Do you need public liability insurance for task work in the UK?

Public liability insurance covers you if you injure someone or damage their property while working. It is not legally required for most self-employed task work, but it is the difference between an awkward afternoon and losing your savings.

What it actually covers

Third-party injury and third-party property damage caused by your work. Drilling through a pipe. A ladder through a window. A customer tripping over your toolbag.

Typical cover levels are £1m, £2m, £5m or £10m. Many commercial clients and letting agents require £2m as a minimum before they will let you on site.

What it does not cover

This is where people get caught out:

Faulty workmanship. If the shelf you fitted falls off, public liability does not pay to redo it. That is professional indemnity or a "financial loss" extension.
Your own tools. That is tools cover, usually a cheap add-on.
Your own injury. That is personal accident cover.
Anything in a vehicle. Goods in transit and hire-and-reward motor insurance are separate.

Marketplace protection is not your insurance

Most platforms, including this one, provide some third-party liability protection on eligible tasks booked and paid through the platform. Read the exclusions carefully: they typically exclude faulty workmanship, vehicles, off-platform or cash work, and the tasker's own injury, and an excess applies.

It is a safety net for the customer, not a replacement for your own policy. Any work you do off-platform is entirely uncovered.

What it costs

For a sole-trader handyman or cleaner with no employees, £1m to £2m of public liability typically runs £60, £200 a year, depending on trade, turnover and whether you work at height. Trades involving heat, height or water cost more.

It is a deductible business expense.

When to buy it

Before your first paid job in someone's home. The premium is roughly the margin on one or two jobs a year.

What to look for

£2m minimum if you want commercial and letting-agent work.
Check the trade description matches what you actually do, a policy for "cleaning" may not cover you carrying furniture.
Add tools cover if your kit is worth more than the excess.
Check the height limit. Many policies restrict work above three or four metres.
Claims-made vs occurrence. Occurrence-based cover is better: it responds to when the incident happened, not when the claim was made.