Employer liability, public liability, business interruption and specialist commercial covers explained.
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Showing 15 of 15 guidesEnvironmental Liability Insurance Explained
• Designed to cover pollution incidents, including clean-up and third-party claims • Often includes access to specialist environmental response teams • Can cover gradual pollution (depending on policy), which standard liability usually excludes • Regulatory investigations and remediation can be major cost drivers • Risk management and incident response planning materially affect outcomes
Support & RightsInsurance Misrepresentation Rules for Businesses
• Business insurance generally requires a “fair presentation of the risk” (not the same as consumer rules) • You must disclose material circumstances you know or ought to know, or give enough info to put the insurer on notice • Remedies depend on whether the misrepresentation/non-disclosure was deliberate, reckless, or innocent • Warranties and policy conditions can still affect claims if breached • Good documentation and a structured renewal process significantly reduces dispute risk
Deep DiveContract Works Insurance Explained
• Covers accidental loss or damage to works in progress (e.g. fire, flood, theft) • Often required by client contracts and main contractors • Cover should match the full rebuild/reinstatement cost of the project • Public liability is usually separate and still essential • Key exclusions include defective workmanship, gradual wear, and poor security
Support & RightsFCA Complaint Routes Explained
• Complain to the firm first (insurer, broker, or intermediary) in writing if possible • Firms usually have up to 8 weeks to provide a final response • If eligible, you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) • Keep a clear timeline, evidence, and what resolution you want • Complaints are free to make—don’t pay third parties unless you choose to
Deep DiveTrade Credit Insurance Explained
• Covers non-payment of invoices, typically due to insolvency or protracted default • Often includes access to credit checks, monitoring and debt collection support • You usually must follow policy credit limit and notification rules for claims to pay • Not the same as “professional indemnity” or “bad debt reserve” • Particularly valuable when you have customer concentration risk
Deep DiveManagement Liability Insurance Explained
• Management liability is usually a package: D&O + company cover + employment practices + sometimes crime/PI extensions • It protects individuals (directors/officers) and often the company (“entity cover”) • Defence costs can be a major driver—claims don’t need to be “true” to be expensive • Key exclusions often include fraud/dishonesty and known circumstances • The right limit depends on turnover, staff count, funding, contracts and sector risk
Key GuidePublic Liability Explained
• Public liability covers claims from third parties for injury or property damage linked to your business activities. • It does not cover injuries to employees — that’s employers’ liability. • Limits matter: common limits are £1m–£10m depending on your work and contracts. • Check territorial limits (UK-only vs worldwide), and whether products/completed work are included. • Keep good incident records — they help claims and reduce disputes.
Key GuideEmployers Liability Explained
• Employers’ liability is legally required for most businesses with employees in the UK. • It covers compensation and legal costs if an employee is injured or becomes ill due to their work. • ‘Employee’ can include labour-only subcontractors and some casual workers — definitions matter. • Typical minimum legal cover is £5m, but many policies provide £10m as standard. • The EL certificate no longer needs to be physically displayed, but employees and regulators must be able to access it (a digital copy is acceptable), and you must keep records.
Key GuideProfessional Indemnity Explained
• PI covers claims about professional mistakes — not physical injury/property damage (that’s typically public liability). • PI is often ‘claims-made’ — claims must be made and notified during the policy period. • Retroactive dates and run-off cover matter if you change insurer or stop trading. • Check what is covered: negligence, breach of duty, defamation, IP infringement (varies). • Contracts can require specific PI limits and wording.
Core GuideLandlord Insurance Explained
• Landlord policies are tailored for rental properties and tenant-related risks. • Buildings cover is usually essential; landlord contents applies to furnished items you own. • Loss of rent cover can help after insured damage makes the property uninhabitable (limits apply). • Liability cover protects against tenant/visitor injury claims. • Always disclose tenant type (students, DSS, HMO) — misdescription can cause claim problems.
Core GuideTools & Equipment Insurance Explained
• Tools cover protects your business equipment against theft, loss (sometimes), and accidental damage. • Cover often differs for tools in a vehicle vs at a secured premises — check conditions carefully. • Single item limits and total limits can be restrictive; schedule high-value items where needed. • Hired-in plant and owned plant may need separate sections. • Security requirements (locks, alarms, trackers) are a common cause of claim disputes.
Business Interruption Insurance Explained
• BI covers loss of gross profit or revenue after an insured event, subject to the policy trigger. • It usually requires an underlying insured damage event (fire/flood, etc.), unless you have extensions. • Indemnity period matters: it's how long the insurer will pay for losses while you recover. • Accurate sums insured and calculation basis are critical — BI underinsurance is common. • Cover can include additional increased cost of working (AICOW) to keep trading.
Cyber Insurance Explained
• Cyber cover often includes incident response support plus financial loss cover. • Policies differ: first-party losses (your costs) vs third-party liabilities (claims from others). • Insurers may require security controls like MFA, backups, and patching to be in place. • Ransomware coverage is common but often has conditions and limits. • Cyber is not a substitute for security — it complements good controls.
Directors & Officers Insurance Explained
• D&O covers personal liability for directors/officers arising from alleged wrongful acts in management. • It can also cover the company in some circumstances (entity cover), depending on the policy. • Claims can arise from employment disputes, regulatory investigations, misstatements, or insolvency-related actions. • Exclusions often include fraud and deliberate wrongdoing (usually only after final determination). • Check limits, defence costs (inside/outside limit), and what triggers cover.
Product Recall Insurance Explained
• Covers many costs associated with recalling products from the market • Triggers can include actual injury, credible threat, or regulatory instruction (varies) • Often includes crisis management, PR support, and specialist consultants • Not the same as product liability (which covers injury/property damage claims) • Strong traceability and quality controls improve insurability and claims outcomes