Roofer insurance, banking and accounting — built into one app.
Roofers carry the highest insurance risk of any UK trade. The HSE attends fall incidents disproportionately. PL premiums are higher than any other building trade. Onsite gives roofers a properly underwritten bundle — £5m or £10m PL, working-at-height cover, tools, EL and CIS — without the broker shuffle and £400 admin fees.
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What insurance does a UK roofer actually need?
Roofing sits inside the Work at Height Regulations 2005 — every step on a roof is a regulated activity. The HSE attends roofing falls more than any other UK construction sub-trade. Insurance underwriters treat the trade differently, and your policy wording matters.
- Employers' liability — legally compulsory. Required from your first labourer. Roofing EL premiums are higher than ground trades because of fall risk. £10m of cover. Labourer training records — working at height, manual handling, asbestos awareness — must be on file.
- Public liability — £5m minimum, £10m standard. Domestic re-roof: £5m. New build and commercial: £10m. Listed buildings, churches and heritage work: £10m and a heritage endorsement. The premium gap between £5m and £10m is usually £6-12/mo, almost always worth it.
- Working at Height Regulations 2005. Your PL underwriter expects evidence of compliance — risk assessments, method statements, scaffold/MEWP/harness selection, competent supervision. Onsite stores RAMS, scaffold certs and harness inspection logs on your dashboard.
- Asbestos awareness — UKATA / IATP. Pre-2000 roofs frequently contain asbestos (cement, insulation board, sprayed coatings). UKATA / IATP awareness training is required for almost all roofing work. PL claims defence depends on evidence the trained person was on site.
- Heritage work — Slating & Tiling NVQ Level 3. Listed buildings require evidence of heritage competence. NFRC, IoR or Heritage Roofing Forum membership help. Onsite stores all relevant certs and shares them automatically with conservation officers and architects.
Every cover a UK roofer 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 roofer 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 roofer insurance with Onsite
Four steps. Two minutes. Certificate same day.
Tell us what you roof
Domestic re-roof, new build, listed/heritage, commercial flat roof, or mixed. We pre-fill the right risk class and ask the right method-of-work questions.
Pick your cover levels
£2m, £5m or £10m PL; tools; van; EL with labourer count. Working-at-height endorsement toggles automatically for roofing.
Get a quote in 60 seconds
Admiral and panel underwriters quote instantly. Method-of-work answers (scaffold, MEWP, fall arrest) feed straight to underwriting so the premium reflects your actual safety practice.
Bind it and get your certificates
PL, EL and heritage/working-at-height endorsements appear in your dashboard. Main-contractor- and conservation-officer-ready. Auto-renewal.
Real roofer 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 roofers
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 roofer should price into a policy
These are the bits a generic broker policy gets wrong. Onsite quotes around them on purpose.
Work at Height Regulations 2005
Every roof step is regulated. PL claim defence depends on documented compliance: collective fall protection first (scaffold, MEWP), personal fall arrest as a fallback. Onsite stores your RAMS, scaffold tags, harness inspections and competent-person records.
HSE attendance and the NFRC framework
The HSE attends roofing falls disproportionately. Notifiable incidents under RIDDOR (any fall over 2m causing injury) must be reported within 10 days. Onsite tracks RIDDOR-reportable thresholds and prompts the report.
Asbestos cement, insulation board and sprayed coatings
Pre-2000 UK roofs contain asbestos materials in many forms. CAR (Control of Asbestos Regulations) 2012 requires awareness training as a minimum and HSE-licensed contractors for higher-risk work. Onsite asks the question at quote time.
Lead Work Regulations and Code of Practice
Lead flashing, valleys and detailing are skilled work. Lead Sheet Training Academy (LSTA) qualifications and the Lead Sheet Manual are the recognised standards. Heritage and listed-building underwriters specifically ask for evidence.
Scaffold tag inspections and competent-person records
Scaffold must be inspected on first use, at 7-day intervals, and after any change. PL claim defence after a scaffold-related incident hinges on these inspection records. Onsite stores them digitally.
Transparent pricing — no broker fees, no admin uplift
Below are the standard monthly starting points for roofers 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 roofer | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public liability insurance | from £22/mo | £22 – £66/mo | £2m, £5m or £10m. Working at height included as standard. Falls, dropped tools, slipped tiles, neighbour damage and rain… |
| Tools insurance | from £10/mo | £10 – £30/mo | Up to £10,000 new-for-old. Includes slate cutters, nail guns, harnesses, hand-tools, lead-working kit and roof-window ji… |
| Van insurance | from £55/mo | £55 – £165/mo | Goods in transit for tiles, slates, lead, felt and roof windows. UK and EU cover. Multi-van discount. Powered by Admiral… |
| Employer's liability | from £22/mo | £22 – £66/mo | £10m of cover. Labourer, apprentice, CIS subbie. Roofing EL premiums are higher than ground trades — Onsite shows you wh… |
| Professional indemnity | from £22/mo | £22 – £66/mo | Covers design errors on roof specifications, NHBC and warranty sign-off, and post-completion leak claims. Most useful fo… |
Roofers insurance — frequently asked questions
The 12 questions UK roofers 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 roofers need insurance by law?
Employers' liability is legally compulsory the moment you pay a labourer or CIS subbie. Public liability isn't strictly required by law but is contractually required by every UK main contractor, almost every domestic re-roof customer, and every heritage and listed-building specifier. Van insurance is legally required to drive.
How much does roofer insurance cost per month in the UK?
Self-employed UK roofers typically pay £22–£60/mo for £5m public liability (higher than most trades because of working-at-height exposure), £10/mo for tools, £55/mo+ for van, and £22/mo+ for employers' liability. Bundled through Onsite, all-in for the standard roofer bundle is £130–£200/mo, around £500-£800/yr cheaper than buying covers separately.
Why is roofer PL more expensive than other trades?
Fall claims, dropped-tool claims and water-ingress claims are the three highest-cost claim types in UK construction PL, and roofers see all three more than other trades. The HSE also attends roofing incidents disproportionately, which increases legal-cost exposure. Onsite's underwriters price the risk fairly — and reduce premiums for documented training (UKATA, LSTA, NFRC) and modern fall-arrest practice.
Does my PL cover work on listed buildings and churches?
Yes — pick the £5m or £10m tier and declare heritage work at quote time. Most listed-building specifiers require £10m PL, heritage competence evidence (NFRC, IoR, LSTA), and method statements specific to the listed fabric. Onsite stores all of this on your dashboard.
What about working-at-height cover specifically?
Working at height is included as standard on every Onsite roofer policy — it would be useless without it. The standard policy assumes scaffold or MEWP as the primary fall protection with harness as backup. If you work harness-only on pitched roofs over 2m, declare it at quote time so the underwriter prices accordingly.
Are my harnesses, slate cutters and nail guns covered if stolen?
Yes — included on the standard tools policy up to £10,000 new-for-old. Harnesses are replaced with current LOLER-certified equivalents and the replacement harness inspection fee is paid by the policy.
Do I need professional indemnity as a roofer?
If you specify the roof build-up (insulation, breathable membrane, batten gauge), sign off NHBC or LABC warranties, or work as a heritage specifier signing conservation method statements, yes — PI defends the design decision. Domestic re-roofers working to a specifier's drawings can usually skip it.
How does Onsite handle CIS for roofers?
Onsite Accounting (£39/mo) registers you as a CIS contractor, verifies each subbie with HMRC, deducts the right percentage (0%/20%/30%) on each bank payment, files the monthly contractor return, and applies for gross payment status when you qualify.
Does Onsite cover asbestos work on old roofs?
Yes for non-licensed work (asbestos cement removal under CAR 2012 with UKATA training). Licensed work (sprayed coatings, lagging) requires a HSE-licensed contractor and isn't covered under a standard roofer policy — Onsite refers you to a specialist if your job needs it.
What happens after I report a RIDDOR-notifiable fall?
Report to HSE within 10 days (Onsite prompts you and stores the F2508). Notify Onsite immediately so we can open the claim file early; HSE investigations move faster than PL settlements and your defence is stronger if both run in parallel.
Can Onsite cover a small roofing firm with 4-6 labourers?
Yes. Onsite scales from sole trader to small contractor (up to ~15 workers) under one PL/EL bundle. CIS handling, expense tracking and banking all scale with you. For 15+ workers we'll move you to the Onsite Pro tier or refer you to an Admiral commercial broker.
How does Onsite compare to NFRC's broker scheme for roofers?
NFRC's scheme (currently with Aon-administered options) gives roofers competitive premiums plus discount on tools and training. Onsite is competitive on premium pricing (we benchmark monthly) and adds business banking, accounting, CIS handling and an AI assistant. NFRC membership remains valuable separately — Onsite recognises it for premium discount.
Get your roofer 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.