Liability insurance

[purpleme12]

Hello.
If you get a plumber/electrician or I guess any maintenance person in to do work on your house, do you check if they've got their own liability insurance?
Are you supposed to?
What if something goes wrong when they're doing their work? Is this what liability insurance is for?
This is new to me so please educate me

Yes, you can ask for proof of their public liability insurance (and professional indemnity insurance depending on what they are doing).

My DP is an electrician and he is signed up to checkatrade. He had to show proof of being insured to get onto that website.

The big issue is that whether they have insurance or not, you do not know that they are complying with the terms and conditions of the policy so cover could still be declined if they do something they're not supposed to have done.

However, establishing if they've got insurance could potentially be a requirement of your own home / building insurance so make the enquiries anyway (and keep proof).

And yes PL and PI insurance is to cover for third party property damage (i.e. damage to your property) and PI insurance covers negligent advice / design and similar things like that.

Public liability wording on all policies excludes property being worked upon. Property meaning exactly what they are working on, not your entire house.

For full cover they need to have Contract Works cover.

I'd be very surprised if a sole trader would have contract works cover.

What are you having done OP?

Just a shower fitted, new shower.

And a little part of the ceiling reboarded, replastered, not a massive amount.

I honestly don't know that the norm is here. This is all new to me. So please advise me if I'm being silly or it isn't normal etc

our mover fell down stairs and broke his ankle yesterday so I'm very pleased I didn't go with a cheaper, uninsured company