Handyman Insurance

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.