testing and conditioning reports (EICRs) depending on the nature of the work you do. 

Head and shoulders of a man in a jumper with a neck tie

Liability and professional indemnity insurance

Whether you’re a sole trader, partnership or limited company, if you work on your own or if you have a team of employees; whether you’re doing a bit of gardening or taking on larger public contracts, liability insurance is probably the most important cover you’ll need. We can provide tradesman insurance for public, product and employers’ liability cover (with up to £10million of protection for each). You can also choose to have personal accident cover to run in parallel.

House icon with a hammer in one diagonal and a spanner over the hammer in the other diagonal

Tradesman tools insurance

Our flexible options include tools cover to enable you to protect your own tools if you want or need to. Better still, you can also get cover for your employees’ tools while they’re working for you. We can also cover any specialist equipment you hire in as well. Tradesman insurance tools cover can be extended to cover your tools when not in use or left locked away on site or in your van. Ask us for details.

When you need to make a claim, we'll guide you through the process and get your claim settled as quickly as possible.

  • Find your insurance documents and make sure you have all your information at hand, including your policy number.
  • Call us on 0344 980 8367 and explain exactly what happened.
  • Provide photos if requested to help us understand what happened as quickly as we can.
Smiling women sitting on a rug on a parquet floor leaning on a sofa looking at her mobile

Ready to get covered?

  • Fill in our online quote form or call us
  • Select your insurer and price
  • Relax - you're covered!
Get a Quote

Tradesman insurance FAQs

Tradesman insurance is a business insurance policy for professionals in their field that covers several different important aspects, including your equipment, cover for your ongoing works, compensation costs following a legal claim against you and other optional extras depending on the work you do.

To qualify as a tradesman, you must be deemed as a professional in your field of work and be over the age of 16. Generally, tradesman insurance is designed for people working in their own homes, outside, or on their clients' property, so if you own or rent a specific business premises you may need to enquire into full business insurance.

The level of cover can be tailored to suit your needs and therefore the different things covered ranges depending on the cover you choose. Tradesman insurance can cover:

  • Public contracts
  • Private jobs
  • Consulting
  • Quoting
  • Working abroad
  • Working onsite

Your adviser can help you understand the different covers and the exact levels you might need during a quotation but we have listed some of the main features below. Our policies can be tailored to your business needs, so we can help you find the policy that is right for you.

This cover protects your business should a member of the public suffer an injury, loss or damage to themselves or their property through some type of negligence.

This is a legal obligation to all businesses with any number of staff members, including those who are unpaid or contracted staff. This cover will protect you and your employees should they become injured while working for you.

Yes, we can offer tools insurance for all trades, ranging from £1000 - £5000 per person. Also, own plant and hired in plant cover can be offered.

This will depend on your circumstances. Each case will be looked at on an individual basis.

We know that JCT is becoming more and more desired as part of tradesman insurance, even though it still remains relatively difficult to find among the various providers.

We pride ourselves on not only being able to source this protection for those looking for it, but also being able to accommodate any other types of cover you may need, such as sub-contractors and employees’ tools cover. Speak with one of our advisers about your needs and how we might be able to help.

We are a specialist trade's insurer and use a carefully selected panel of top insurers. We are able to offer Contractors All Risks cover choosing a package to suitable to each client's demands and needs.

The level of cover will depend upon your circumstances. The type of contracts the property you work at and any contractual requirements  We will offer a range of public liability insurance options enabling you to make an informed decision on the most suitable levels of cover for you.

This provides cover against an uninsurable event that stops you fulfilling a contract. An example would be when a storm destroys a structure being built. Contract works will only cover the parts of the building that you are working on, not the existing structure. The builder is liable for the materials, labour and extra time to finish the work.

If you own and/or hire equipment for you job your will be liable for their replacement should they be damaged or stolen. Own plant cover is insurance for the equipment you own. Hired plant cover is for that which you hire. It is possible to get yearly rates on hired in cover so if you make regular hires in a year, speak with your adviser about which might be the best option for you.

With hundreds of different types of trade there are a variety of different optional insurance features, including the below:

Jury service

This will protect your income if you are called up for jury service during a contracted job.

Personal accident

If you run your own business, a sickness or injury that stops you from working can be a worry. Personal accident insurance covers you for these eventualities and can even include personal injury and death. There are many different levels of cover, for more information speak to your insurance adviser.

Tools

Cover for your business against theft, damage or loss of tools. You also have the option to cover them when left in your vehicle overnight.

Efficacy cover

This protects you against an insurance claim from a customer where the product that has been sold, or service that was provided, failed to do the job it was intended for. For example, if you install security alarms and a faulty installation led to a successful burglary of the property, you could be held liable.

To help you manage the cost of your tradesman insurance premiums, we offer a quick and easy direct debit scheme for spreading payment over ten months. Please visit our dedicated Direct Debit page to find out more.

Read more FAQs

Read tradesman insurance articles and guides

Can I Customise my Public Liability Insurance Policy?

Discover the flexibility of customising your public liability insurance policy. Learn how you can adjust coverage to better safeguard your business.

Read more

Does Public Liability Cover Poor Work?

Find out whether public liability covers poor work, and how you can protect your business from being affected by this with warranty insurance.

Read more

How to Claim Against Public Liability Insurance

Find out how to claim against public liability insurance, including what you need to do before making a claim and the steps involved in the process.

Read more

Public Liability versus Professional Indemnity: What's the Difference?

Find out what the difference is between public liability and professional indemnity insurance, and what type of thing each can cover.

Read more

Do I Need Public Liability as a Sole Trader?

Find out whether you need to have public liability insurance as a sole trader and why it can be a very good idea to have this type of cover in place.

Read more

Can You Get Public Liability Insurance For One Day?

Find out whether you can get public liability insurance for one day and learn more about event insurance cover and what it can protect you against.

Read more

What's the Difference Between Public and Product Liability?

Read about the difference between public and product liability insurance, and discover which is right for your business.

Read more

Public Liability Insurance Claim Examples

Take a look at our public liability insurance claim examples to get a better understanding of how this type of insurance can protect you and your business.

Read more