Business insurance for multiple trades and activities

The options depend on the provider and work involved. Separate arrangements may sometimes be relevant; one policy is not guaranteed to be available or cheaper.

Keep three checks distinct:

• Which activities does the insurer agree to cover?
• Which insurance types are selected?
• What limits, conditions and restrictions apply?

Cover for plumbing and tiling does not itself insure every tool or project. The tradesperson insurance guide explains package choices.

Several trades within one business are different from several separate businesses. Check which business or businesses the policy names. Shared ownership or trading names do not automatically include every person or company.

A trade label helps identify your business, but it may leave out tasks, methods or responsibilities. A broad policy description does not have to list every task word for word. A familiar label does not guarantee every related service is included.

Include services you agree to deliver even where someone else performs them. Describe regular, occasional and subcontracted work. Include where and how the work is done and the responsibility you take on.

If a form cannot describe the combination accurately, ask the provider how to proceed. Do not leave out tasks or choose an inaccurate category just to complete the form. A dropdown option, completed form or quote reference does not confirm the work actually insured.

Copy this worksheet into your own records. Add a row for each main, secondary or occasional activity and fill in the details. It prepares a provider discussion; do not send it to Clearcut as an application or change request.

Activity and tasks	Methods and setting	Who does the work and what have you agreed to deliver?	Questions to resolve

Record activity-split figures separately. An activity split is the share of work measured in the way the insurer requests, such as turnover, fee income, time or workforce pay.

1. Ask which measure to use.
2. Follow the requested categories and period.
3. Label estimates and actual figures clearly.
4. Ask how to handle categories or calculations that do not fit your records. Do not guess percentages or count the same work twice.

There is no standard percentage split for every policy. An occasional service is not automatically included or irrelevant because it generates little income. Describe it and ask how it should be recorded.

These fictional examples show questions to ask, not accepted trade lists or recommended policies.

Example: plumbing and bathroom fitting

A business installs pipework and bathroom fittings such as toilets and basins, removes existing fittings and undertakes tiling in customers’ homes. It should explain who does each task, the methods used and what it promises to deliver.

If electrical, gas, structural, waterproofing or design responsibilities are also part of the actual job, describe those separately. Ask whether the proposed business description includes the tasks and responsibilities, what restrictions apply and what further information is needed. The bathroom-fitting label does not confirm cover. Specialist-work requirements need separate checking.

Example: gardening and landscaping

A business carries out routine garden maintenance and also installs paving and fencing. It should describe those activities separately, including relevant machinery, sites and methods.

If excavation, retaining structures, tree work or design are involved, explain the actual work. Ask how to record the combination. Are paving, fencing, excavation and any other actual tasks covered, and which conditions apply?

Describe the following where relevant:

• materials, methods and specialist operations;
• property types, sites and work locations;
• work at height or depth;
• design, specification, advice and structural responsibilities.

Ask about the particular terms rather than relying on a generic list of excluded work. Qualifications and experience do not themselves establish insurance cover, and insurance does not authorise regulated work.

Who performs the work and who takes responsibility?

Describe work by your own team, temporary help and subcontractors. If you agree to deliver an outcome but subcontract a task, explain that responsibility rather than automatically removing the task from your activity list.

For detailed relationship checks, use the labour-only vs bona fide subcontractor guide. Check your own responsibility for subcontracted services; someone else’s policy does not automatically remove it.

Not automatically. Tools, projects and hired machinery need separate checks against the selected insurance sections.

Check the activities and definitions under each selected section. Agreement to cover work under one liability section does not prove the same work is insured under another.

Subject	Relevant guide	What to check
Tools	Tool insurance	Items, owners, locations, theft events and limits.
Works and materials	Contract works insurance	Insured work/materials, existing-property and defective-work restrictions; public liability is not automatically project cover.
Hired machinery	Hired-in plant insurance	Equipment interests and hire-contract responsibilities.

Liability, professional services, people and property can involve different sections. Check whether trades share a limit; do not assume each has a separate full allowance. Look for smaller limits on particular claims and relevant exclusions too.

When arranging business insurance, fair presentation can require more than answering application questions. Disclose material information your business knows or ought to know. Ask the insurer or broker if you are unsure what to provide.

Ask the provider:

1. Which business is insured?
2. Are all these tasks covered, including occasional and subcontracted services?
3. How should the work and agreed responsibilities be recorded?
4. Which methods, locations, restrictions or endorsements apply?
5. Which insurance sections are selected, with what payment limits and conditions?
6. What must the business contribute to a claim (the excess)where required?
7. What information or agreement is still needed, and when would cover take effect?

You could write:

We carry out [tasks] in [work settings], using [methods] and taking responsibility for [services/outcomes]. Our activity split is [requested basis and period]. How should this combination be recorded? Which work and insurance sections are covered? What restrictions apply?

Read the schedule, wording, definitions and endorsements together. Ask which terms apply if they conflict. For unresolved summary details, record “not stated; ask”, save the written answer and identify any document change still required.

A request, quote or receipt is not necessarily agreement. Confirm acceptance with a provider authorised to agree it, including the terms, effective date, outstanding conditions and required updated documents. A certificate alone does not establish the full scope.

List the new tasks and planned start date. Check the policy’s reporting terms, contact the provider and confirm the agreed cover before relying on the existing description. Do not default to waiting until renewal.

If work has already happened, explain the facts and dates honestly. Do not assume the insurer will cover the new work from an earlier date.

Information needed to arrange, renew or vary cover and ongoing reporting conditions are different checks. The business-changes guide explains the process and relevant consequences.

For a known incident or allegation, promptly follow the policy’s required claims contact, method, information and timing; see the claims-reporting guide. Do not assume a change request or new quote request satisfies those requirements or establishes cover for a known loss.