Window Cleaning Public Liability Insurance
Public Liability Insurance For Window Cleaners
Naturally, when you are carrying out your work, you do your best to care for the property you are at and the people you are working around.
However, on occasion, even with the greatest care, accidents can happen. It is for these instances that you want to feel reassured that you won’t be financially affected as a consequence.
Public Liability Insurance provides indemnity for legal liability in the case of:
- Accidental death and/or bodily injury to third parties; and/or
- Accidental loss or damage to third party property, arising out of the company’s business.
The limit of indemnity chosen applies to each and every occurrence, unlimited in the period in respect of public liability, but applying in the aggregate in respect of products or pollution.
Specialist Addition For Window Cleaners
Our cleaning-specific liability products extend to include “damage to property being worked upon”.
This extension (which is a standard exclusion on most public liability policies) gives you added peace of mind in case of any damage to the glass you are cleaning.
Employers Liability Insurance
Having Employers Liability Insurance is a basic requirement of law. It provides an indemnity against your legal liability to pay compensation for bodily injury, death, disease or nervous shock sustained by employees of the company arising in the course of employment.
Cover includes:
- Costs and expenses in defending an action against you, payable as part of your limit for this Section
- Compensation for court attendance at £250 per person, per day, or £500 for directors/partners
- Injuries to working partners or proprietors
- Contractual liability
- Indemnity to principal
- Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 defence costs
- Data Protection Act 1998 compensation for distress to employees
- Unsatisfied court judgements
- Corporate Manslaughter defence costs £1m
- Injuries arising from war or terrorism, but limited to £5m and further sub-limited to £1m in hostile territories, being a territory designated by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as one:
- a) to which personnel are ‘advised against all travel to’
- b) that personnel should leave having designated the territory ‘advised against all travel to’.
Cyber Liability Insurance For Window Cleaners
In today’s electronic world, Cyber-crime is a significant risk for any business. Whether your commercial business is big or small, the risks simply cannot be ignored.
Depending on the nature of your business will depend on the extent of the risk, but essentially all business owners need to take appropriate measures to protect their customer data, their electronic systems, including website, marketing platforms and email and their reputation.
Whilst there are security measures that can be utilised within your business to protect your hardware and software from incidents such as viruses, hacking and identity fraud, if you do experience a Cyber-attack, your business could also suffer financially.
E-risks insurance protects your business against losses arising from Cyber related crime and ensures you are able to cover costs such as compensation for customers if their data is breached.
Public Liability Insurance for Window Cleaning FAQs
It protects your business if a customer or member of the public is injured, or their property is damaged, because of your work. It pays compensation and legal costs, which matters because window cleaners work at height, with water and on other people’s property every day, so a single accident can lead to a costly claim.
It pays compensation and legal costs if your work injures a customer or member of the public, or damages their property. Examples include a passer-by tripping over your hose, a ladder falling onto a car or water marking a customer’s floor. Our window cleaning policy can also extend to the glass you are cleaning.
Most standard public liability policies exclude damage to “property being worked upon”, which for a window cleaner means the glass itself. Our cleaning-specific liability extends cover to include it, so a cracked pane or scratched window is covered.
Yes. If a customer, passer-by or anyone else is injured because of your work, for example tripping over a hose or being hit by a dropped tool, public liability pays their compensation claim and your legal costs, up to your limit of indemnity.
Domestic rounds often choose £1 million to £2 million. Commercial clients, councils and facilities managers commonly require £5 million or £10 million. Check your contracts before renewal and we will set a limit that meets every client’s terms.
No, public liability is not required by law. In practice most domestic customers, letting agents and all commercial clients will ask to see your certificate before you start, so it is essential for winning and keeping work. Employer’s liability is the cover you must hold by law if you employ staff.
Costs depend on your limit of indemnity, turnover, number of staff, working methods and maximum working height, whether you do commercial work and your claims history. A sole trader on a domestic round pays far less than a firm with commercial contracts. We compare specialist insurers to find the right price for your cover.
Accidental damage to third party property caused by your work, such as water getting into a building or marking a car, is normally covered. Check the policy wording and excess, and report any incident to us straight away.
No. Injuries to your employees are covered by employer’s liability, which is a legal requirement once you employ anyone. Public liability only covers customers, the public and their property.
Most window cleaners do not. Professional indemnity covers claims that your advice or design caused financial loss. It may be worth considering if you also give paid advice, such as building maintenance surveys.