If you’re a freelancer, and you work with the public, with third parties’ property, or have visits from third parties at their place of work, then you should have public liability insurance. Should a member of the public get injured or has property damaged as a result of a freelancer’s work, public liability insurance covers the cost of compensation claims and associated legal costs.

The last year has changed the work lives of many people, and some, faced with the prospect of returning to the office after a year or more of working from home, are thinking of quitting their jobs to start working freelance, so we wanted to have look at what insurance you need if you’re taking your first steps into self-employment.

Unless you work in the horse riding business, there is no legal obligation to attain public liability insurance, so it is up to the individual to decide and weigh up the risks of something happening versus the cost of a policy.

Public liability insurance is typically sold in £1 million, £2 million, and £5 million cover limits, but if you’re a small-scale freelancer who does not interact much with the general public, it is unlikely you would need the highest level of cover. Cover typically starts at around £50 to £80 a year for most freelance industries, according to research from NimbleFins.

If freelancer wants to join a trade association or body, they may be required to have public liability insurance as part of the terms of membership, and it could be that certain clients will only work with freelancers if they have a policy in place.

However, it may not be required for all freelancers. If your work is home-based, you do not work directly with clients, or the only contact is through sit-down meetings, the risk of damaging property is probably negligible, and the cost of a policy outweighs the risk.

Insurance is important for a freelancer as there is less financial protection for an individual running their business this way. Unlike a limited company, a freelancer is responsible for all costs.

What is appropriate will differ for every freelancer, but it is strongly advised to look at the insurance needed for a business working in your field and weigh up the risks and cost.

If you’re looking for public liability insurance, talk to us today.