Public Liability Insurance

At CraftCover, we provide a public liability insurance policy that is tailored to the UK craft industry. With a vast amount of experience in our field, we have the knowledge and understanding to cater for virtually any craft business.




What is public liability insurance?

Public Liability Insurance covers the cost of claims made by members of the public for incidents that may arise from your business’s activities.

By taking out public liability insurance, you cover yourself against your legal liability for the cost of compensation for any damage or injury caused. Without this cover, your business, or even you personally, would be liable for these costs which can be huge.


What is covered by public liability insurance?

  • Personal injuries to members of the public
  • Loss of or damage to third party property
  • Death or disablement to the public

Public liability insurance covers your interactions with different people. In fact, everyone apart from employees are covered, including:

  • Visitors
  • Customers
  • Clients
  • People participating in events you take part in, like a craft fair
  • People participating in events have organised, like a craft workshop
  • People watching events you have organised

CraftCover provides a minimum limit of indemnity of £2m with an option to increase it to £5m. This level of flexibility helps as your business grows. Along with the public liability aspect of our cover, product liability insurance is also provided under the same section.


Public Liability Insurance for crafters

Regardless of what you craft, you will likely benefit from having public liability insurance. We cover a wide range of crafts which many other providers do not. These include, but are not extensive to:

We also cover many other crafts – just let us know what you do! To find out how we can help insure your craft business, get a free quote today.

Although your business may not necessarily put members of the public, customers or property at risk of harm, injury or damage, it is important to be insured just in case something happens which you may be held liable for otherwise.




Is public liability insurance required by law?

You’re not legally required to have public liability insurance, however, being a business owner, you are more than likely going to need it.

Accidents can happen, even if you are doing all you can to avoid it. A legal battle can be financially damaging to your business, especially if you haven’t got the means to settle a claim without an insurance policy in place.

Public liability insurance doesn’t cover retrospectively, so it’s a good idea to get it before you start interacting with the public, clients or customers.


How much does public liability insurance cost for businesses?

You may expect this high standard of cover to come at significant cost, but that isn’t the case. CraftCover works hard to keep premiums as reasonable as possible without compromising on cover. We also offer a No Claims discount of up to 20%, helping you to save money now and in the future.


What does public liability insurance cover?

Public liability insurance covers claims made against your business by members of the public, clients or contractors for accidental injury or damage to their property. This could be caused by an accident on your business premises or as a result of your own operations.

If your business is found responsible, your public liability insurance will cover the associated costs, including compensation and any legal fees.


What kind of businesses need public liability insurance?

There are typically three categories in which you should have public liability insurance. These include:

  • Customers visit you. Whether this is at home, or in your seperate business premises, members of the public, customers or clients could injure themselves when visiting you.
  • You visit customers. If you need to carry out work in their property as part of your business and therefore take your own equipment, this could cause accidents or injuries.
  • You work in public. Your work and the equipment you use may damage a property, or harm a customer or member of the public.


Why do I need public liability insurance?

You might wonder whether your craft business needs public liability insurance. Many fairs and shows require this type of cover to be in place before they will allow you to participate.

For most craft businesses, though, this kind of cover should be top priority regardless. Should the worst happen, the costs of paying out compensation can be crippling for any small business.


When do you need public liability insurance?

You will need public liability insurance if your business requires you to come into contact with members of the public. This can include crafters who own shops, or visit customers’ homes, as it covers the cost of compensation claims made against you for injury, or damage to someone’s property.




Who is liable for damage caused by a defective product?

Under the Consumer Protection Act, manufacturers, distributors and suppliers could be held responsible for damage, injury, and even death caused by their defective product or a defective part of the products.

However, the liability of a party will depend on the specifics of each case. If a product caused damage or harm by negligence, then the negligent party would be held liable.

If the product is faulty, then liability would fall on the manufacturer of the product, and if the product bares your business name you may also be liable for any damages regardless of who produced or supplied the product.

It is important to know a claimant doesn’t have to be a customer or a purchaser of your product, they can be a bystander who is injured or damaged by the product. If this is the case you will still be held liable.


What is the difference between public liability insurance and product liability insurance?

Public liability insurance provides protection against your legal liabilities to third parties if you are found to be responsible. This can include injury or harm to the public or damage to another person’s property.

Whereas product liability insurance covers you against legal liability if your product injures or harms someone or damages their property, public liability cover protects you against the cost of compensation for faulty products causing injury or damage, as well as unforeseeable circumstances that quality control could not identify.


Do I need a separate public liability and product liability policy?

No, our policy provides the same limit of cover for both Public and Product Liability cover.


Can I get public liability insurance for a craft fair?

Yes, when you attend craft fairs, it is mandatory you have public liability insurance. We provide this service automatically in our craft fair insurance, and can also provide additional cover options should you need them.

Speak with one of our team members today to find out more about what insurance types we can offer you and your craft business.