Plumbers Insurance
Escape of water is the plumber's defining risk, and it is the single most expensive routine claim in UK construction. A joint that weeps for a weekend in an empty office, a pipe left uncapped, a system pressurised and not checked, and the damage runs through ceilings, floors, contents and often several floors of somebody else's building. The repair to the pipe costs almost nothing; everything else costs a great deal.
The second exposure is fire, which surprises people. Soldering is hot work carried out inside timber floors and stud walls, and blowtorch fires in joist voids follow the same pattern as roofing fires: they start quietly and are discovered hours later. Any plumbing policy will carry a hot works condition, and it applies just as strictly to a plumber as it does to a roofer.
We arrange cover for plumbing contractors on domestic, commercial and new build work, and the practical points are usually the hot works condition, whether you install unvented cylinders, and what your procedure is for leaving a system pressurised overnight.
What actually goes wrong
The exposures that produce claims in this trade, rather than a generic list.
Escape of water
The dominant claim. Failed joints, uncapped pipes, disturbed existing pipework and systems left pressurised over a weekend all produce water damage that spreads far beyond the room you were working in. In commercial buildings the tenant's business interruption claim can exceed the physical damage substantially.
Fire from soldering
Blowtorch work inside floor voids and stud walls ignites dust, insulation and timber, and the fire develops slowly out of sight. Press fit and push fit systems have reduced this exposure for plumbers who have adopted them, which insurers recognise.
Unvented hot water systems
Unvented cylinders store hot water under pressure and require specific competence to install. A failure of the safety devices on an unvented system is a serious incident, and installation without the appropriate qualification is both a regulatory and an insurance problem.
Damage to finishes and structure
Running pipework means lifting floors, chasing walls and drilling joists. Notching or drilling a joist incorrectly weakens a floor, and drilling into a concealed cable creates an electrical hazard as well as damage.
Frozen and burst pipes on unoccupied property
Work on empty or seasonal properties carries the risk that a system left charged freezes. The subsequent flood is discovered when somebody eventually visits, by which time the damage is extensive.
The cover we arrange
Policies are put together around how you work. Employers liability is included as standard wherever you employ anyone.
Public liability
Third party injury and property damage, which for plumbers overwhelmingly means water damage to buildings and contents. £2m for domestic work, £5m for commercial, and higher where you work in multi occupancy buildings.
- Water damage to buildings and contents
- Fire damage following hot works
- Damage to other trades' finished work
- Limits typically £2m, £5m or £10m
Employers liability
Legally required and included as standard at £10m. Apprentices, mates and labour only plumbers working under your direction all count.
- Legally required, £10m as standard
- Apprentices and plumber's mates
- Labour only subcontractors
- Burns, manual handling and confined spaces
Contract works
Covers the installation in progress and materials on site. Copper is a persistent theft target, and boilers and cylinders awaiting installation are valuable and portable.
- Installation work in progress
- Boilers, cylinders and materials on site
- Copper and fittings theft
- Water damage during installation
Tools and equipment
Press fit tools, pipe freezing kits, power tools and hand tools. Press fit systems are expensive enough to be worth scheduling, and all of it is subject to the vehicle conditions.
- Press fit and pipe working tools
- Power tools and hand tools
- Cover on site and in transit
- Vehicle conditions apply overnight
Professional indemnity
Relevant where you design systems, size plant or advise on specification rather than installing to somebody else's design. Commonly requested on commercial mechanical subcontracts.
- System design and plant sizing
- Specification advice
- Claims made basis
- Often required on commercial contracts
What an underwriter will ask
Having these to hand shortens the process considerably, and usually improves the terms.
- Turnover split between domestic, commercial and new build work
- Whether you use blowtorches, or work entirely with press fit and push fit
- Your hot works procedure, including fire watch duration
- Whether you install unvented hot water systems, and who holds the qualification
- Whether you work in multi occupancy buildings or above other tenants
- Your procedure for leaving systems pressurised or charged overnight
- Whether you work on unoccupied or seasonal property
- Whether you carry out any system design or plant sizing
- Five years of claims, particularly escape of water
What moves the premium
Where the price actually comes from, and which parts of it you can change.
Hot works or press fit
A plumber who has moved to press fit and push fit systems has removed the fire exposure almost entirely, and that is recognised. Where blowtorch work continues, the permit and fire watch procedure matters.
Domestic or commercial
Commercial and multi occupancy work carries a far larger escape of water exposure, because water travels through more of somebody else's building and interrupts more businesses.
Building type and occupancy
Working above occupied flats or trading premises is the highest exposure. Working in empty new build is the lowest.
Qualifications held
Unvented cylinder qualifications and relevant registrations are taken into account, since work carried out without them is a coverage question rather than a rating one.
Water damage claims history
Priced on frequency more than severity. A contractor with a documented procedure for isolating and checking systems before leaving site presents better and claims less.
Conditions and exclusions that catch this trade out
Terms vary between insurers, so treat these as the questions to ask rather than a description of any one policy.
Hot works conditions
Soldering is hot work, and the conditions apply. Expect a requirement for combustibles to be cleared or protected, extinguishers to hand, and a fire watch for a set period after work stops, most commonly sixty minutes. A blowtorch fire in a joist void where no fire watch was kept is normally declined outright.
The cost of the failed joint
Repairing the pipe or joint that failed is your cost. The water damage it caused is the claim. Since the pipe repair is trivial and the damage substantial, this rarely causes disputes, but the principle catches people out on larger remedial works.
Gradual damage
Liability policies generally respond to sudden and accidental damage. A joint that has been weeping slowly for months, causing rot and staining, may fall outside cover as gradual rather than sudden, which is a real distinction on older installations.
Work outside your qualification
Installing unvented cylinders without the relevant qualification, or working on gas without being registered, creates a position insurers may decline to cover. These qualifications are not optional extras.
Tools in unattended vehicles
Standard vehicle warranties requiring the vehicle to be locked and often alarmed, with overnight restrictions between stated hours. Press fit tools are valuable enough that overnight removal is worth the inconvenience.
Common questions
What insurance do plumbers need?
Public liability at £2m for domestic work and £5m for commercial, which is what responds to escape of water damage. Employers liability at £10m, a legal requirement and included as standard wherever you have an apprentice, a mate or anyone working under your direction. Contract works for installations in progress and materials on site. Tools cover. And professional indemnity if you design systems or size plant rather than installing to a given design.
Am I covered if a leak damages several flats?
Yes, that is exactly what public liability is for, and it is the reason limits for plumbers are set higher than the value of the work. Damage to each affected flat, to the common parts, to residents' contents and any alternative accommodation costs are all within the claim. In multi occupancy buildings a single failed joint can easily produce a six figure claim, which is why £2m is thin for commercial and multi occupancy work and £5m is the sensible floor.
Does plumbers insurance cover fire from soldering?
It does, subject to the hot works condition, and that condition is applied strictly. Expect a requirement to clear or protect combustible material, have extinguishers immediately available, and maintain a fire watch for a set period after you finish, most commonly sixty minutes. Blowtorch fires in floor voids develop out of sight and are discovered hours later, so the fire watch is precisely the control the insurer is relying on. Plumbers who have moved to press fit systems remove this exposure and the associated conditions.
Will my insurance pay for the pipe that failed?
No. The cost of repairing or replacing the joint, pipe or fitting that failed is a rectification cost and is not insured. What is insured is the water damage that failure caused: ceilings, floors, decoration, contents and, in commercial buildings, the occupier's loss of trade. Since the repair is usually trivial next to the damage, this rarely causes a problem, but on larger remedial works it is worth being clear about.
Do I need a qualification to install unvented cylinders?
Yes, and it matters for insurance as well as for compliance. Unvented hot water systems store water under pressure and require a specific qualification to install and commission. Work carried out without it puts you outside both the regulatory position and, potentially, your cover, since insurers can take a view where work was performed without the competence the law requires. If you install unvented systems, make sure the qualification is declared and current.
What if a leak developed slowly over months rather than suddenly?
That can be a genuine problem. Liability policies generally respond to sudden and accidental damage, and a joint that has been weeping quietly for months, causing rot, staining and mould, may fall outside cover as gradual damage. It is one of the less well known limitations and comes up most often on older installations and in properties that are not regularly occupied. Where you work on empty or seasonal property, it is worth asking specifically how your wording treats gradual damage.
Talk to somebody who knows the trade
Tell us what you actually do and we will come back to you with cover options built around it.