Do Part Time Builders Need Construction Insurance?

 This is a valid question that many part time builders don’t worry with, they get their public liability cover and think that along with their personal vehicle cover is enough, but in actual fact all part time builders should have a construction insurance policy in place.

What you need to realise is that this protection covers you for so much more than just your vehicle and public liability; it also covers your tools and equipment, workmanship, loss of income and legal expenses.

Not all policies come with loss of income and legal expenses; these can be added on as additional cover, which are worth the money spent. Imagine building  a wall in a home, you leave and everything is fine until a month or two down the line when the owner calls to tell you the wall has fallen down, not only did it do serious damage to the rest of the building, their child was trapped underneath.

Now you get the picture? Can you imagine how much the claim is that will be held against you, a claim that you are legally liable for? Being in this line of business is exceptionally risky at the best of times, this is whether you do full building work such as structures or you just do some bricklaying in your spare time, whichever it is it comes with its own list of risks that you need to ensure you are covered for.

Under the policy you can protect your tools, you will have public liability, you will have professional indemnity or poor workmanship cover, you can cover your vehicle and you can protect yourself.

There may be a time when you get injured and cannot work, this can result in you ending up in financial difficulty as you heal and get back to work. While off work you can take advantage of the additional loss of income cover, which will pay you while you recover. This loss of income also comes into effect when your vehicle is so badly damaged you cannot get to work or your tools are stolen making it impossible for you to work. This is definitely an additional cover you do not wish to leave off your policy.

It’s understandable that seeing this is a part time job you don’t want to spend a lot of money on the policy, so shopping around won’t do any harm. Do a search online for construction insurance after you have done a risk assessment and see what offers are available for you to take advantage of. Always ensure they offer the cover you need before putting pen to paper.