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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: baxey cleaning services on November 25, 2009, 07:04:40 pm

Title: public liability
Post by: baxey cleaning services on November 25, 2009, 07:04:40 pm
dose anyone know a good place to get public liability and at a good price . my one has just ran out . also i was told last year i had insurance to damage to property  being worked on but never . it a must to have this or wot the point can anyone help
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: GWCS on November 25, 2009, 07:26:25 pm
google simply business  ;) ask for cover with glass being worked on if thats what you require but be prepared to pay a lot more for it.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: matt on November 25, 2009, 07:31:47 pm
what are people paying ? ? ?

mine was renewed and arrived yesterday, i fax'ed it of to numourous offices you need it

whilst reading it closer, the building i am working on isnt covered
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Ste M on November 25, 2009, 08:09:21 pm
im just in the process of getting my cover, £80 for 1 million and £100 for 2 million, doesnt cover me for property im working on and i think i will only need the 1 million for now, at the end of the day i would have to drop my ladders on one of my customers new Bugatti Veyrons to even worry one little bit about if i have enough cover ;D
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Londoner on November 26, 2009, 07:36:34 am
If you read the small print on most of these policies you will find they are a complete waste of money. Don't cover you for this, don't cover you for that. A lot don't cover any damage caused by ladders or working off a ladder! Thats an almost universal clause in these policies.

Forget about asking whoever you talk to whether you are covered for this or that, they are on commission with quotas to meet and probably don't know anyway. Read the small print.

Also the excess is usually about £500 so forget claiming if you break a window or a plant pot.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Milltown Cleaning on November 26, 2009, 10:02:51 am
this small print you speak of, can you get it before you buy? i tried to get as much from simply business but there is very little information provided.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: JRDEasiReach on November 26, 2009, 12:04:21 pm
Milltown m8, i got mine locally through a broker for under 200 quid for 5 million worth of cover, im covered incase my brush falls off and hits a car, or someone passing by, my pole breaks, someone trips over my hosing etc but not covered for damage to property im working on, but theres very little chance of that happening.  if i was to pay out for all eventualities my insurance would be SKY high as in i wouldnt have it :)  google peter mcaleer insurance omagh m8 or email me and ill pass on the details on who to speak to, thanks
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: dazmond on November 26, 2009, 06:34:03 pm
ive never had PLI in 15 yrs!if it doesnt cover u for ladder damage etc.whats the point?ive broke a few tiles and plant pots,lights,sky dish once!always fixed or free clean etc.im a sole trader by the way.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Window Washers on November 26, 2009, 07:09:44 pm
ive never had PLI in 15 yrs!if it doesnt cover u for ladder damage etc.whats the point?ive broke a few tiles and plant pots,lights,sky dish once!always fixed or free clean etc.im a sole trader by the way.
because it covers the public not you.  :o by saying that I guess you dont have insurance for yourself either?

if your ladder hit my kid it would take alot more than a free clean, I would take you to the cleaners and make sure you got free advertising
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: dazmond on November 26, 2009, 09:03:28 pm
it wouldnt happen windowashers as i use common sense when im working!no legal requirement for it when not employing anyway ;D ;D
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Nathanael Jones on November 26, 2009, 09:11:56 pm
ive never had PLI in 15 yrs!if it doesnt cover u for ladder damage etc.whats the point?ive broke a few tiles and plant pots,lights,sky dish once!always fixed or free clean etc.im a sole trader by the way.
it wouldnt happen windowashers as i use common sense when im working!no legal requirement for it when not employing anyway ;D ;D

The 2 seem mutually exclusive to me?!!

Frost insurances in limerick have a great deal for any guys in Ireland. €6.5 million PL cover, including cover for property worked on & no exclusions involving ladders from €640 per annum. Guild members get €50 off.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: George P on November 26, 2009, 10:32:30 pm
i think p.liabillty ins is a legal reqiuirement regardless of employing or not, employment liabillty is only if you employ, also even if not legal requirement its not too expensive for sole trader and would take a lot of hassle off you should you drop a pole or ladder etc onto anything or any one
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: outdoor restore on November 26, 2009, 11:16:54 pm
Just renewed mine through Allied Insurance Services, insurance is with Quin.
£10m employer and £5m PL, excess £250 on PL.  Covers Damage to property being worked on, Treatment Risks, Loss of customers keys, Height limit of 25m.  Cost £435 pa.  I compared with simply business but couldn't get confirmation in writing as to exact cover and their cheapest was only £20-£30 less than I paid.
www.alliedinsurance.co.uk
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Ta-ra on November 27, 2009, 07:53:42 am
i think p.liabillty ins is a legal reqiuirement regardless of employing or not, employment liabillty is only if you employ, also even if not legal requirement its not too expensive for sole trader and would take a lot of hassle off you should you drop a pole or ladder etc onto anything or any one
PL is not a legal requirement:

http://www.ashburnham-insurance.co.uk/public-liability-insurance.html (http://www.ashburnham-insurance.co.uk/public-liability-insurance.html)
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: luther1 on November 27, 2009, 08:07:01 am
It may not be a legal requirement but nearly all of my commercial jobs have asked to see my policy. No policy,no job. Surely its a no brainer?
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Murdie window cleaning on November 27, 2009, 08:30:17 am
It may not be a legal requirement but nearly all of my commercial jobs have asked to see my policy. No policy,no job. Surely its a no brainer?

Commercial work may ask you to have PLI, but for domestic it isn't needed by law. I would recomend having it and if you can get it to include "property being worked on" then at least it gives you piece of mind should an incedent happen.

It can also be used as a good selling point you slip it in to the sales pitch and tell them your fully insured, it makes you look even more profesional.

Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Window Washers on November 27, 2009, 08:40:40 am
it wouldnt happen windowashers as i use common sense when im working!no legal requirement for it when not employing anyway ;D ;D
Never say never mate that's why accidents are called accidents

I know there is no legal requirement. I do think this should change, you dont seem to care fair enough your not my window cleaner, but would be unfair to others if you could not afford to pay out should something happen.

when a ladder slips or someone knocks into it it will go over it really is that simple if you have done this uninsured for 15 years you seem to be at very high risk now as you have been lucky so far (which is fantastic ;) )

Ian

p.s I do not work for simply business by the way  :)
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: daniel worgan on November 27, 2009, 09:08:00 am
A report in the late nineties by the association of british insurers stated that less than 17% of self employed sole traders carried liabilty insurance.Of course times may have changed.
It is not a legal requirement to carry such cover and should be at the discretion of the tradesman,but beware if an incident happens as we have long been in the "claim for anything" culture following in the footsteps of the yanks and aussies.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: dazmond on November 27, 2009, 02:03:17 pm
my god we are only cleaning windows!unless ur accident prone,employ or clean commercial then i dont think there is any need IMO.like i said 15 yrs window cleaning residential only,a few broken plant pots,sky dish and the odd tile.why pay for something that prob WONT HAPPEN!!
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: daniel worgan on November 27, 2009, 02:12:16 pm
Dazmond you wont get any allegiance from this lot,they will think you terribly unprofessional for not having something they have got,even if legally you and many others are doing nothing wrong at all.
You are not even allowed to join in certain associations without proof of pl cover...whats that about,taking the law into their own hands.
After 15 years without an incident and a whole lot of common sense i would carry on mate if i was you.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: leapstallbuildings on November 27, 2009, 04:58:14 pm
Just renewed mine through Allied Insurance Services, insurance is with Quin.
£10m employer and £5m PL, excess £250 on PL.  Covers Damage to property being worked on, Treatment Risks, Loss of customers keys, Height limit of 25m.  Cost £435 pa.  I compared with simply business but couldn't get confirmation in writing as to exact cover and their cheapest was only £20-£30 less than I paid.
www.alliedinsurance.co.uk

I pay £366 to Allied.  2 million cover.  Includes property being worked on with £250 excess.  That price also includes a few grands worth of tools cover too.
Please note that if you are on tight cashflow and don't want to pay any interest, Allied will take one third at renewal date and the other thirds one and two months after the renewal date.  They take cheques for this so you can delay it a few more days if you're a bit skint.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Ian Lancaster on November 27, 2009, 05:35:06 pm
Unfortunately none of us can predict the future.  It's those unpredictable life shattering incidents you need to think about.

For instance:

A couple of weeks ago I dislodged an ashtray that someone had left on an upstairs window sill.  It was invisible from the ground but my brush knocked it off and it fell three floors and smashed on the footpath.  What if someone had been walking underneath at the time?  Can you be sure a court wouldn't find against you?  The damages you could have to pay for that kind of accident could be in the millions.

If you're using a ladder on a public highway and you fell onto someone, the same applies.

What if you walk on a tiled roof, a tile breaks and falls onto someone?

Then there are the 'professional claimers' who would see a WFP pipe across a footpath as a gift from above - could you afford to go to court and argue that the 'trip and fall' wasn't genuine? And if it was... ::)

I worked for many years without PL, but a couple of incidents like those above involving near misses convinced me that I needed to protect myself from someone suing and bankrupting me.

It's the things that are not your fault that could cost you everything you own and more.
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: dazmond on November 27, 2009, 05:40:43 pm
u may be right ian but u did say u worked for many years without PLI!ill watch out for those flying ashtrays!! ;) ;)i very rarely walk on a roof now as i use a trad pole.no hose to trip up on YET!! ;D ;D

BEST WISHES DAZMOND
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: baxey cleaning services on November 27, 2009, 09:47:51 pm
i now have plb for £306 that is for 2million and cover to propety being worked on all so contents in van up to £11000 of alexander swan
Title: Re: public liability
Post by: Londoner on November 27, 2009, 10:22:16 pm

I don't think its a bad idea, I just think you have to make sure that you are covered for what you think you are covered for.