Roofer Insurance UK: What Cover You Need and How Much It Costs

Roofing is consistently classified as a high-risk trade by UK insurers, and for good reason. Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of fatal injuries in the UK construction industry. According to HSE data, roofing is one of the highest-risk activities for falls, which directly translates into higher insurance premiums than you would pay as a plumber, electrician, or gas engineer working primarily at ground level.

The risk profile that drives costs includes:

• Work consistently carried out at height on pitched and flat roofs
• Exposure to weather and variable underfoot conditions
• Risk of dislodged materials causing injury or property damage to third parties
• Fragile roof surfaces (older roof lights, corrugated asbestos-cement on commercial buildings) creating unpredictable collapse risk
• Third-party property damage — a tile dropped from height can cause serious damage to a car, garden structure, or the building itself

Roofing businesses that do commercial work — warehouse roofing, industrial re-sheeting — face additional premium loadings due to the higher values at risk and the presence of third parties on or near the site.

Expect to pay 30–60% more for equivalent public liability cover as a roofer compared to a plumber or decorator of similar business size. This is a genuine cost of the trade, not something that can be eliminated by shopping more aggressively.

Public liability insurance covers claims made against you for injury to third parties or damage to their property caused by your work. For a roofer, this is not optional — it is a fundamental business requirement.

Minimum recommended cover: £5 million. Many commercial clients, local authorities, and larger building firms require contractors to carry £5m or £10m public liability before they are permitted on site. Policies offering only £1m or £2m limit will disqualify you from this work.

What it covers:

• A tile or piece of debris falling and injuring a member of the public or damaging a vehicle
• A scaffold or edge protection failure causing injury to a passer-by
• Water ingress into a property following your work (depending on policy wording — check carefully)
• Damage to the client's property caused by your work or your team

What it typically does not cover:

• Damage to the specific surface or area you are actively working on at the time — this is "faulty workmanship" territory and covered differently
• Claims arising from asbestos disturbance if you do not hold asbestos awareness training records
• Work done while not adequately trained or certified for that specific activity

Annual cost: A sole-trader roofer doing primarily domestic pitched roofing can expect to pay £800–£1,500 per year for £5m public liability from specialist trade insurers. Businesses doing commercial work, flat roofing, or with higher turnover will pay more.

Employers liability insurance is legally required in the UK for any business that employs staff. It covers you for claims from employees who are injured at work. The legal minimum is £5 million, though most policies provide £10 million as standard.

The legal requirement applies as soon as you take on any employees — including part-time staff, apprentices, and (in some cases) labour-only subcontractors who are working under your direction. Failure to hold valid employers liability insurance when required carries a fine of up to £2,500 per day from the HSE.

For roofing businesses, this is a significant consideration because:

• Falls from height can cause catastrophic, life-changing injuries that generate very large compensation claims
• Manual handling injuries are common and cumulative over a roofer's career
• Mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease claims can emerge many years after exposure

Premiums are typically bundled with public liability by specialist trade insurers. A combined public and employers liability policy for a roofing business with 2–3 employees can cost £2,000–£4,000 per year. Ensure the policy covers your actual roster of employees and subcontractors accurately — underinsurance discovered at claim time can be devastating.

Contract works insurance (also called all-risks or works in progress insurance) covers the work you are actually doing on a property against accidental damage during the contract. If you are halfway through a re-roof and a storm damages the work in progress, contract works insurance covers the cost of reinstating that work.

Without contract works cover, a mid-job event — storm, fire, accidental damage — could leave you carrying the cost of redoing completed work with no cover. This is a serious financial risk on a large re-roofing contract where you may have several thousand pounds of new tiles already laid.

Key things to check in a contract works policy:

• Maximum contract value covered — ensure it matches the size of jobs you take on
• Whether the policy covers owned materials on-site that have not yet been fixed to the building
• Temporary works cover — scaffolding, edge protection boards, and debris netting
• Consequential loss — if damage to your work causes the client to lose rental income or incur hotel costs, are you protected?

Contract works policies are available standalone or bundled within a broader contractors all-risks (CAR) policy. Larger commercial contracts (JCT contracts, for example) frequently specify minimum levels of contract works insurance in the contract terms — check before signing.

A roofer's tools — slate rippers, hip irons, lead dressers, knives, drills, nail guns, and power tools — represent a significant investment, typically £2,000–£6,000 for a well-equipped sole trader. A van break-in or site theft can cost thousands to replace without insurance.

Tools and equipment cover (also called plant and tools insurance) covers:

• Theft from your van (check policy limits — many have sub-limits for theft from unattended vehicles, typically £1,500–£2,500)
• Theft from a customer's property or site
• Accidental damage to your own equipment
• Hired-in plant (scaffolding, MEWPs) if not covered under a separate hire agreement

Important exclusions to watch for:

• Tools left overnight in a vehicle are often excluded unless the vehicle has a fixed, enclosed body (panel van, not a pick-up) and a quality alarm
• Unattended plant on site may require site security standards to be met
• Maximum age of tools — some policies only cover tools under 5 years old at full replacement value

Annual cost for a sole trader: £200–£500 per year for £5,000–£10,000 of tool cover. Tools floater policies (unlimited number of individual items up to a per-item limit) are often better value than listing every tool individually.

Professional indemnity (PI) insurance is relevant for roofers who provide written surveys, structural assessments, or detailed reports alongside their physical work. If your survey or report contains an error or omission that leads a client to make a poor decision — or if you specify materials or workmanship standards that later turn out to be inadequate — PI insurance covers you for the resulting claim.

Specific situations where roofers may need PI cover:

• Providing a condition report on a roof for a property purchase — if your report misses a defect, the buyer may claim against you
• Specifying roofing materials or systems on a specification document for a contractor — if the specification is wrong, you are potentially liable
• Offering advice on planning permission or permitted development rights for roofing works — incorrect advice can be expensive

Most roofing businesses doing standard domestic and commercial repair and replacement work do not need separate PI insurance — public liability covers the physical work. PI becomes relevant when you move into consultancy, surveying, or specification-writing activities. Policies for small businesses start from around £300–£600 per year for £250,000 cover.

JCT contract insurance clauses: If you are working under a JCT Minor Works or Standard Building Contract, the contract will specify insurance requirements for both public liability and works insurance. Read the insurance schedule carefully before signing — the contract requirements often exceed standard policy defaults and you may need to notify your insurer or purchase additional cover.