Public liability and tool cover review before winter

Most trades buy cover once and renew it without reading it. Then a van is broken into, and the policy turns out not to cover tools left in it overnight.

An hour with your documents now costs nothing. The same hour after a theft is spent finding out what you are not getting back.

This is a list of things to check and questions to ask. It is not advice on which policy to buy. Your insurer or broker can answer for your own situation.

• Tool cover: check the overnight rules, the single-item limit and the excess.
• Public liability: check the limit matches the jobs and sites you work on.
• Employers' liability: normally required by law if you employ anyone.
• Hired-in kit: check who covers it while you have it.
• Keep a list of your tools with photos, serial numbers and receipts.

The wording matters more than the headline figure. Look for:

• Overnight: are tools covered in the van overnight? Many policies exclude it, or cover it only if the van is locked, alarmed or parked in a particular way.
• Security conditions: any locks, alarms or storage the policy requires. If you do not meet them, a claim can be refused.
• Single-item limit: the most they pay for one tool. An expensive tool can be worth more than the limit.
• Excess: what you pay on each claim. A £500 excess on a £600 loss is not much cover.
• New for old: whether they pay for a new replacement or take off wear and tear.
• Total sum insured: add up what it would cost to replace everything today, not what you paid.

Public liability cover is not a legal requirement. It covers the claim that could finish a small business: damage to a customer's property, or an injury to someone because of your work.

Check three things.

• The limit. Commercial sites, councils and letting agents often ask for a set minimum before you can start.
• The work covered. If you have added a service since you bought the policy, such as work at height or hot works, make sure it is listed.
• The proof. Keep the certificate on your phone. Customers and site managers ask for it.

If you employ anyone, even part-time or casually, employers' liability cover is a legal requirement in most cases.

That can include a labourer you direct and pay by the day. If you use help, ask your insurer whether they count.

There are fines for not having it. Do not guess on this one.

• Hired kit: if you hire a mixer, a tower or a digger, the hire firm usually holds you responsible for it. Check whether your policy covers hired-in plant, or whether you need the hire firm's own damage waiver.
• Loss of earnings: if the van and tools go, how long could you go without working? Some policies cover lost income or the cost of hiring replacements. Many do not.
• The van itself: tools are usually not covered by the van policy. Check, do not assume.
• Materials: stock in the van or on site may need its own cover.

A claim needs proof that you owned what was taken.

Photograph every tool, note the serial numbers and keep the receipts. Store all of it somewhere that is not the van.

Mark your tools. It will not stop a theft, but it helps the police and makes the tools harder to sell on.

Then do the simple things: take the expensive kit indoors overnight, and park with the doors against a wall where you can.

• Find every policy and read the tool section.
• List your tools with replacement values and photos.
• Ring your insurer or broker with the questions below.
• Put your renewal dates in your calendar, a month ahead.

Questions to ask your insurer or broker:

Are my tools covered in the van overnight, and under what conditions? What is the single-item limit, and what is the excess? Is the cover new for old? Am I covered for hired-in plant? Does my public liability cover all the work I do now, including [new service]? Do I need employers' liability for the help I use?