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Contractor’s insurance will cover you for the many risks associated with your work, including personal accidents and injuries, and the loss or damage of your tools or equipment.

But how much is contractor’s insurance? The amount you pay for cover will depend on a number of factors, which we will outline below.

What is Contractor’s Insurance?

Contractor’s insurance can include contract works insurance, and contractors’ all risk insurance

A contractor’s insurance policy can include cover for:

• Personal injury
• Professional liability
• Public liability
• Employer’s liability
• Tools, plant, and equipment
• Damage to a structure while it is being constructed and renovated

Read our full guide to contractor’s insurance, and what it might cover.

What Affects the Cost of Contractors Insurance?

The amount you pay for your policy will depend on a number of factors:

• The type of work you carry out. Some types of contractor work are riskier than others. Painting and decorating can be less risky than construction or welding, for instance. Plus, certain types of work will require specialist tools or equipment, which can drive up the cost of cover.
• Your clients and customers. The bigger your client base, the bigger the risk that something might go wrong. The type of client you work with might increase the potential cost of claims, too. A hotel chain might make a larger claim than a private homeowner, for example.
• Your personal circumstances. Your age, your medical history, and the area where you work – all of this, and more, can affect the price of your policy. Also, if you have a history of claims, insurers may consider you to be higher risk, which may affect the cost of your premiums.
• The level of cover you choose. There are many different insurance products available for contractors. You could save money on the cost of insurance through choosing a lower level of cover, but it is never a good idea to leave gaps in your cover. You could also choose to pay a higher excess, which can bring down the cost of cover. However, this could leave you financially vulnerable if you ever need to make a claim on your policy.

How Much is Contractor’s Insurance?

As we have seen, there are so many factors affecting the price of contractor’s insurance that it is hard to come up with a ballpark figure for the cost of cover. In 2025, the average annual cost for contractor’s insurance can range from around £100 a year, for domestic flooring contractors, to around £500 a year, for plumbers, heating, or ventilation contractors.

Though of course, depending on your personal circumstances and the nature of your business, you could end up paying a lot more or less, for your cover.

Do I Need Contractor’s Insurance?

Contractor’s insurance can help your business stay afloat should anything ever go wrong. With the right cover in place, you can quickly get repairs or replacements for any lost or damaged equipment. You can also get a lump sum payment to cover your overheads if you are ever temporarily unable to trade.

Without contractor’s insurance, the slightest setback could sink your business. Also, some forms of cover are required by law. If you employ any staff, for example, you could face hefty fines if you do not get an employer’s liability insurance policy.

Finally, certain clients and customers may refuse to work with you unless you have a certain level of cover in place.

It is for these reasons, and more, that no contractor should be without dedicated contractor’s insurance.

We Can Help You Get The Cover You Need at a Competitive Price

James Hallam is an independent Lloyd’s broker with a dedicated team of experienced insurance professionals who care about protecting your business.

We will take the time to understand your business and your customers to ensure you get comprehensive insurance, with no gaps in your cover, at a competitive price.

Find out how we can help you.

If you have just opened a coffee shop, or you are thinking of doing so, you might be wondering about your insurance requirements.

At James Hallam, we have been supporting coffee shops across the UK since 1982. We can help you get the insurance you need whether you run a single coffee shop, a chain of coffee shops, or a coffee van. Learn more about how we can support you.

In this post we will outline some of the insurance products you might need to protect your coffee shop against all possible risks.

Employer’s Liability Insurance

If you employ any staff, even if they are members of your own family, this is one form of cover that you are required to have by law. Employer’s liability insurance covers you for claims made by your employees for any injuries or illnesses they sustain while on the job.

Public Liability Insurance

While employer’s liability insurance will cover you for claims made by your employees, public liability insurance will cover you for claims made by members of the public.

If somebody slips or trips while on your premises, whether they are a customer, a tradesman, a delivery driver, or any other member of the public, they may make a claim against you. In this case, public liability insurance can cover any legal fees or compensation payments that may arise as a result of the claim.

This form of insurance can also cover damage to property – such as if you accidentally spill a cup of coffee over a customer’s laptop.

Product Liability Insurance

Any business that serves food or drink to members of the public should consider product liability insurance. If a customer falls ill having consumed food or drink you sold on your premises, or if they suffered an allergic reaction, they may make a claim against you. In which case, product liability insurance can cover any legal fees or compensation that may be due.

Business Interruption Insurance

This can give you a lump sum payment should any event ever prevent you from opening or running your coffee shop. Business interruption insurance can cover you for fires, floods, break-ins, and more.

Contents Insurance

This is cover for the equipment you use to make and serve your coffee, along with the fixtures and fittings in your coffee shop, including your chairs and tables. If anything is ever lost, destroyed, or damaged by a flood, fire, or a theft, contents insurance can cover the costs of repairs or replacements.

Coffee Van Insurance

If you run a mobile coffee van, or pop-up coffee shops at events, you can tailor your insurance to cover the specific risks you face. This can include cover for your vehicle, as well as specialist public liability insurance to cover the risks you may not face when running a static coffee shop (for example, accidentally hitting someone when you open the hatch).

Get Bespoke Cover For Your Coffee Shop From James Hallam

James Hallam is an independent Lloyd’s broker with a dedicated team of experienced insurance professionals who care about protecting your coffee shop.

Whether you run a single coffee shop, a chain of coffee shops, or a mobile coffee van, we can help you get the insurance you need at the most competitive price.

Learn more about how we can support you here.

If you run a pub, then you will almost certainly have experienced some form of theft at one time or other.

In a December 2024 report, The Office for National Statistics claimed that there had been a 54% increase in robberies from business properties compared to previous years.

In this post we will discuss the common types of theft that occur in pubs, and outline some ways you can protect your pub from theft.

The Most Common Types of Theft in Pubs

• Petty theft of pub property. It is very common for customers to steal pint glasses, along with other items of cutlery, from bars and pubs. According to one survey, 34% of British adults have admitted to stealing tableware from pubs, which amounts to around £186 million worth of stolen items.
• Theft from pub staff and customers. This might include stealing unattended phones and keys, or lifting items from handbags or wallets left on tables. Or it might include violent thefts on pub premises. According to ONS, around 5% of all annual robberies take place on pub premises.
• Theft by pub staff. Whether through under ringing items, giving away free drinks, stealing stock, or lifting money directly from the till, it is unfortunately common for staff to steal from pubs.
• Breaking and entering. It feels like every few weeks there is another news story about a pub burglary. Some criminals target pubs while they are still open, using violence or the threat of violence to steal money. Others wait until the pub is closed before breaking in. In the latter case, the cost of the damages to the pub property can exceed the amount lost in cash.

How To Protect Your Pub From Theft

Below we will explore how you can address each type of pub theft, in turn.

How To Prevent Petty Theft of Pub Property

• Run a pint glass and tableware amnesty. Allow customers to return any items they may have stolen in exchange for a discount on drinks or food.
• Add a small charge to every item on your menu to offset the costs of replacing stolen items. This could be as little as 10p.
• Introduce a one-glass-per-customer system, where you wash and refill the same glass instead of handing out a new one. You could even ask customers to pay a deposit on their glass, which could deter theft while offsetting any potential losses.

How to Prevent Theft From Pub Staff and Customers

• Put up notices warning customers about the risks of theft, advising them to never leave any valuables unattended.
• Install CCTV to help deter theft, and to make conviction more likely if theft does occur.
• Consider hiring dedicated security staff, to help protect staff and customers from violent criminals.

How to Prevent Theft By Pub Staff

• Perform background checks on all new applicants. Highlight the importance of honesty and integrity during staff induction, and run regular training sessions to reiterate these values. Also make it clear that you have a zero tolerance approach to theft – one strike, and they are out.
• Perform regular stock and receipt checks. This will help you ensure that everything adds up, and that there are no discrepancies.
• Make sure every till is covered by CCTV. This could help deter all kinds of theft, while giving you a means of investigating should you suspect that theft has taken place.

How to Prevent Breaking and Entering in Your Pub

• Invest in extensive security systems, including extra locks, alarms, CCTV, motion activated floodlights, and so on.
• Lock all cash and other valuables in a safe overnight.
• Join a neighbourhood watch scheme. Encourage local residents to look out for your pub while you look out for neighbouring properties.

Get The Right Insurance For Your Pub

Dedicated insurance for your pub will not prevent theft, but it can help you bounce back from any financial loss you may experience as a result of theft.

James Hallam is an independent Lloyd’s broker with a dedicated team of experienced insurance professionals who care about protecting your pub. We can help you get the insurance you need at the most competitive price.

Learn more about how we can support you here.

Manufacturing insurance can give you all the cover you need for your manufacturing business on a single policy. This means you will only have one premium to pay, and you will have a single point of contact should you ever need to make a claim.

Though insurance is essential for all manufacturing businesses, you do not have a legal obligation to get a dedicated manufacturing insurance policy. So, in this post, we will outline what might happen if you do not have manufacturing insurance.

What is Manufacturing Insurance?

Manufacturing insurance is tailored cover for your manufacturing business. A single manufacturing insurance policy can cover every aspect of your manufacturing business, including your buildings, your equipment, your stock, your products, and your employees.

Core areas of cover in a manufacturing insurance policy include:

• Buildings insurance
• Vehicles insurance
• Product liability insurance
• Public liability insurance
• Employer’s liability insurance
• Goods-in-transit cover
• Business interruption insurance
• Stock cover (including cover for both raw materials and finished products you keep in storage)

Is There a Legal Requirement to Get Manufacturer’s Insurance?

If you employ any staff, then you have a legal requirement to have employer’s liability insurance. This provides cover for any legal fees or compensation should your employees make a claim for accidents or injuries they sustain while on the job.

Suppliers and contractors might require you to have certain cover in place before they agree to work with you. For example, if a company appoints you to manufacture their products, they may require you to have product and public liability insurance as part of their contract.

Beyond this, there is no legal requirement to get any form of manufacturing insurance. However, there are very good reasons why no manufacturing business should go without this specialist form of cover.

What Happens If I Do Not Have Manufacturing Insurance?

A manufacturing business is a complicated operation with many moving parts. If there is a problem with any aspect of the operation, it can cause a chain reaction that could bring your entire business to a halt.

With manufacturing insurance, you will have cover for every part of your business. So, if anything goes wrong with any aspect of your business, you can quickly get the means and the support to fix any issues before they get any worse. This means your business can continue to operate with minimal disruption.

On the other hand, if you do not have manufacturing insurance, even a small issue could cause a domino effect that could ultimately bring down your whole business.

Example: What Happens If I Do Not Have Product Liability Insurance?

Product liability insurance is a particularly important form of cover for manufacturing businesses.

If any of your products are ever found to be faulty or hazardous, you may need to issue a product recall. This alone will carry significant costs. But beyond the costs of the product recall, you may also face legal action and compensation payments should any customers or stockists make a claim against you.

Without manufacturing insurance, you would be liable for covering all of these costs yourself. Product recalls are themselves highly costly. Add to this the potential costs of legal fees and compensation, and it is easy to see how even a minor issue with a single product could potentially sink your business.

For an example of how much a product recall can cost a manufacturing business, take a look at the 10 biggest product recalls of all time. Most of the companies involved are major multinationals. But also consider the small, privately held food manufacturing company that faced costs of around $1bn due to a salmonella outbreak.

Get The Manufacturing Insurance You Need, Today

No matter how long it takes you to get a policy, you should never start manufacturing any products or materials until you have all the cover you need. Read our guide to how long it can take to get manufacturing insurance.

James Hallam is an independent Lloyd’s broker with a dedicated team of experienced insurance brokers. We are committed to protecting your manufacturing business. We can tailor niche insurance packages for manufacturing businesses to ensure you are covered for all risks.

Find out how we can help you get a bespoke and cost-effective manufacturing insurance policy today.   

It is important to understand the common fire hazards in the workplace. If you understand where and how fires are most likely to break out, you can design and implement fire safety policies and procedures to effectively manage, mitigate, or eliminate the risks.

Some of the most common fire hazards in the workplace include:

• Electrical and battery fires
• Flammable substances
• Smoking
• Build up of combustible materials
• Cooking
• Ineffective fire safety equipment

We will explore each of these, the common causes of these issues and how they can quite quickly lead to a fire in the workplace.

Electrical and Battery Fires

Electrical items have always carried a fire risk. But the risk may be greater than ever due to the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries are used to power a wide range of devices, including laptops, smartphones, electric scooters, e-bikes, and other kinds of electrical vehicles. They are compact, they have a high energy density, and they are rechargeable. Yet they may also carry a significant fire risk.

If lithium-ion batteries are faulty or damaged, it can lead to a chemical reaction known as thermal runaway: The battery overheats rapidly, and can ignite spontaneously, burning at temperatures of around 1,000°C. Burning lithium batteries also emit toxic, flammable gases, meaning that fires can quickly spread, and even result in explosions.

Flammable Substances

It is common to store large amounts of flammable substances in many workplaces. These include flammable liquids and vapours, including many common cleaning products, and combustible materials such as paper and cardboard.

A single spark can cause these substances to ignite. And as flammable substances are often stored in bulk, even a small fire can quickly spread.

Smoking

Smoking in the workplace is perhaps not as common as it used to be, and most smokers now smoke outside in designated areas. But people can be careless. If a cigarette, or a lit match, is not properly extinguished and disposed of, it can start a fire. If this fire breaks out near any flammable materials, then it will spread rapidly.

Build-up of Combustible Materials

Most workplaces produce a lot of waste, a lot of which is combustible. If you do not take proper precautions to store and dispose of this waste, then you are creating a significant fire hazard.

The build up of dust is another major cause of fires in workplaces. If you do not have adequate ventilation in place, dust deposits, along with atmospheric dust, can cause fires, and even explosions.

Cooking

There are many fire hazards in kitchens, from faulty ovens, toasters, and other appliances to the abundance of flammable oils and other liquids.

In offices and other workplaces, it is common for workers to put something in a toaster or microwave, and leave it unattended while it cooks. Such behaviour can make fires more likely, as it creates a risk that the food will ignite, or the appliance will overheat.

Ineffective Fire Safety Equipment

Finally, if the fire safety equipment in your workplace is not working like it should, then even a small fire can quickly spread into something much more serious.

Examples include:

• Untested fire alarms – are the batteries still good?
• Fire doors left open – which means that if a fire does break out, it will have a chance to spread.
• Blocked fire doors – which can endanger lives in the event of a fire.
• Inappropriate fire extinguishers for the type of fire hazard.

How To Prevent The Risk of Fire in the Workplace

Please note that this guidance is not exhaustive, and is merely intended to provide some best-practice examples for how you can control the fire hazards in your workplace:

• Train all of your staff in fire safety. Make sure everyone understands the specific risks in your workplace, and how to manage them. Also ensure that everyone knows exactly what actions to take in the event of a fire, in order to keep themselves and their colleagues safe. Make this training part of all staff inductions, and ensure that everyone gets periodic refresher training.
• Take care with electricals. Never overload any plug sockets, and if possible, unplug any machinery or equipment when not in use.
• Take particular care with lithium-ion and other batteries. Do not use them if they appear in any way damaged or degraded. Do not overcharge them. And never dispose of any batteries in the main waste stream. Use a dedicated recycling service instead.
• Take care in how you store waste and other combustible materials. When it comes to flammable substances, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on storage and management exactly. Clean up any spillages immediately.
• Regularly test all of your fire safety equipment, and replace anything that needs replacing as soon as you spot an issue.

Are You Covered For Workplace Fires?

James Hallam is an independent, family-run Lloyd’s broker. Since 1982, we have helped hundreds of businesses across UK understand and manage their fire risks, while getting comprehensive cover for all risks at a competitive price.

Learn more about our specialist business insurance services.

If you offer any kind of beauty therapist services, then you need specialist beauty therapist insurance to cover you, and your customers, for all of the risks associated with your services.

In this post we will outline what is included in beauty therapist insurance, and why you need it.

What is Beauty Therapist Insurance?

Beauty therapist insurance is specialist cover for beauticians of all kinds, including:

• Beauty therapists
• Hair and beauty consultants
• Hairdressers
• Nail technicians
• Make-up artists
• Massage therapists
• Manicurists
• Pedicurists
• Salon owners
• Mobile hairdressers or beauticians

What Types of Treatments Can Beauty Therapy Insurance Cover?

Beauty therapist insurance can cover a range of treatments, including:

• hairdressing
• barbering
• facials
• makeup
• spray-on tans
• massages
• body wrapping
• eyelash and eyebrow treatments
• ear piercing and more

It can also cover more specialist treatments, including:

• microblading
• dermaplaning
• microdermabrasion
• hydrotherapy and more

What is Included in Beauty Therapist Insurance?

You can tailor your beauty therapist insurance policy to meet your exact requirements. But most policies will include the following cover:

Treatment Risk Insurance
There are risks involved in many of the treatments you might provide as a beauty therapist. A customer could have an allergic reaction to a product you use, for example. Or you might accidentally injure a customer while applying a treatment. If a customer makes a claim against you, treatment risk insurance can cover any legal fees or compensation that might be due.

Professional Indemnity Insurance
If a customer is unhappy with your work, or if they believe you have mis-sold or misrepresented your services, they may make a claim against you. In this case, professional indemnity insurance can cover any compensation or legal fees that may arise.

Contents Cover
This is cover for the equipment you use to apply your treatments, along with any products you might use. It can also cover your administration and IT equipment, including salon furniture, cash registers, smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Buildings Cover
If you own or manage a beauty salon or a hairdressers, buildings insurance is cover for your premises against fire, flood, theft, and other events.

Public Liability Cover
If you own or manage a beauty salon or a hairdressers, public liability insurance can cover your customers, along with any other members of the public, for any accidents or injuries they sustain while on your business premises.

If you are a mobile hairdresser or beautician, public liability insurance can cover any accidents that may take place while you are visiting a client’s home – such as spilling a bottle of nail varnish, or accidentally scorching a surface with some hair straighteners.

Employer’s Liability Insurance
If you employ any staff, then you have a legal requirement to get employer’s liability insurance. This will cover you staff for any accidents, illnesses, or injuries they may sustain while on the job.

Do I Need Beauty Therapist Insurance?

Yes. You have a legal requirement to get some forms of cover, such as employer’s liability insurance. Certain professional bodies may also require you to get cover as part of their membership. Plus, if you rent a chair at a salon, or if you run a salon yourself, you may have a contractual obligation to get certain forms of cover.

But even if there were no legal or regulatory requirement to get beauty therapist insurance, we would still strongly advise you to get all the cover you need. If something ever goes wrong with your treatment, your customers could make a claim against you. This could result in excessive legal fees, and even more excessive compensation payments. Without cover, you would be liable to pay these fees yourself.

Also, without cover, even the smallest mishap could sink your business completely. If any of your equipment were lost or damaged, for example, would you be able to afford replacements? With beauty therapist insurance, you would be able to recover from most setbacks with the minimum of disruption to your business.

Specialist Beauty Therapist Insurance From James Hallam

James Hallam is an independent, family-run Lloyd’s broker. Since 1982, we have helped hundreds of beauty therapists across the UK get the insurance they need at the best price. Whether you are running a single hair or beauty salon, or a chain of salons, or a mobile beautician service, we can help you get specialist cover at a competitive price.

Learn more about our specialist beauty therapist insurance services.