Construction insurance
Tailored cover for over 200 different types of trades. Get specialised insurance set up in under 10 minutes.
Be quote confident. We'll beat the price of any like-for-like quote. T&Cs apply.
Construction insurance quote
What does construction insurance cover?
If you work on a construction site, you'll know the risks you face on a daily basis. Our construction insurance is designed to cover you for the things that can go wrong while you're on the job. So, whether you're working below ground, performing gas fitting or conducting electrical work, we can cover you for the type of work you do and the sort of business structure you are, such as sole trader or limited company.
10% of construction businesses paid £10.74 a month or less for their insurance between January and March 2023.
- Public liability insurance limits up to £5 million
- £10 million employers' liability cover as standard
- Up to £10k cover for portable tools and equipment (maximum £1,000 per item)
- Up to £500k cover to contract or development works
Be quote confident
We're big on fairness. So if you find a lower price for a comparable quote, we won't just match it – we'll go one better and beat it.
So even better than apples to apples, apples to better apples. We're talking Galas to Braeburns.
As you'd expect, T&Cs apply.
What insurance do I need to work in construction?
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance for construction covers you for accident, injury and property damage claims made against you by the public as a result of your work. It's not a legal requirement in the UK, but a lot of trade associations and clients may require you to have it in order to work with them.
Employers' liability insurance
Employers' liability insurance is usually a legal requirement for employers in the UK, regardless of whether your staff are full-time, part-time, apprentices, contracting or temporary.
If you don't have employers' liability insurance and you're found to have employees, you can be fined up to £2,500 for every day you weren't insured.
Our employers' liability cover includes a £10 million limit as standard as well as 50 days’ cover each year for temporary employees (who don't need to register with us).
Contract works cover
Contract works cover insures you for incidents that are out of your control at your contract job – such as theft, fire, water and wind damage – as well as accidents that can delay the completion of a job. You can add this to your construction insurance policy as an optional extra, with limits of up to £500,000.
Tools insurance and equipment cover
Theft or damage to your tools is, unfortunately, commonplace on a construction site, and if something does happen to your kit it can really put a spanner in the works. Our equipment cover makes sure your tools are protected, so you can easily replace or repair them and don't lose a day's work.
Tools and equipment cover is an optional extra with us, but if you did add it to your policy you'd be protected for:
- Portable tools and equipment (maximum value of £1,000 per item), up to £10,000 cover
- Construction plant and machinery owned by you, up to £25,000 cover
- Hired-in plant insurance, up to £50,000 cover
We'd recommend that when you're not using your equipment to lock it up securely to minimise the risks. If you're often on the road, we can also offer cover to protect your tools while they're in a vehicle overnight.
Stock cover
On top of tools, you may also need cover for the materials you're using on site. We provide protection for materials such as wood, paint and tiles, up to £5,000, from theft and damage. As with your tools, it's important to take precautions with your work materials, meaning they should be stored securely at your business premises or in a vehicle while they're in transit.
Accident and sickness cover
Being on site has a lot of risks for you, too. And a serious injury could place you out of work. Accident and sickness insurance comes in three parts to cover workers aged between 16-69.
Firstly, it’s designed to provide financial support for up to 50 weeks if you or an employee goes on long-term sick leave. It can also provide financial assistance for up to 180 nights if you, or an employee, were hospitalised.
And finally, a lump sum benefit of up to £50,000 can be paid out if you or an employee suffers a serious injury or up to £25,000 in the unfortunate event that an insured person dies.
Professional indemnity insurance
We all make mistakes, but when you’re surveying, designing or measuring, mistakes could have real life consequences. Tradesperson professional indemnity insurance may help to cover the associated legal costs if a third party accuses you of professional negligence.
Read our guide to tradesperson professional indemnity insurance for more information.
Once you've completed a quote, you'll be able to view a summary of cover. Please always refer to your policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.
Real Superscript insurance quotes by real construction businesses
These real-life examples are to give you an indication of the sort of the cover options Superscript customers are looking for, and how much they were charged. These customers' names have been changed.
£10.75/MONTH
Stefan, a self-employed construction worker from Seaton, with an annual turnover of under £50,000.
Quoted £10.75 a month in May 2022:
- Public liability insurance (£2m limit)
- Personal accident cover
£23.83/MONTH
Owen, a sole trader in the construction industry from Stockport, with an annual turnover of up to £100,000.
Quoted £23.83 a month in March 2023:
- Public liability insurance (£5m limit)
- Professional indemnity insurance (£500,000 limit)
£57.22/MONTH
Bethan, a construction business owner from Newent, Gloucestershire, with an annual turnover up to £250,000 and three employees.
Quoted £57.22 a month in March 2023:
- Public liability insurance (£2m limit)
- Employers' liability insurance (£10m limit)
- Contract works cover (£250,000 limit)
- Tools and equipment cover (£2,500 limit)
Just need to insure your tools and equipment?
At Superscript, we offer special cover for just the tools and equipment of your trade. You won't be tied into taking out any other covers in your policy so you only pay for what you need.
Working in construction, you can get simple, customised cover for vital tools and items of business equipment such as:
- Power tools
- Screwdrivers, pliers and wrenches
- Portable generator
- Work bench
- Plastering equipment
- Carpentry tools
- Laptop and phone
Read more about our tools-only cover.
Claims examples
Insurance claims for construction businesses will be different in every situation, but here are a few examples of real claims that construction businesses have had to make.
The digger damage
A construction worker was mid-way through a programme of construction work at a hospital. Whilst driving a small digger, they momentarily lost control of the digger's arm and accidentally collided with a low-rise wall, causing damage to the brickwork, and collapsing part of the structure.
The business’ public liability insurance covered the cost of repairing the damage to the wall.
The loose wires
On a construction site, there were a number of loose wires both hanging from the ceiling and protruding from the floor. A contract worker sadly tripped over a wire and fell onto the hard, bare concrete, sustaining injuries as a result. They pursued the business for their loss of earnings while they recovered, as well as their rehabilitation costs and damages.
The construction firm’s employers’ liability insurance covered the legal and compensation costs of the claim.
The buried tools
A construction business had been contracted to dig a new inspection chamber as part of a redirection of a water mains system. Whilst a worker thought he had removed all of his tools, it was not until he had finished backfilling everything that he realised that he had also buried his laser cutter and saw and both were now lost and presumably ‘flushed away’ in the water system.
The business’ tools insurance covered the cost of replacing the lost saw and laser cutter.
How do claims work?
Notify us of the claim
Contact us by email at claims@gosuperscript.com, by 24/7 freephone on 0800 772 3059 or by logging in to your customer portal.
Ideally this should be done as soon as possible and within 30 days of you becoming aware of anything which you think may be covered by your insurance.
A good indicator of whether or not to let us know is if there's an issue which may require a payment to be made on your behalf.
We'll get on the case
We'll acknowledge your claim within 24 hours, and sometimes in as little as 30 minutes! This means you'll receive email confirmation of your claims reference and contact information should you need to speak to us.
We will then reach out to you within 48 hours to request any extra information we need to progress your claim.
We'll keep you updated on the next steps as the claim progresses.
A decision is made
We'll let you know if your claim is successful or not. If your claim isn't covered, we will always try to point you in the right direction and support you as best we can in getting back to normal.
Read about the most common reasons claims aren't paid.
If your claim is successful, once we have all the documents we need, we will aim to settle claims such as accidental damage, theft and lost equipment within five working days.
Construction insurance FAQs
What is construction insurance?
Construction insurance is designed to cover you and your business from risks like accidents, injuries, theft and property damage that occur as a result of your work. Our construction insurance policy is tailored to include cover that protects you for the specific work you do.
What trades do you cover?
We can cover over 200 different types of trades, including building, plastering, carpentry, roofing, and so much more. To find if yours is included, simply search for your industry or type of work when getting a quote.
If you can’t see your trade as an option when you get a quote, we might still cover it. Just contact our customer success team via chat, email or phone and let's see what we can do.
Will I be covered to work abroad?
You'll be covered to work temporarily for up to 180 days anywhere within the European Union as part of your policy.
Do I need to tell you each time I get a new employee?
If you have employers' liability with us and employ temporary workers, there's no need to let us know when you gain or lose an employee, so long as they haven't worked with you for longer than 50 days. If you have full-time employees, it's important that you let us know each time you gain or lose an employee.
How much does construction liability insurance cost?
Your construction insurance quote will depend on the level of cover you need and certain factors such as your business structure, the type of work you do and whether you have employees. The cost of our construction insurance starts from as little as £10.74 per month.
10% of construction businesses paid £10.74 a month or less for their insurance between January and March 2023.
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A-rated financial strength
Our insurance products are underwritten by Standard & Poor’s A-rated financial strength or higher. This means the underwriter has been independently assessed by the world’s leading credit rating provider and found to have a strong capacity to meet financial commitments (pay claims).
Protected by the FSCS
If you are a business with an annual turnover under £1m, charity with an annual income under £1m, or trust with net assets under £1m, then you will be entitled to compensation from the FSCS in the unlikely event we cannot meet our obligations. Full details and further information on the scheme are available at www.fscs.org.uk.