Landscaper insurance, banking and accounting — built into one app.
Landscapers run mini-diggers, fell trees, dig footings near LSBUD-marked utilities and handle waste under their own waste-carrier licence. Onsite bundles PL, plant, tools, van and EL with banking, accounting and CIS — the only landscape-aware platform built around the trade.
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What insurance does a UK landscaper actually need?
Landscapers blur the line between construction (footings, drainage, walls), plant operation (digger, dumper, chipper) and arboriculture (tree felling, hedge work). Each carries its own insurance exposure. Onsite is built around the cross-section.
- Employers' liability — legally compulsory. Required from your first labourer. £10m of cover. Seasonal labour counts — a casual helper for a single big build is still your responsibility.
- Public liability — contractually required. £2m is fine for small garden maintenance. £5m is the standard ask for hard landscaping, walls, drainage, ponds and tree work. Local authority and housing association grounds maintenance contracts usually require £5m.
- Underground services (LSBUD) — claim defence. Hitting a buried cable or gas main on a domestic dig is the largest landscaper PL exposure. PL claim defence requires evidence of a LSBUD search before excavation — Onsite stores the LSBUD report on the project file.
- Tree work — TPOs, conservation areas, AONB. Tree felling within a conservation area, TPO-listed tree, or AONB requires local authority consent. Felling without consent is a criminal offence under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 — and your PL insurer will repudiate the claim.
- Waste carrier licence (Environment Agency). Removing waste from a customer's premises requires a waste carrier registration. Tier 1 is free; Tier 2 (£154 every 3 years) is required for commercial-volume waste. Onsite handles the registration alongside accounting.
Every cover a UK landscaper 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 landscaper 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 landscaper insurance with Onsite
Four steps. Two minutes. Certificate same day.
Tell us what you landscape
Garden maintenance, hard landscaping, tree work, water features, commercial grounds. We pre-fill the right risk class.
Stack your cover
PL (£2m or £5m), plant, tools, van, EL. Tree work endorsement toggles automatically if you declare tree work.
Get a quote in 60 seconds
Admiral and panel quotes return instantly. LSBUD requirement is checked at quote time so your claim defence is solid.
Bind it and download certificates
PL, EL, plant and waste-carrier registrations all in your dashboard. Local-authority and HOA-ready.
Real landscaper 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 landscapers
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 landscaper should price into a policy
These are the bits a generic broker policy gets wrong. Onsite quotes around them on purpose.
LSBUD search before excavation
Underground services (gas, electric, water, telecoms) are catalogued on LSBUD (linesearchbeforeudig.co.uk). PL claim defence depends on a LSBUD report being run before any excavation over 300mm. Onsite stores the report on the project file.
Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs)
Felling a TPO-listed tree without local authority consent is a criminal offence — fines up to £20,000. Conservation area trees over 75mm diameter at 1.5m height also need notice. Onsite checks the postcode against the council's TPO register.
Town and Country Planning Act 1990 — tree work
Section 211 of the Act covers conservation-area tree work. 6 weeks' written notice to the local authority is required for any felling, pruning or lopping. PL claim defence depends on the notice being served.
Waste carrier licence (Environment Agency)
Tier 2 registration (£154 every 3 years) is required to transport commercial-volume waste from customer premises. Operating without it is a fixed penalty. Onsite handles registration and renewal.
Chainsaw competence — Lantra / NPTC
PL claim defence after a chainsaw incident depends on the operator holding current Lantra (CS30 / CS31) or NPTC certificates. Onsite stores the certificates and reminds you when renewal is due.
Transparent pricing — no broker fees, no admin uplift
Below are the standard monthly starting points for landscapers 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 landscaper | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public liability insurance | from £18/mo | £18 – £54/mo | £1m, £2m or £5m. Covers ground works, tree work, drainage, walls, ponds and water features. LSBUD claim defence included… |
| Plant cover | from £16/mo | £16 – £48/mo | Mini-diggers, dumpers, ride-on mowers, brushcutters, chippers. Owned and hired-in plant covered with continuing-hire-cha… |
| Tools insurance | from £8/mo | £8 – £24/mo | Up to £10,000 new-for-old. Chainsaws (with Lantra training records on file), strimmers, blowers, secateurs, hand tools. … |
| Van insurance | from £55/mo | £55 – £165/mo | Goods in transit for plants, materials and customer-purchased garden items. UK cover. Multi-van discount. Powered by Adm… |
| Employer's liability | from £14/mo | £14 – £42/mo | £10m of cover. Includes seasonal labour and CIS subcontractors on hard-landscaping jobs.… |
Landscapers insurance — frequently asked questions
The 12 questions UK landscapers 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 landscapers need insurance by law?
Employers' liability is legally compulsory once you pay a labourer. Public liability isn't legally required for a sole-trader landscaper but is contractually required by virtually every local authority contract, housing association grounds maintenance contract and almost every domestic client over £2k. A waste carrier licence is legally required to transport commercial waste.
How much does landscaper insurance cost per month in the UK?
Self-employed UK landscapers typically pay £18–£32/mo for £5m public liability, £16/mo for plant cover, £8/mo for tools, and £55/mo+ for van. Bundled through Onsite, all-in for the standard landscaper bundle is £100–£160/mo — around £500/yr cheaper than buying covers separately.
What public liability do I need for tree felling?
£5m is the standard ask for tree felling and any tree work over 5m fell height. Smaller pruning, hedge cutting and dead-wooding can often go with £2m. Onsite asks about fell heights at quote time so the premium reflects your actual exposure.
What happens if I hit a buried gas main?
If you've run a LSBUD search before excavation, your PL claim defence is strong and the policy will respond. If you haven't, the insurer can repudiate the claim. Onsite prompts you to run a LSBUD report on every excavation job and stores the report against the project file — the strongest defence position.
Do I need a waste carrier licence?
Yes if you remove waste from a customer's premises in the course of business. Tier 1 (free, for your own business waste) is automatic; Tier 2 (£154 every 3 years, for commercial waste from third parties) is needed by most landscapers. Onsite handles registration and renewal as part of the accounting service.
Is my chainsaw work covered by Onsite PL?
Yes — provided the chainsaw operator holds current Lantra CS30/CS31 (or NPTC equivalent) and the certs are on file. PL claim defence after a chainsaw incident depends on the operator competence record. Onsite stores certs and reminds you when renewal is due.
Can I cover a hired-in mini-digger or dumper?
Yes. Onsite plant cover includes hire-in indemnity — repair costs plus continuing hire charges that the hire company invoices for the time the kit is out of service. Standard plant cover from non-trade insurers often misses the continuing hire charge.
What about working on Tree Preservation Order trees?
TPO and conservation area tree work requires local authority consent or 6 weeks' written notice. Felling or significant pruning without it is a criminal offence. Onsite checks the postcode against the council's TPO register at quote time and prompts you when consent is required.
Does Onsite cover ponds and water features?
Yes — included as standard on the PL policy. Drowning risk is the underwriting concern; PL claim defence depends on RAMS being in place for the construction phase and a documented handover at completion.
What plant is covered as standard?
Mini-diggers up to 3 tonnes, 1-tonne dumpers, ride-on mowers, brushcutters, chippers and chainsaws. Larger plant (3-tonne+ diggers, 6-tonne dumpers) is covered but quoted specifically — Onsite asks the weight class at quote time.
How does Onsite handle CIS for landscapers?
If you sub-contract hard-landscaping work to another self-employed person, CIS applies. Onsite Accounting registers you, verifies subbies and files the monthly contractor return. Most landscapers also benefit from gross-payment-status — Onsite applies on your behalf when you qualify.
How does Onsite compare to a broker like A-Plan or Hencilla Canworth for landscapers?
Hencilla Canworth and A-Plan both quote competitively for landscapers; Hencilla has good arboriculture-specific knowledge. Onsite is competitive on premium pricing (we benchmark monthly) and adds banking, accounting, CIS, waste-carrier and expense tracking in one app — usually 4-6 hours of admin a week saved.
Get your landscaper insurance + bundle in 60 seconds
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