Your guide to public liability insurance for gardeners

For anyone that has experience working as ­a gardener or landscaper, they’ll know about the risks that come with the job. Working on various properties, handling sharp tools and machinery, and interacting with clients and t­­he public can lead to unforeseen incidents.

Whether you're a self-employed gardener, or you own a gardening business, public liability insurance provides essential protection against claims from third parties for injuries or property damage caused by business activities.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about public liability insurance for gardeners, including what it covers, why it’s essential, and how to find the right insurance policy for your business. Let’s get started!

Are you looking for gardeners' insurance to protect your business? Get in touch with us! Our team of experts can help you find tailored cover to suit your business needs.

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Does a gardener need public liability insurance?

While public liability cover isn't a legal requirement for businesses in the UK, it is highly recommended for any gardening or landscaping business that interacts with customers, clients, or the general public. Given that most of your work happens on clients' premises, this protection is particularly important to safeguard your livelihood and business reputation.

This applies to a wide range of gardening businesses - below are five examples:

1. Landscape gardeners / landscaping gardening businesses.
2. Lawn and turfing services.
3. Garden design services.
4. Landscape architecture.
5. Garden services (e.g. mowing lawns, planting flowers etc.).

Let's take a look at a few examples where having public liability cover is vital for gardeners:

• Accidental damage to a client's property: While pruning a tree, a branch falls and smashes a client's greenhouse or a window.
• Poor workmanship leading to damage: A gardener installs a new fence, but it's not properly secured. A strong gust of wind blows it over, damaging a client's car. Even though the damage isn't immediate, if it stems from faulty work, the gardener could be liable.
• Damage to a neighbouring property: While cutting down a large bush, a section falls onto the neighbour's fence, causing it to collapse.
• Injury to a third party: A gardener is using a strimmer or lawnmower, and a stone or piece of hidden debris is ejected at high speed, hitting a client or a passer-by in the eye, causing serious injury.

It's also worth noting that many clients may insist that you have public liability insurance before they choose to work with your business.

Securing contracts with larger organisations often requires proof of adequate gardeners' insurance coverage.

What does public liability insurance cover?

Public liability insurance protects your gardening business by covering legal fees and compensation costs if a claim is made against your business involving injury or death caused by your business activities, as well as damage to third-party property. This includes:

• Accidental bodily injury 
• Accidental death 
• Accidental damage to property 
• Total loss of property

What does public liability insurance not cover?

Public liability insurance won't cover every type of claim. Below are five common exclusions:

1. Employee injuries

If an employee becomes ill or sustains an injury while working for your gardening business, public liability insurance does not cover compensation claims or legal fees.

You'll need employers liability insurance for this, which is a legal requirement in the UK if you employ staff, whether you're self-employed, a sole trader or own a limited company.

2. Your own property and equipment

Public liability insurance won't cover damage to your own building, equipment, or contents, even if the damage is caused by your business activities. Instead, you'll need to look into tools and equipment cover.

3. Personal injury

If you become injured from your own business activities, you won't be covered under your public liability policy. Instead, you'll need a separate health insurance policy to cover this risk.

4. Professional negligence

Public liability insurance does not cover legal claims arising from errors in your professional advice, services, or faulty workmanship that result in financial loss for a client.

5. Criminal acts

Public liability insurance won't cover any damage or injuries that occur while you're breaking UK laws or committing a crime.

What insurance do you need for a gardening business?

Without a doubt, the first business insurance policy gardeners should secure is public liability insurance, to protect their business from the various claims that can arise. Gardeners might also want to consider several other key types of insurance to protect their business in the worst-case scenario.

Many insurance providers offer tailored gardeners' insurance policies. These typically combine a range of individual cover types (almost always including public liability), into one policy specifically designed for gardening or landscaping businesses.

Gardeners' insurance policies may include some or all of these cover options - if they aren't included, you can add them on as extras. Always check with your insurer first to see what's included.

Employers' liability insurance

Employers liability insurance is another essential for gardening businesses - protecting you financially should an employee make a claim against you for an incident that causes personal injury or property damage.

This type of insurance is legally required in the UK if you employ staff.

Professional indemnity insurance

If, as part of your service, you offer business advice to a client, professional indemnity insurance covers compensation costs if your advice leads to financial loss or reputational damage for a client.

Tools and equipment cover

Tools and equipment insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing your trade tools and key equipment if they are lost, stolen, or damaged.

Legal expenses cover

Legal expenses insurance covers legal costs like solicitor fees and court expenses for business-related legal action taken against you.

Personal accident insurance

Personal accident insurance is a must-have for gardeners, given the high chance of accidents. It protects you financially until you recover from any injury or illness that leaves you unable to work.

Stock insurance cover

This type of cover protects your materials and stock in case they are damaged, stolen or lost.

Business van insurance

Gardening businesses need to stay on the move, and this policy keeps your business van covered against damage, theft or loss.

Contract works insurance

Also known as contractors' all risk insurance (CAR), this type of cover is essentially a ‘given’ in the industry, designed to protect gardeners and other tradesmen against loss or damage to ongoing construction works, materials, plant, and equipment on a construction site.

It essentially provides 'all-risks' coverage for the project itself, subject to specific exclusions.

Hired-in plant insurance

Hired-in plant insurance provides cover for theft, damage, or loss of hired plant machinery, such as drilling units or excavators.

Business van insurance

At the heart of any trading business is its van or business vehicle. You can protect yours with a business van insurance policy.

Commercial property insurance

Also known as business buildings insurance, it covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding your gardening business premises if they are damaged or destroyed by events like fire, flood, or storms. It typically covers the physical structure of the building and its permanent fixtures.

Business interruption insurance

Business interruption insurance covers lost income and additional expenses (like temporary relocation costs) if your business is affected by an insured event such as a fire and cannot operate.

How much does public liability insurance cost for gardeners?

There's no 'one size fits all' cost for gardeners' public liability insurance, and it depends on the insurance provider. However, generally, insurance premiums are calculated based on the following factors:

• The size of your gardening business
• The levels and types of cover you opt for
• Whether you pay an upfront lump sum or in monthly instalments
• The amount of policy excess that you're willing to pay
• Your claims history

Ultimately, the best way to find out exactly how much your premiums will cost is to get a public liability insurance quote - which you can do with us at Howden today!

You'll also have the option to pay for your insurance policy via direct debit, if that's your preference.

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Public liability insurance for gardeners: 4 key takeaways

1. Public liability insurance for gardeners is an essential way to protect your business against claims from third parties for injuries or property damage caused by your business activities. There is always a risk of accidents happening while working a job at someone else's property.
2. Other important types of insurance to consider include employers’ liability insurance, legal expenses insurance, personal accident insurance, tool insurance (gardeners often use expensive tools), and professional indemnity insurance.
3. Many insurers offer comprehensive gardeners' insurance policies, which combine a range of insurance types into one policy, tailored for your needs (e.g., if you're a landscape gardener). You can always add cover to your policy if it's not already included.
4. How much you'll pay for your insurance depends on several factors such as the size of your business, the levels and type of cover you choose, whether you pay in one lump sum or monthly, and your claims history.