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Folkestone, Hythe, Dover & Ashford Office opens 09:00 weekdays.
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Construction & trades insurance · Folkestone, Hythe, Dover & Ashford

Cover that meets your contract terms, so you can sign and get on site.

Builders, groundworkers, electricians, plumbers, roofers and specialist contractors, from sole traders to main contractors.

Call 01632 960 482Get a quote
  • Certificates issued same day when urgent
  • Specialist contractors' insurers
  • JCT and framework requirements checked

The risks you face

What actually goes wrong in construction & trades

01

Contract requirements

Main contractors and councils set minimum limits, often £5m or £10m, and may require you to hold contract works or JCT 6.5.1 cover.

02

Damage to the works

A fire, flood or theft on site before handover can wipe out a job's profit. Contract works cover protects the work in progress.

03

Heat, height and depth

Hot works, work over two storeys and deep excavation are often restricted. Undeclared, they can void a claim.

04

Tools and plant

Theft of tools from vans is the most common claim for trades, and hired-in plant is your responsibility until it goes back.

05

Design responsibility

Design-and-build work carries professional negligence risk that standard liability policies exclude.

06

Labour-only subcontractors

Insurers usually treat them as employees for employers' liability, which affects how you declare wages.

How we help

We read the contract first

Before we quote, we ask to see the insurance clauses in your main contracts. The limit, the named cover and the wording they require decide which insurers we approach, so we don’t waste your time with quotes that wouldn’t satisfy your client.

Certificates when you need them

Contractors often need an insurance certificate the same day to get on a framework or start on site. We issue certificates and letters of confirmation quickly, including on the day you ask when it is urgent.

Cover we typically arrange

Every policy has limits, excesses and exclusions. We explain the important ones in plain English before you buy.

Construction & trades risk check

Answer 6 quick questions. See what an insurer will want to know, and send your answers with a quote request so you are not asked twice.

Risk questions

Do you work for main contractors, councils or housing associations?

Do you use heat, such as welding, torch-on roofing or grinding?

Do you work above two storeys or below 3 metres?

Do you hire in plant, or hire it out?

Do you use labour-only or bona fide subcontractors?

Do you take on any design responsibility?

What to discuss with your broker

  • Your talking points appear here as you answer.
Send my answers with a quote request

This checklist helps you prepare. It is not advice and does not assess your cover. Your broker will go through your needs with you.

Liability limits checker

Seven yes-or-no questions. Get the points to raise before choosing your public, products and employers' liability limits.

Liability questions

Do you employ anyone, including part-time, casual or labour-only subcontractors?

Do you work for councils, the NHS, main contractors or large companies?

Do you work in customers' homes or on other people's sites?

Does your work involve heights, heat, hot works, demolition or heavy plant?

Do you make, supply, import or put your name on products?

Do you give advice, designs or specifications that clients rely on?

Do you hold customer data or take card payments?

Public liability limit commonly seen for businesses like yours

Answer the questions

    This is general information, not advice. The right limit depends on your contracts, your activities and what could go wrong. Always check the limits in the contracts you sign.

    Case study

    Onto a council framework in five working days

    A Hythe groundworks contractor won a place on a council framework that required £10m public liability, contract works cover and evidence of JCT 6.5.1 cover. Their existing policy had a £2m limit and no contract works section. We arranged a specialist contractors' policy and issued the certificates in five working days, in time for the framework deadline.

    Groundworks contractor, Hythe (sample case study)

    Questions

    Construction & trades insurance questions

    What is JCT clause 6.5.1 insurance?

    Cover for damage to neighbouring property caused by the works, where nobody was negligent. Some building contracts require it. It is arranged per project in the employer's name.

    Are my tools covered overnight in the van?

    Only if your policy includes tools cover that allows it. Many require the van to be locked and alarmed, or garaged, and some exclude overnight theft entirely.

    Do I need employers' liability as a sole trader?

    Not if you work alone with no employees. Once you use labour-only subcontractors, casual help or apprentices, you usually do.

    Other sectors

    Property owners & landlords Cover for flats, HMOs, shops and commercial units across east Kent, from a single let to a portfolio. See how we cover it Haulage & logistics Owner-drivers, hauliers, couriers and warehousing operators working through the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel. See how we cover it Hospitality Cover for the fire, liability, staff and closure risks of running a pub, restaurant, café or hotel. See how we cover it

    Talk to someone who insures construction & trades businesses every day

    Most clients in this sector prefer to talk it through. Book a callback and we will ask the right questions, so you only explain once.

    Call 01632 960 482Get a quote
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    Leave your number and a good time. We will ask the right questions on the phone, so there is nothing else to fill in.