Plumber insurance, banking and accounting — built into one app.
Self-employed UK plumbers need cover for water damage claims, theft of tools from the van, and employers' liability if you've ever paid a labourer cash for the day. Onsite bundles all of it — plus a business bank account, accounting and CIS — into one £-per-month subscription. Powered by Admiral.
Powered by Admiral. Authorised and regulated by the FCA. 14-day cooling-off on every policy. Cancel anything any time.
What insurance does a UK plumber actually need?
There is no single law that says "a plumber must have insurance". But once you take on labour, fit gas, work in tenanted property or sign a contract with a builder, several covers become legally compulsory or contractually required.
- Employers' liability — legally compulsory. Required by the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 from the moment you pay anyone to work for you, including labourers paid cash, CIS subcontractors and apprentices. Minimum £5m cover; £10m is the market standard. HSE fines run to £2,500 per day per uninsured worker.
- Public liability — contractually required. Almost every UK letting agent, housing association, main contractor and insurance-led emergency network (British Gas HomeCare, HomeServe, Domestic & General) requires £2m or £5m of PL before you can be on their approved list. Listed building work usually requires £5m minimum.
- Tools and contents — strongly recommended. Your van is not your home. Standard van policies don't cover tools left overnight, and HMRC won't refund tools written off as theft if you can't show insurance. Most plumbers carry £5,000–£10,000 of kit; replacing a Rems press tool alone is £900+.
- Goods in transit — overlooked but vital. You're holding the customer's boiler in your van for 48 hours between collection and install. A scrape or a snatched van means you're liable for the unit, not your van insurer. GIT covers it on a new-for-old basis.
- Professional indemnity — for design-and-install. If you specify the heat-loss calc, design the system or sign off the commissioning paperwork (Benchmark, G3, Part L), PI cover protects you against later claims that the design was wrong. £100k cover is typical; £250k for unvented and renewable jobs.
Every cover a UK plumber 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 plumber 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 plumber insurance with Onsite
Four steps. Two minutes. Certificate same day.
Tell us what you fit
Pick your trade (plumber, heating engineer, gas-safe or all three), how many days a week you're on the tools, and whether you work in tenanted property or new build.
Pick your cover levels
£1m, £2m or £5m public liability; £5,000 or £10,000 tools; van and EL toggle on as you need. You see the bundle price update in real time.
Get a quote in 60 seconds
Underwriting questions are short and trade-aware: no "what type of building?" generic forms. Quotes from Admiral and partner panel come back instantly.
Bind it and get your certificate
Pay monthly or annually. Certificates of insurance and EL posters are issued instantly to your dashboard. Auto-renewal, free to cancel within 14 days.
Real plumber 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 plumbers
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 plumber should price into a policy
These are the bits a generic broker policy gets wrong. Onsite quotes around them on purpose.
Water Regulations 1999 & WRAS approval
All UK plumbers must install to Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. Notify the local water company for category 3 and above fluid risks. PL claims often hinge on whether the joint or fitting was WRAS-approved — keep proof of compliant parts in your Onsite expense log.
G3 unvented hot water (Building Regs Part G)
Only G3-qualified plumbers can install or service unvented cylinders over 15L. Without G3, your PL insurer will decline an unvented-related claim. Onsite asks for your G3 cert at quote time and notes it on your policy.
Gas Safe boundary
Boilers, hobs and any pipework downstream of the gas meter is Gas Safe-only. If you're plumbing-only, your policy will exclude gas work — and the customer's home insurer will repudiate the claim. Onsite's quote flow asks the question explicitly to avoid mis-selling.
Escape of water — the biggest plumber risk
Escape of water is the single largest cause of UK domestic insurance claims (ABI 2024). Many landlords and main contractors now demand £5m PL specifically because of this. Onsite's £5m option is £4/mo more than the £2m tier — usually worth it.
CIS deductions on labour
If you sub-contract another plumber, you must register as a CIS contractor and deduct 20% (or 30%) at source. Onsite Accounting handles CIS deductions automatically, files monthly contractor returns and reconciles them against your bank — most plumbers save 4-6 hours a month on this alone.
Transparent pricing — no broker fees, no admin uplift
Below are the standard monthly starting points for plumbers 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 plumber | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public liability insurance | from £14/mo | £14 – £42/mo | £1m, £2m or £5m of cover against third-party injury or property damage. Covers escape of water claims, floor damage duri… |
| Tools insurance | from £8/mo | £8 – £24/mo | Up to £10,000 of kit covered new-for-old. Includes Rems, Rothenberger, Mira, Milwaukee, Makita and DeWalt — plus power f… |
| Van insurance | from £49/mo | £49 – £147/mo | Goods in transit included on every Onsite van policy — boilers, copper, bathroom suites and push-fit are covered while i… |
| Employer's liability | from £12/mo | £12 – £36/mo | Legally required from the moment you pay anyone — apprentice, labourer, CIS subbie or limited-company subcontractor. £10… |
| Professional indemnity | from £18/mo | £18 – £54/mo | Cover for design errors on unvented hot water, heating system specification, renewable installs and commissioning paperw… |
Plumbers insurance — frequently asked questions
The 12 questions UK plumbers 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 self-employed plumbers in the UK need insurance by law?
Public liability isn't a legal requirement for sole-trader plumbers in the UK, but it's effectively non-negotiable. Letting agents, social housing schedulers, main contractors and emergency networks (British Gas HomeCare, HomeServe, Domestic & General) all require £2m or £5m of PL before you can take their work. Employers' liability is legally required from the moment you pay anyone a single day's labour — including cash-in-hand. Van insurance is legally required to drive.
How much does plumber insurance cost per month in the UK?
A self-employed plumber working domestic property typically pays £14–£28/mo for £2m public liability, £8/mo for £10,000 tools cover, and £45–£70/mo for van insurance with goods in transit. Bundled through Onsite, the all-in total for PL + tools + van + business banking + accounting is usually £75–£110/mo, which is around £400–£600 a year cheaper than buying the same covers separately.
What public liability cover does a plumber need — £2m or £5m?
£2m is fine for general domestic work where the highest-risk job is a typical bathroom or boiler swap. £5m is wise (and often required) if you work on tenanted property, listed buildings, new-build sites, large commercial premises or anywhere a single escape-of-water event could damage multiple units. New-build CDM principal contractors usually require £5m as standard.
Does plumber insurance cover escape of water?
Yes — escape of water is the most common plumber PL claim and is included on every Onsite public liability policy. Cover applies whether the cause was a faulty fitting, a missed leak, or a joint that failed after install. The key exclusion is wear-and-tear: if you patched an existing leak that subsequently re-failed without you replacing the affected section, the claim can be challenged. Onsite's underwriting reviews the install record on every claim.
Do I need employers' liability if my labourer is paid cash?
Yes. The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 covers anyone you pay to work for you — including cash-in-hand labourers, paid friends and family, apprentices and CIS subcontractors. The only exception is family-only businesses where the worker is your spouse, parent or child. HSE fines are £2,500 per day per uninsured worker, and Onsite will not let you bind PL without confirming whether EL is needed.
Are my tools covered if they're stolen from my locked van overnight?
Yes, on every Onsite tools policy — provided the van was locked, alarm activated (if fitted), and the theft was reported to police within 24 hours with a crime reference number. Standard van insurance from a non-trade insurer typically excludes tools left overnight, which is why a dedicated tools policy matters.
Does Onsite cover Gas Safe boiler work?
Yes, provided you are Gas Safe-registered and your registration number is on file. Onsite verifies your Gas Safe ID against the live register at quote time. If you're plumbing-only and not gas-registered, your policy excludes gas pipework, gas appliance install, gas commissioning and gas flue work — Onsite will flag this in your quote so there is no ambiguity at claim time.
Can I add a labourer or apprentice to my Onsite policy mid-year?
Yes — log in, hit "Team", add the person, and EL extends automatically. The certificate updates the same day. Onsite charges a small mid-term adjustment fee (£12 standard) and the additional EL premium is pro-rated to your renewal date.
How long does it take to get a plumber insurance certificate from Onsite?
If you complete the quote in one sitting (most plumbers take 4–7 minutes), you'll have the certificate of insurance, EL poster and schedule of cover in your dashboard within 60 seconds of payment. Customer-facing certificates are downloadable as PDF for letting agent and main-contractor onboarding.
What does goods in transit cover for a plumber?
GIT covers items you are transporting in the course of your business — typically boilers, cylinders, copper, push-fit, bathroom suites and customer-supplied items. Cover is for accidental damage, theft and loss during loading, transit and unloading. Onsite's GIT cover is included on every van policy with no separate excess for the boiler itself, just the van excess.
How does Onsite compare to a broker like Direct Line or Simply Business for plumbers?
Onsite is structurally different. A broker sells you insurance and walks away. Onsite bundles your PL, tools, van and EL with a business bank account, accounting, expense tracking and CIS — all in one login. The insurance pricing is competitive against Direct Line and Simply Business for the same cover levels (we benchmark monthly), but the real saving is around 4–6 hours per week of admin you weren't being paid for.
Will Onsite cover me if I work on listed buildings or churches?
Yes, but you should pick the £5m PL tier and declare heritage work at quote time. Many listed-building specifiers require £5m PL, evidence of training in lead and historic materials, and a method statement on file. Onsite stores all of this on your dashboard so you don't have to re-send paperwork for every job.
Get your plumber insurance + bundle in 60 seconds
Real quotes from Admiral and our panel. Certificate of insurance, EL poster and schedule of cover land in your dashboard the same day.