Why do people in the uk think insurance covers everything?

[bernieaa]

I find that uk people think business are bound by hefty insurance and so are trades people.

Eg - I've seen it written that if a trades person such as a bathroom fitter breaks an item in the fitting, they should "claim on their insurance". They don't have insurance to cover such damage.

Or I'm pregnant woman wouldn't be allowed to use the hotel spa due to "limitations of insurance". If this was the case than people should be notified at the door and asked to sign in etc stating they aren't pregnant etc. i accept to protect the business against claims from pregnant women who potentially suffered ill health etc, but that's not a term of insurance.

Germany has got the reputation of insuring everything and being overly insured. I think people confuse laws and regulations with "insurance".

Eh? The examples you give can relate to insurance

Accidental damage is something that can be insured for in a variety of circumstances. Although that doesn’t mean that it always is.

Also, if a business doesn’t follow certain laws and regulations, their insurance policies will be void if there was to be an incident, or they could be considered liable for damages etc.

You misunderstand

I work in a medical speciality and have to have very comprehensive insurance which is expensive.
It is a condition of my Professional Registration that I carry Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public Liability Insurance.

However, as mentioned, if I don't operate within my industry's Code of Practice then these policies could be nullified.

For my own peace of mind I also have Salary Protection Insurance.

They wont be interested until you try to make a claim bacause your house catches fire and its determined that was at fault, then they will want you to proove it was fitted, inspected and tested as safe and the details of who carried out the work, may well ask for the test certificate too.
Rentals must be tested, owned/morgaged not compulsary but recommended

@Thatladdo but insurance don't do that when there is a house fire.....

Yeah and these are professional insurances you have. The examples I've given fall outside of this....

They will if they can, furthermore the police will persue that too if theres a death

@Thatladdo I work in insurance, they don't. It's not required to get an electrician to change a cooker hood.

I don’t understand your beef here. You work in insurance and you’re cross because people who don’t work in insurance don’t know as much about insurance as you do? (But only if they’re “in the U.K”?)

Here’s an idea: when your specialist topic comes up on social media, use your expertise to help people, recognising that you’ll obviously know more than they do because you have professional knowledge which they don’t.

Tradespeople should indeed have insurance for what yiu described or pay from their own pocket if they don't

This thread is raising awareness

@Spirallingdownwards often if you are doing major works on your house, your own building insurance will put on hold and you won't be insured.

I see your "people misunderstand insurance" and raise you "people misunderstand GDPR".

Because that would 100% be covered by both UK GDPR and the DPA 2018 as justifiable grounds for disclosure. A test isn't the same as a medical record, but it's in effect included in the disclaimer where you disclose if you're pregnant or not. Businesses don't insist you test because that would be frankly weird and awkward, but not because they couldn't on GDPR grounds.

People will (wisely) want to cover their backs for any eventuality, given that we live in such a litigious society, where people can and do sue at the drop of a hat. Who can blame them, given that somebody burgling yoir house and injuring themselves in the process, could potentially sue the householder for damages!!

I think a very mumsnet bingo style go-to if op has something lost, stolen or broken is to automatically suggest claiming on your home insurance

I meant if a tradesperson causes damage to your property or things THEIR insurance pays or THEY do personally not the homeowner .

@Spirallingdownwards unfortunately not. Insurance doesn't cover their neglect.

It's in real life as well. Eg work lost lap top - claim on insurance, IT say there is no such insurance

Also people seem to think you can claim for anything random on travel insurance. Friend changed their mind and cancelled ? Claim on your travel insurance. On most threads about travel plans going wrong someone mentions this.

Work can choose to cover laptops or take the risk themselves.

(Our excess on laptops went to £1000 per claim for a bid after a few incidents)

Any work with employees needs minimum levels of insurance.

If a workman damages something in your house through his own negligence you can sue him for the money, that may be paid by his insurance or himself. That doesn't change the fact he/she is liable,

I always have a giggle when people on here expect a domestic cleaner who works for cash in hand to have their own insurance.

Any reputable tradesperson will have insurance to cover any damage they cause to a customer's property.

It's a requirement if they want to belong to any of the big trade bodies who will often have their own mandatory schemes anyway. I carry £10m of public and product liability cover by virtue of my own membership of a craft guild.

If you choose one without then that's on your head. You'd have to sue them.

I doubt the OP works in insurance.

What's the reason for the existence of Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificates, then? You're happy to pay out thousands for a house burning to the ground because some knob who changed a plug in 1988 has decided that it's a piece of piss and screwed up the installation?

@NeverDropYourMooncup that doesn't require a minor works cert as there are no wire modifications or alterations. A new outside socket you would be asking for a cert, but that's only if the home owner is not competent and they are worried about others getting harmed.

So no your insurance wouldn't be asking for it.

@NeverDropYourMooncup insurance companies can request all homes they insure have RCD protection and a valid EICR, but they don't. They take safety in numbers and that the fact of an electrical issue happening is low and a fire even lower.