Handyman Insurance

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Business Insurance for a Handyman*

Handymen need business insurance, including public liability insurance as handyman tasks may be high liability, with frequent accident on work sites.

People and property on site may be hurt or damaged due to accidents involving handyman work.

Fortunately, suitable business insurance for handymen may provide protection against financial hardships that could arise from accidents, property damage, or legal claims caused by your handyman business activities.

Handyman business and public liability insurance may cover property damage, injuries to third parties that are caused by your handyman work equipment and work activities.

Many Business Owners are UNSURE if they are COVERED PROPERLY.
We help them find affordable and SUITABLE INSURANCE so they can run their business with CONFIDENCE.*

What Insurance Do I Need as a Handyman?*

Some of the major types of business insurance covers available to handymen in Australia are explained below and include:

  • Public Liability Insurance
  • Business Insurance Pack
  • Personal Accident Insurance
  • General Property and Tools
  • Commercial Motor insurance
  • Plant and Equipment Insurance

Why do handymen need public liability insurance?*

Public Liability Insurance coverage is essential for all self-employed handymen.

Handymen need public liability insurance as handymen may work with volatile materials and hazardous chemicals that increase the probability of an accident on site.

People and property on site may be hurt or damaged due to accidents involving handyman work.

As a handyman typically performs many trade activities the presence of volatile materials such as wood, sawdust, paint, solvents, shavings, chips, adhesives, and other chemicals, means handyman work is rated as a high-risk occupation.

Protections offered to self-employed handymen by public liability insurance in Australia generally include:

  • Injury to other persons due to your handyman work activities –Where a handyman work business activity causes harm to a third-party person. For example, a client ignores your warnings to stay away from the site and injure themselves when they trip and fall on your equipment.
  • Damage to others property due to your handyman work activities – Where a handyman work business activity causes damages to a third- party’s property. For example, a handyman may accidentally cause damage in a client’s home while performing work.
  • Harm to other persons or other persons property due to your handyman work business’s products – Where a handyman work business’s products and goods supplied causes harm to a third party -person or a third- party’s property. For example, products a handyman has supplied, repaired, or manufactured cause harm or injury to someone.

Public liability insurance coverage may protect handymen from claims that arise when others allege they are negligent.

A handyman’s public liability policy may provide a defence against the ensuing lawsuit when needed and may pay the damages sought by the injured party.

Public Liability Insurance may provide handymen with protection for slip-and-trip accidents, accidents that damage client property.

Business insurance pack for handymen*

Handymen may be able to combine multiple covers in a single business insurance pack policy.

By ‘packaging’ your business insurance into a ‘business pack’ handymen can potentially cover many of the risks their business faces in the one policy.

For example, if a handyman has a commercial premises, a business insurance pack may provide cover for buildings and contents if they are accidentally damaged by a defined event, such as fire, storm, impact damage, accidental damage, vandalism, or malicious damage.

Other typical inclusions for handymen with a business insurance pack are Public Liability Insurance and Product Liability Insurance.

Optional inclusions for handymen with a business insurance pack are General Property, Contents, Machinery, Plant and Stock, Glass, Money, Business Interruption and Marine Cover.

Personal Accident Insurance for self-employed handymen*

As a self-employed handyman your personal safety is your livelihood.

Personal accident insurance for handymen may provide cover for 52 or 104 weeks and up to 85%* of weekly income at the time of the injury; depending on the amount of coverage agreed when the policy is taken out.

Time away from work from an accident will have a direct impact on a self-employed handyman’s income, and a long period away can negatively affect their savings, family, and lifestyle.

Personal Accident Insurance may help self-employed handymen pay for essential bills and other financial commitments if they have an accident.

General Property and Tools Insurance for handymen*

As a handyman, you are likely to have many tools and equipment that allow you to do your job, such as hammers, screwdrivers, pliers,  power tools, saws, drills, planers, sanders, and nail guns.

If your property is damaged or stolen, your business cannot operate effectively.

General property insurance can help you keep operating effectively.

It can provide needed funds to replace your tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, power tools, saws, drills, planers, sanders, and nail guns….and help keep you in business.

Commercial motor insurance for a self-employed handyman*

Commercial motor insurance should be considered for handymen that drive their vehicle from site to site. Light trucks, vans and Utes may be covered.

Plant & Equipment Insurance for handyman businesses*

Plant & Equipment Insurance may provide cover for owners of small handyman work businesses that operate equipment such as ladders,  trailers, hammers, screwdrivers, pliers,  power tools, saws, drills, planers, sanders, and nail guns.

Cover may provide handymen with protection for theft, damage, consequential loss, liability, road risk and machinery breakdown.

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What are the costs of Handyman Public Liability Insurance?*

How much does public liability insurance cost for a self-employed handyman?*

Key factors in determining how much Public Liability insurance will cost a handyman include:

  • The nature and scope of the handyman work business. For example, the type of work performed by the handyman.
  • The handyman work business turnover and size. For example, is the handyman a sole trader that does 100% of the work themselves, or do they employee a team of 6 subbies?
  • Amount of insurance cover the handyman work business needs. Liability starts with $5 million cover, $10 million is popular with many self-employed contractors, $20 million cover is needed for handymen that work for large companies, on commercial sites or have a team of employees.

Public liability insurance cost for a self-employed handyman with no previous claims, starts from around $750* or $70 per month for $5 million Public Liability Insurance.

*** Please note ***: While cheap Public Liability Insurance can seem attractive on the surface it is important to ensure the policy covers you for the full business activities you undertake, and that the insurance policy and company will respond as intended when there is a claim. Costs may differ greatly from the above based on the handymen business size, clients, experience, and business activities. For many handymen, that perform broader building work, work from heights, perform hot works or that have employees, costs will be a lot higher.

Do I need business insurance to work as a self-employed handyman in Australia?*

Self-employed handymen, or handyman small business owners, subcontracting for builders will typically be required by the builder to obtain their own public liability insurance to get on site. This is typical for contractors working for builders throughout Australia.

Many small business owners, and even retail clients, will also ask to see proof of a handyman’s insurance cover, called a certificate of currency, prior to awarding them work and ask for an update each year.

As a self-employed handyman, suitable business insurance may provide credibility and valuable protection against the cost of a claim too.

Key handyman work activities that may be able to be covered include:*

  • General Repair and Maintenance around homes and commercial offices
  • Wall and window repairs
  • Tiling
  • Painting
  • Fencing
  • Decking
  • Hanging artworks
  •  Landscaping
  • Pressure cleaning
  • Minor plumbing tasks
  • Minor electrical tasks
  • Carpentry
  • Painting
  • Furniture and fixture assembly and replacement

Why do handymen need tools insurance?*

Handymen need tool insurance as tools are the lifeblood of handyman work.

They help handymen just like you to complete work on time, and to deliver quality workmanship.

Handymen have a large number of tools compared to many other tradies. And good tools are expensive. If they break or are stolen, it can impact your ability to get the job done or cost you thousands to replace.

Without tool insurance, you may have to dig into your own savings or borrow money to get the tools replaced or repaired.

Different types of handymen that may be able to be covered:*

  • Commercial
  • Domestic
  • General handyman tasks
  • Specialist handyman tasks

Why should a handyman use an insurance broker in Australia?*

If you are a handyman deciding on whether to use an insurance broker for your business insurance, it is important to consider that brokers act in the interests of the self-employed handyman.

Direct insurers and agents act for the insurer. This can be important; especially if you need to claim.

Brokers can help handymen by sourcing competitive quotes on policy inception, negotiate with the insurance companies to prevent or limit increases on renewal, remarket your policy to other suitable insurance companies where appropriate, talk to underwriters about policy wordings, industry classifications and terms, talk to insurance assessors during the claims process and repairers where necessary.

How do I get a handyman insurance quote?*

Simply TALK to a SMART Business Insurance broker on 1300 542 573 or contact us online for suitable and affordable public liability and business insurance quotes for your handyman business.