{"id":4582,"date":"2023-02-28T09:10:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T09:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4582"},"modified":"2025-05-30T10:16:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T09:16:35","slug":"public-liability-insurance-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/public-liability-insurance-explained","title":{"rendered":"What does public liability insurance cover?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/laptop-broken-in-two-graphic-shutterstock.jpg\" alt=\"What does public liability insurance cover? Accidental damage to your visitors' property, for starters. \" class=\"wp-image-18933\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:300px;height:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/laptop-broken-in-two-graphic-shutterstock.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/laptop-broken-in-two-graphic-shutterstock-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A hazy mist of confusion seems to surround the question &#8216;what does public liability insurance cover?&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s not entirely surprising, because insurance can be a slippery subject to get to grips with. It may also help explain why the mist turns to dense fog when it comes to understanding the differences between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/professional-indemnity-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">professional indemnity insurance<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/public-liability-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public liability insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wires get so crossed that, instead of public liability cover, we\u2019re often asked for something called \u2018public indemnity insurance\u2019. (See also: personal indemnity, professional liability and even private indemnity insurance.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If any of these sound familiar, or you can feel the fog settling on your own brain, you might want to read on\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does public liability cover?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Public liability insurance covers you if a third party (not an employee) claims against you for property damage and\/or bodily injury. We&#8217;re talking primarily about slips, trips, falls, and other unforeseen mishaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obvious claim examples include a visitor to your office tripping over a loose floorboard and injuring themself. Or slipping on an unsecured rug.  Also, the classic cup of tea split over a client\u2019s laptop, or your burst pipe flooding next door\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your insurance covers you whether the accidental injury or damage happens on your own premises or elsewhere. So that could mean at a client\u2019s home or office, or at an event like a pop-up market or fundraiser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s in it for you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Claims for bodily injury can prove particularly expensive and time-consuming. (That\u2019s why levels of cover start in the \u00a3millions rather than the \u00a3thousands.) They\u2019re problematic enough for experts to deal with, so what chance do you have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having public liability insurance means your insurer takes the hit instead. They appoint legal experts to fight your corner (and pay for them). And they stump up for any damages or compensation due if things don\u2019t go your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In simple terms, you don\u2019t have to lift a finger. A potentially ruinous situation is resolved with expert attention. And, with any luck, you get to keep both your client and your good relationship with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you need public liability insurance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have visitors to your office or workspace, or you go out and about and visit clients at theirs, then we\u2019d certainly recommend you have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could be forgiven for thinking that we\u2019re bound to say that. But accidents happen, which means there\u2019s a definite risk there. And that also means it\u2019s worth safeguarding your business against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, read up on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/who-needs-public-liability-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">who needs public liability insurance<\/a>. Or you can call us on <strong>0345 222 5391<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Image used under license from Shutterstock.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A hazy mist of confusion seems to surround the question &#8216;what does public liability insurance cover?&#8217;. That&#8217;s not entirely surprising, because insurance can be a slippery subject to get to grips with. It may also help explain why the mist &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/public-liability-insurance-explained\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,132],"tags":[137,150,266],"class_list":["post-4582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public-liability-insurance","category-small-business-advice","tag-insurance-explained","tag-managing-risk","tag-public-liability-insurance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>What does public liability insurance cover?<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What&#039;s public liability? What does public liability insurance cover? 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