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What is plumbers insurance?
Plumbers insurance is a specialised type of coverage designed to protect plumbing professionals against potential risks and liabilities associated with their work, including damages, injuries, and legal claims.
Plumbers Insurance from Rhino is tailored to each individual plumbing business. Public Liability Insurance is a core product, and from there you can build your package to suit the specific needs of your business to include other valuable policies such as Tool Insurance, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Income Protection Insurance and more.
Determining what your business needs is crucial to what insurance you choose. Work in a high-crime area with expensive kit? You may want to consider Tools In Transit Insurance. Are you worried that the advice you give in a professional capacity will come back to bite you? Professional Indemnity Insurance will cover you. Do you regularly work on large projects and want to insure the entire contract works? Then Contractors All Risks Insurance has your back. Whatever your business needs – Rhino has a policy for that.
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What does plumbers insurance cover?
Plumbers' insurance covers a range of risks associated with the plumbing trade, including accidental injuries, third-party property damage, claims of negligence, and protection against theft or damage to essential tools.
Public Liability Insurance is your core insurance cover when building protection for your business. Protecting you should you be deemed liable for third-party property damage or injury to a member of the public as a result of your work. It helps cover the costs of damage caused or the cost of compensation up to your chosen level of cover.
Below is a breakdown of the cover Rhino offers for plumbers:
Public liability insurance for plumbers provides financial protection against claims of property damage or personal injury caused by their work.
Employers' liability insurance for plumbers protects against claims from employees who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses.
Professional indemnity insurance for plumbers covers legal costs and claims for damages arising from mistakes or negligence in their professional services.
Tool insurance for plumbers covers the cost of repairing or replacing their tools and equipment if they are lost, stolen, or damaged.
Contractors' insurance for plumbers provides comprehensive coverage for contract works, plant and machinery theft and protection for claims arising from their construction and installation projects.
Personal accident insurance for plumbers offers financial compensation and benefits in the form of a one-off payment if they sustain injuries or disabilities due to an accident, whether at work or elsewhere.
Income protection insurance for plumbers provides regular income replacement if they are unable to work due to illness or injury.
Legal expenses insurance for plumbers covers the cost of legal fees and related expenses up to £50,000 incurred while defending or pursuing legal action related to their business activities.
Tax enquiry insurance for plumbers covers the costs of professional fees and related expenses incurred during a tax investigation or audit by tax authorities.
How much does plumbers insurance cost?
At Rhino Trade Insurance, we offer cost-effective and competitive insurance plans designed specifically for tradespeople. For plumbers, our core Public Liability Insurance policy starts at £232.00 per year or £19.33 per month*, and from there you can add additional products to create a suite of cover specifically needed for your business.
The cost of your insurance will vary depending on the type of coverage you require, the size of your company, and the particular hazards related to your line of work. Don't worry, though; we have affordable, flexible choices to suit your needs. Discover how simple it is to protect your trade business by getting quote from us today.
*All payments inclusive of IPT. Monthly payments include direct debit administration fees
Why do I need plumbers insurance?
Working in the trades carries a level of risk, and whilst your work may be of the highest standard, accidents do happen. Not only can having the correct insurance help you gain work in the first place, it also gives you peace of mind that should something go wrong, your business is covered.
Rhino take: Did you know that water damage is one our most common claim?
We speak to thousands of plumbers, in fact we insure more plumbing and heating engineers than any other trade. Rhino understands the unique risks plumbers face and, as a result, we are dedicated to offering specialist coverage that fits your plumbing needs. Our goal is to make insurance hassle-free, ensuring that tradespeople nationwide have access to the best possible protection. With Rhino, we are not just another insurance provider; you’re partnering with a broker committed to supporting you when things go wrong. Plus, getting a quote from us is effortless, just click on the 'get quote' button below, answer a few questions, and you’re up and running.
Why choose your plumber insurance from Rhino Trade Insurance?
At Rhino, we understand the risks and problems faced by a plumber on the job. That’s why our insurance works for you. We’ve made getting insurance for plumbers from Rhino so easy, straightforward and quick. We know your time is valuable, so we won’t make you wait on hold for ages or bamboozle you with lengthy documents. We are proud to offer policies you can take out on your lunch break from your smartphone.
Your insurance documents will be delivered straight to your inbox, and that’s it – immediate cover in time for your afternoon’s work. Rhino offers a 14-day cooling-off period, so even if you do change your mind, you can cancel without fees within 14 days.
With Rhino Trade Insurance, sorting your Plumbers Insurance is easy. You don’t need to wonder which policies you need, as we have them all in one place for you to choose from. You don’t need to worry about being sold packages of insurance that aren’t relevant to you. Instead of selling one-size-fits-all packages like other insurance companies, Rhino lets you build a bespoke package with only the insurance policies you need – and none that you don’t – all in one place.
Rhino Trade Insurance are trade insurance experts. We’ve won multiple awards for what we do, and our unique customer experience is industry-leading. Rhino is proud to partner with real tradesmen and women around the UK who help us promote, design and shape our insurance products and services.
Finally, tens of thousands of happy customers can’t be wrong! Check out our five-star reviews.
How does Public Liability Insurance for plumbers work?
Public Liability Insurance is known as the ‘bread-and-butter’ policy for tradespeople. It’s so important to have in place before you so much as pick up a tool, because it covers you financially in case of accidents, injuries or property damage caused by you while working.
No matter how careful you are, there’s plenty of scope for accidents and damage in the plumbing game. Whether it’s the tools you use, the equipment that might be left lying around, or even where you park your work van outside a customer’s home or premises – you never know when something can go wrong.
If a third party (such as a customer or member of the public) gets injured or has their property damaged by you as you work, you’ll be on the hook for the costs associated. This can include court fees, damages, compensation, private medical expenses and more. Unsurprisingly, this can add up to some serious sums. Luckily, Rhino can cover you for up to £5M.
Many customers, especially professional bodies, won’t hire a plumber unless they have good Plumbers Public Liability Insurance in place.
Remember, with Rhino you can take out your Public Liability cover alongside a range of add-on policies, including:
Plumbers Insurance Cover
Not sure if Plumbers Insurance from Rhino will cover your specific line of work? Take a look at the trades we cover below:
Plumbing and Heating
Gas Fitters
Drain Cleaners
Bathroom Installers
Kitchen Installers & Fitters
Fireplace Installation
Air Conditioning Engineers
Heating & Ventilation Engineers
Refrigeration Engineers
and many more! Remember, Rhino are the trade insurance experts, so whatever weird and wonderful trade you’re in, try us! We’re confident we can find a tailored policy to suit you.
Plumbers Insurance FAQs
Plumbers insurance isn't a single policy - it's the insurance options available to plumbers, built around the risks that come with working in the trade. Public Liability Insurance is a core product and protects you in the event of property damage and injury to a third party as a result of your work. Employers' Liability Insurance is a legal requirement if you have more than one worker. Tool Insurance protects your tools and equipment, and Personal Accident Insurance and Income Protection Insurance protect you should you be unable to work.
Public Liability Insurance is not a legal requirement for sole traders in the UK, but many customers and contractors will not let you on site without it. If you take on any employees or labourers, Employers' Liability Insurance is a legal requirement from day one.
Yes. If you accidentally cause water damage to a client's property in the course of your work, your Public Liability Insurance covers the compensation and legal costs up to your chosen level of cover. Accidental damage to third-party property is one of the most common types of claim in the plumbing trade, which is why having adequate cover in place is so important.
If you employ anyone - a full-time apprentice, a part-time assistant or even a casual labourer on a single job, then yes, Employers' Liability Insurance is a legal requirement. It covers you if a member of your team makes a claim against your business if they're injured or become ill as a result of working for you. Rhino offer £10 million cover as standard.
Rhino's cover for plumbers starts from £19.32 however, your premium depends on your annual turnover, the type of work you carry out, whether you employ anyone and the level of cover you choose.
You'll likely have built a large collection of tools and equipment over your years on the tools. And with tool theft an ever-present issue for tradespeople - according to our 2026 customer survey more than 80% of Rhino customers know someone who has had their tools stolen - you'll likely be wanting some protection against it.
Rhino's Tools Insurance cover protects you from loss, damage or theft of your tools, and you can cover up to £7,500 worth of equipment. For more insurance, check out our guide here.
If you’re a subcontractor, you may be covered by the Public Liability Insurance policy of the contractor you’re working for. It’s a bit of a grey area sometimes, so be sure to double-check in case you’re not sure.
Any good contractor will tell you if you need your own policy before you start working for them. A rule of thumb is that if you’re working independently (so not always under the direct supervision of a contractor) and use your own tools, then you’re going to need your own Public Liability Insurance policy.
Tax enquiries can happen unexpectedly and there does not need to be any wrongdoing in order for HMRC to open an enquiry, so it is wise for plumbers to have a Tax Enquiry Insurance policy in place to help cover the costs of professional fees such as solicitors, accountants and specialist advisors. Even if there's no wrongdoing on your part is found, you'd still have fees to pay out of your own pocket.
