Builder insurance, banking and accounting — built into one app.
UK general builders carry the deepest insurance stack of any trade — PL, EL, contract works, plant, JCT-compliant cover, CIS handling, CDM duties. Onsite turns that whole stack into one bundle, with banking, accounting and live CIS deductions running inside the same app.
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What insurance does a UK builder actually need?
Builders sit at the centre of the UK construction insurance web. JCT contracts dictate it, CDM Regs 2015 enforce duties, CIS taxes labour at source, and the HSE attends serious site incidents. The right cover stack is non-optional.
- Employers' liability — legally compulsory. Required from your first labourer. £10m of cover. CIS subcontractors count as employees for EL purposes — even if they invoice you and call themselves self-employed. HSE fines £2,500/day per uninsured worker.
- Public liability — contractually required at £5m+. Domestic refurb work usually needs £2m. Anything bigger — extensions, loft conversions, new build, commercial — needs £5m. As a principal contractor on CDM-notifiable jobs, £10m is the standard ask.
- Contract works (CAR) — required by every JCT contract. JCT contracts (Minor Works, Intermediate, Design & Build) require insurance for the works in progress. Either you provide it under JCT 6.5.1 (contractor takes the risk) or the employer does under 6.5.2/6.5.3. Onsite quotes for both.
- Plant cover — for owned and hired-in plant. Mini-diggers, dumpers, scaffold, generators, mixers. Owned plant needs cover; hired plant comes with a hire-purchase clause requiring you to indemnify the hire company for damage and continuing hire charges. Both fit into Onsite's plant module.
- CIS scheme registration — legally compulsory. If you sub-contract construction work, you must be registered with HMRC as a CIS contractor. Failure to register and deduct = 30% tax at source on subbie invoices plus penalties. Onsite Accounting registers you, verifies subbies and files the monthly contractor return.
Every cover a UK builder needs — in one place
Tick what you need. Skip what you don't. The bundle saves more than buying each cover from a different insurer, and you get one renewal date, one login and one team to call.
Build your builder bundle in 60 seconds
Real Admiral and partner panel quotes. No broker shuffle. Certificate of insurance in your dashboard the same day.
How to get builder insurance with Onsite
Four steps. Two minutes. Certificate same day.
Tell us what you build
Domestic extensions, new build, commercial, fit-out, or mixed. Add typical contract size and whether you're principal contractor under CDM.
Stack your cover
PL (£2m, £5m or £10m), CAR, plant, van, EL. The bundle adjusts in real time as you toggle on what you need.
Get a quote in 60 seconds
Admiral and panel quotes return instantly. JCT 6.5.1 compliance is checked at quote time so you don't sign a contract you're not insured for.
Bind it and download certificates
JCT-ready certs, EL poster and CDM-compliant documentation appear in your dashboard. Send to architects, employers' agents and main contractors with one click.
Real builder claims Onsite settled this year
Anonymised but representative — the claims that pay back the policy in a single incident.
Why Onsite beats a traditional broker for builders
Brokers sell you cover and walk away. Onsite is the platform you live in between renewals — banking, accounting, expense capture, CIS handling, an AI assistant that knows your business. The insurance pricing is competitive on its own. The platform is the differentiator.
| What you get | Traditional broker | Onsite |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability, tools, van, EL | Yes | Yes |
| One login for all policies | No — separate insurers | Yes |
| Business bank account + Mastercard | No | Free with bundle |
| Live expense categorisation | No | Yes |
| CIS scheme registration + filing | No | Yes (£39/mo) |
| Mid-term changes (add a labourer, lift a tools limit) | Via email + admin fee | In-app, instant |
| Certificate of insurance issuance | 1-3 working days | Within 60 seconds |
| Powered by Admiral | No | Yes |
UK-specific regs and risks every builder should price into a policy
These are the bits a generic broker policy gets wrong. Onsite quotes around them on purpose.
CDM Regs 2015 — principal contractor duties
If you're principal contractor on a notifiable project (>500 person-days or >30 working days with 20+ workers on site at once), you have specific HSE duties around construction phase plans, welfare facilities and competent workers. PL claim defence depends on you having satisfied them — Onsite's CDM checklist runs inside the app.
JCT contracts and 6.5.1 vs 6.5.2
JCT Minor Works, Intermediate and D&B contracts allocate insurance responsibility under clause 6.5. Most domestic and small commercial work uses 6.5.1 (contractor insures the works); existing building extensions sometimes use 6.5.2 or 6.5.3 (employer insures). Get the wrong one and you're uninsured for an entire job.
CIS scheme — register, verify, deduct, file
If you sub-contract any construction work to anyone other than a direct PAYE employee, you must operate CIS. Verify each subbie with HMRC (gross, 20% or 30%), deduct from each invoice, pay HMRC by the 22nd of the following month, and file the monthly contractor return. Penalties for late or missed returns escalate fast.
Party Wall etc. Act 1996
Any excavation within 3m (or 6m for deep dig) of a neighbour's structure triggers Party Wall Act notice. Skip the notice and your PL insurer can repudiate the neighbour-damage claim. Onsite reminds you on dig jobs and stores the served notice in your project folder.
Gross payment status (GPS) for CIS
Once your CIS turnover is £30k+ for a sole trader (£200k for a company), apply for GPS so subbies pay you 0% at source. Saves the cash-flow pain of waiting for HMRC repayment. Onsite Accounting applies on your behalf when you qualify.
Transparent pricing — no broker fees, no admin uplift
Below are the standard monthly starting points for builders on Onsite. Final quote depends on cover levels, postcode and underwriter answers. Bundle two or more covers and the bundle discount applies automatically.
| Cover | Starting price | Typical builder | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public liability insurance | from £24/mo | £24 – £72/mo | £1m–£10m cover. £5m baseline for new build and commercial. Subsidence, party-wall damage, neighbour-property damage, thi… |
| Contract works / CAR | from £28/mo | £28 – £84/mo | Covers the works-in-progress, including materials on site, against fire, theft, storm, flood, vandalism and accidental d… |
| Plant cover | from £18/mo | £18 – £54/mo | Owned and hired-in plant: diggers, dumpers, scaffold, generators, mixers, telehandlers. Hire-in indemnity included for c… |
| Van insurance | from £55/mo | £55 – £165/mo | Multi-van rates for builders running a fleet. Goods in transit for materials being moved between site and yard. UK and E… |
| Employer's liability | from £18/mo | £18 – £54/mo | £10m cover. CIS subcontractors, labourers, apprentices, mates. CDM-aware: principal contractor duties are flagged automa… |
Builders insurance — frequently asked questions
The 12 questions UK builders ask us most often. Each answer is referenced into the FAQPage schema on this page so AI assistants and voice search can cite directly.
Do UK builders need insurance by law?
Employers' liability is the only insurance legally compulsory for a UK sole-trader builder, and only once you pay anyone to work for you. Public liability is required by every UK main contractor and almost every domestic client over £20k contract value. Contract works (CAR) cover is required by every JCT contract under clause 6.5.1. Van insurance is required to drive. Plant cover is required by hire companies as part of the hire-purchase indemnity.
How much does builder insurance cost per month in the UK?
A self-employed UK builder doing domestic refurb work typically pays £24–£45/mo for £5m PL, £28/mo for CAR, £18/mo for plant if needed, £18/mo for EL, and £55/mo+ for van. Onsite bundles all of it for £140–£220/mo all-in. New-build and commercial builders at £10m PL and higher EL totals tend to land between £220 and £350/mo.
What public liability cover does a builder need?
£2m is the minimum for very small domestic refurb work. £5m is the standard for extensions, loft conversions, new build and most commercial fit-out. £10m is the standard ask if you're principal contractor on a CDM-notifiable site or working as a subcontractor to a tier-1 main contractor. Onsite's quote flow asks the right CDM questions to land you on the right tier.
Do I need contract works (CAR) insurance?
Yes if you sign any JCT-format contract or any contract with a sensible clause referring to insurance of the works. CAR covers the build itself — materials, partially-completed work, plant on site — against fire, theft, storm, flood and accidental damage. Most homeowner-builder contracts make CAR the contractor's responsibility. Onsite includes CAR in the standard builder bundle.
Are hired-in diggers and dumpers covered under plant cover?
Yes. Onsite plant cover includes a hire-in indemnity — if the hired plant is damaged or overturned, the policy pays the repair cost plus the continuing hire charges that the hire company invoices until the kit is back in service. Standard plant cover from non-trade insurers often misses the continuing hire charge, leaving you exposed to a 4-6 week bill.
How does CIS work and how does Onsite handle it?
CIS is HMRC's construction tax scheme. If you sub-contract construction work, you (the contractor) verify each subbie with HMRC (returning a 0%, 20% or 30% tax rate), deduct the tax from each invoice, pay HMRC monthly, and file a monthly contractor return. Onsite Accounting (£39/mo) automates the whole loop — verification, deductions on bank payments, monthly returns, year-end reconciliation. Most builders save 4-6 hours a month.
Can I apply for gross payment status through Onsite?
Yes. Onsite Accounting submits the CIS gross-payment-status application on your behalf once you qualify (turnover £30k+ for sole trader, £200k+ for a company, plus the business test and the compliance test). GPS means subbies pay you 0% at source, which fixes the cash-flow drag of waiting for HMRC to repay over-deducted tax.
Does Onsite cover party wall and subsidence claims?
Yes, on the £5m and £10m PL tiers. Party-wall damage from excavation and subsidence from dig work are both common builder PL claims and are included as standard. You'll need to have served the Party Wall Act notice where required — Onsite tracks the dig type and reminds you when notice is required.
What happens if I'm principal contractor on a CDM-notifiable site?
Your PL needs to be £10m and you need EL plus a documented construction phase plan, F10 notification to HSE, and competent workers on site. Onsite's PC checklist runs inside the app, stores the F10 notification, and EL/PL certificates auto-share to your architects and CDM coordinator. Without these, your PL claim defence is weaker on a site incident.
How does Onsite compare to a broker like Hiscox or Towergate for builders?
Hiscox and Towergate compete on premium price and underwriting flexibility — both are solid for builders. Onsite is competitive on premium (we benchmark monthly against both) and bundles in the things builders actually need every day: business banking, accounting, CIS handling, expense tracking. The real saving for most builders is around 4-6 hours of admin a week.
Can I cover multiple sites running at once?
Yes. Onsite PL covers all your sites under one policy. CAR is quoted on a per-contract basis (because contract values vary), but Onsite has a multi-site discount on the standard policy if you regularly run 3 or more concurrent jobs over £25k.
What if my main contractor asks for a specific policy wording?
Onsite issues a JCT 6.5.1 compliant certificate and schedule of cover as standard. For specific wordings (e.g. a tier-1 contractor asking for an Aviva or Zurich wording), we can re-quote on the requested wording — usually within 24 hours.
Get your builder insurance + bundle in 60 seconds
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