We may not be seeing searing Mediterranean-style weather just yet, but unless you’ve been hiding under a nice, cool rock, you’ll have noticed that summers are hotting up here in the UK. As a result, demand for air conditioning is on the rise – good news for those of you who make your living installing it.
However, no self-employed air conditioning or HVAC installer should so much as pick up a tape measure before getting the right insurance in place. If you do, you could find yourself in a whole world of problems. But don’t stress and keep a cool head – Rhino Trade Insurance are here to explain the ins and outs of Air Conditioning Installers Insurance.
We know it’s not just private homeowners who want air conditioning installed. Offices, commercial spaces and event venues need top-notch air-con systems to keep people cool as they work, shop and party. But amongst all the hustle and bustle of your day job, you might forget just how many risks your job brings with it.
This is where Air Conditioning Installers Insurance comes in. This is essentially insurance cover to protect you against losing out financially if something goes wrong. And in a trade like yours which contains so many hazards, risks and liabilities, things going wrong can be par for the course. From injuries at work, accidental damage to property to disputes about payment – these things can rear their ugly heads without warning in your industry. And when they do, you need to have a contingency plan in place. That’s what Air Conditioning Installers Insurance is all about.
Generic insurance policies are just that – generic. They only cover the basics and won’t take into consideration the specifics of your trade. You need an insurance policy which considers the exact risks and situations you’re likely to find yourself in as an air conditioning installer. For example, working at height always brings extra risk to the table. And some of the equipment you’re using isn’t cheap – this needs to be adequately reflected in your coverage.
Rhino’s market-leading insurance coverage allows you to build your own policy bundle to suit your exact needs. Never pay for cover you don’t need with Rhino – our smart quote engine everything into account before giving you your quote. And despite our coverage being probably the most comprehensive in the UK – our prices are some of the lowest around.
Rhino offer award-winning trade insurance that doesn’t break the bank. Thousands of UK tradespeople love us – but before we get too big-headed, let’s return to the topic of what insurance an air conditioning installer needs.
So, what policies do you need to protect yourself? Here are some of the policies you’ll almost certainly need in your toolkit:
Public Liability Insurance is a crucial component of protection for anyone working with air conditioning on a self-employed basis. This cover provides essential financial protection against allegations from third parties, such as members of the public or employees, for damage, loss, or injury caused by your business activities.
Picture this… You’re busy installing some ducts and a piece of pipework falls to the ground below. You’d cordoned the area off, of course, but the pipe ricocheted off the ground and struck a passer-by. Suddenly, an average day at work has become a potential legal nightmare. The injured third party would be within their rights to file a compensation claim against your business, which you’d be legally obliged to pay. If you had Public Liability Insurance, you could breathe a sigh of relief as you could simply claim the cost of the compensation and damages on your insurance.
Aside from your time-served knowledge and skills, your tools and equipment are everything. You can’t do even the simplest of jobs without your toolkit, so it’s safe to say that if they got lost, stolen or damaged then you’d be up the creek, as they say. With tools getting stolen in the UK every 23 minutes, there’s never been a better time to protect your precious kit.
Picture this… You’re about to begin a week-long contracted job when you realise your tools are missing from your van. It was parked in its usual spot outside your house all night, but thieves have broken in and cleaned you out. Cancelling the job last-minute isn’t an option so you’re facing a choice – a pricey trip to the tool rental depot to rent yourself replacements in order to start the job on time, or taking out a loan, credit or plundering your profits for a full new set.
If you had Tools in Transit Insurance from Rhino, you’d not need to worry about the cost of all this. We can reimburse you up to £7,500 for tools and equipment, so you never have to lose sleep over the safety of your tools.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
‘Professional negligence’ might not be a phrase you’d associate with your high-quality working practices but trust us when we say that anything can happen. Even with the best intentions in the world, a client might end up losing out financially due to advice, plans or guidance you’ve given them. Smart contractors have a safety net for when this happens, in the form of Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Picture this… You design a HVAC system for an old building that’s being renovated. The client is happy with it, and your company installs it as per your instructions. But a few months down the line, there is a leak due to a preventable fault, which unfortunately destroys some original wooden flooring. The client decides to make a claim against your business for negligence – and the full cost of replacing the floor.
With Professional Indemnity Insurance, there’s no need to panic. In fact, you’d just need to pass everything on to your insurer who will handle it swiftly, making sure the client is renumerated and your all-important reputation remains intact.
Personal Accident Insurance and Income Protection Insurance
Are you invincible? You might feel it sometimes when you’re smashing through job after job, but the reality is that as a self-employed tradesperson, you’d lose income should anything happen to you leaving you unable to work for a time. Personal Accident Insurance and Income Protection Insurance are two extremely handy pieces of cover to have in your bundle. They will provide either a lump sum or a monthly sum respectively should you have an accident or illness which leaves you unable to work, which will keep the home fires burning while you concentrate on your recovery.
Picture this… You’re lifting some HVAC equipment, and you injure your wrist badly. You are unable to carry out your usual installation duties, so you have no choice but to take some time off. With Personal Accident Insurance and Income Protection Insurance, you won’t need to worry about keeping the finances ticking over, as your insurance would cover your essential costs of living while you’re unable to work.
Employer’s Liability Insurance
This won’t be on everybody’s list, as it’s only required if you have any employees or apprentices. But if you do, this legally-required cover will save your bacon should anything happen to your lovely employees in the line of duty. This policy will also cover their personal property, too.
You even need this insurance if a friend helps you out for just a few days. It’s not worth the risk otherwise. At the end of the day, if something happened to them while working for you, you’d be liable.
Picture this… One of your team members falls from a ladder while doing some measuring up. Nobody knows how he managed it, but that’s not what’s on your mind. You want to make sure he’s OK. He’s not – it turns out he split his trousers and has a broken ankle. He exercises his legal rights and files a claim against your business. After all, he fell from the ladder while carrying out your instructions. You’re not sweating it though – your insurer will cover the full cost of his claim, even down to a new pair of trousers!
So, we have established that air conditioning installers in the UK must protect their businesses from the common risks they face. This includes third party liability claims, claims from employees, lost income through personal accidents and damaged or stolen tools and equipment. But are all insurers created equal?
The answer is no. Rhino Trade Insurance stands head and shoulders above the rest. We are a specialised trade industry insurance broker. We didn’t win the Insurance Times Specialist Broker of the Year 2022 for nothing! We know the air conditioning industry, and the risks that those working in it face. This means that with Rhino you’ll get specialised coverage that fits, without paying for a load of policies you don’t need.
Our Air Conditioning Installers Insurance policy is just for air conditioning contractors, and it covers all of the most common risks you face. Starting with Public Liability Insurance, you can then hand-select the policies you want from our fantastic collection. If you’re not sure which ones are right for you, or have any queries about indemnity limits, our friendly experts will be on hand to guide you in the right direction.
The truly great thing about Rhino’s coverage is that one size does not fit all. Our Air Conditioning Installers Insurance can be personalised to your exact business needs until it fits like a reinforced glove!
Call Rhino today to discover why our Air Conditioning Installers Insurance is so popular.
The amount and type of insurance air conditioning installers need not only varies from business to business, but it also varies within one business. That’s why conducting regular reviews of your insurance requirements is so important. Remember, factors like your annual turnover, the number of employees you have and what tools and equipment you possess all affects your insurance requirements as well as your premiums.
Factors like the limits of indemnity on your policies may also change over time. Just forked out for a fancy new piece of equipment? That means your tools are now worth more, so you’d better increase the limit of indemnity on your Tools Insurance policy. Scaling down a little and just had to cut two jobs? It might be time to reduce the indemnity limit on your Employer’s Liability Insurance policy (although the legal minimum is £5m – don’t worry, Rhino’s trade insurance experts will be on hand to advise on nitty-gritty things like this.)
If you don’t conduct a regular review, you risk having inadequate insurance for your business’s needs. This is a real risk for growing businesses and can mean you’re not fully covered for the cost of claims. It’s these little tweaks that mean you’re truly on top of your business’s needs and it might just save you a packet.
We suggest you review your insurance coverage at least annually to make sure of the continued relevancy and adequacy of your coverage.
Self-employed tradespeople in the UK have chosen a risky business model. The benefits of working for yourself are endless, but you’re also leaving yourself vulnerable to all manner of hazards which could plunder your profits or even leave you bankrupt. With the right business insurance in place from a trade insurance specialist like Rhino, you simply don’t need to worry.
So, whatever life decides to throw at you as an air conditioning installer, just know that being insured with Rhino means there is a great big safety net waiting should you need it.
Call our friendly, expert team today on 0116 243 7904. Or, if you’d rather have a play around with out smart instant quote engine, you can find it here.
Experienced in brand marketing and content. Most of that lovely communication you see online will be from Phil. social media, emails, videos, how to make a bacon sarny? You get the gist!
Trade most identified with: Electrician - It’s our Phil’s job to map out all our communications and make sure the signal works! Also, he’s one of the cockiest blighters in the team so electrician fits perfectly!
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