The Cover Note
Public liability insurance for builders, scaffolders and self-employed trades in Ireland
If you work on other people's property, a customer's house, a site, a shopfront, your insurance questions are different from those of a shop or an office. The price depends heavily on the trade. The cover limit is often set by the contract rather than by you. And a few conditions in the policy can matter more than the premium.
This post covers what trades pay, what sets the price, the limits that main contractors ask for, and what to have ready when you ask for a quote.
What public liability covers for a trade
Public liability insurance covers claims from a third party who is injured, or whose property is damaged, because of your work. That includes a client, a passer-by or a neighbour. It does not cover your own employees, who fall under employers' liability, and it does not cover your tools or van unless those are added.
Builders' and tradesmen's policies in Ireland are often sold as a package. Public liability and products liability sit alongside an optional employers' liability section. Tools, materials and van cover are usually extras.
Public liability is not required by law in Ireland. In practice it is close to required, because clients, main contractors and public bodies ask to see it before you start.
What trades pay
There is no single price. These are the published figures we found, with where they come from.
DigiCare, an independent broker, says public liability in Ireland starts from around €150 a year for a low-risk business, and that building trades start from about €500 a year.
OnlineTradesmen, a trade marketplace, published estimated annual premiums by trade in October 2025. Its figures are for standard public and employers' liability together:
Gardener or landscaper: €350 to €600
Painter or decorator: €400 to €700
Plasterer: €400 to €500
Tiler: €500 to €700
Handyman or maintenance: €500 to €800
Carpenter or joiner: €600 to €900
Electrician: €700 to €1,200
Plumber: €800 to €1,300
Builder: €1,000 to €1,300
Insulator or retrofit contractor: €1,200 to €1,600
Roofer: €1,500 to €1,800
Treat these as a guide to the order of magnitude and to which trades cost more, not as a quote. The OnlineTradesmen table is an estimate from a site that also sells insurance, and it is not a survey of premiums actually paid.
Scaffolding is the gap. We could not find a published premium range for scaffolding contractors in Ireland. Brokers who work in that area describe it as a specialist class that is priced individually. One Irish broker says insurance costs for scaffolding contractors "have been increasing for some time", and another calls roofing and scaffolding "among the highest-risk trades in the construction industry in Ireland". Expect a quote to depend on the details of the work.
What moves the price
Irish brokers and insurers list factors like these:
Your trade and the risk it carries. In the OnlineTradesmen table above, roofers and builders sit well above gardeners and painters.
Turnover or fee income.
The limit of indemnity you choose.
The excess you accept.
Whether employees are included, and how many.
How much work you pass to subcontractors, and whether they are labour-only.
Your claims history.
The limit: €2.6 million or €6.5 million
Irish tradesman policies are commonly offered with a public liability limit of €2.6 million or €6.5 million for any one claim. Some insurers list €2.5 million for the lower option. Employers' liability is typically offered at €13 million.
The limit you choose is often decided by who you work for. Some examples of what Irish organisations ask for:
University College Dublin's contractor insurance requirements say that, at a minimum, contractors will need public liability of €6.5 million and employers' liability of €13 million.
Safe Electric's certificate of insurance form says a public liability limit of €6.5 million is generally considered the industry standard by most insurers and the minimum it is prepared to accept.
The Safe Electric form also flags "inner limits". Some policies carry a lower limit for certain kinds of claim, which can fall below what a contract asks for even when the headline figure looks right. If a contract asks for proof of cover, read the schedule for sub-limits as well as the main limit.
Conditions that catch people out
Tradesman policies come with conditions that can matter as much as the price. They differ by insurer, so read them in the policy wording. Common ones:
Limits on how much you can pay to subcontractors, and whether they are labour-only.
Limits on higher-risk work such as hot work or work at height.
Some online products only quote you if you meet criteria such as never having been declined or cancelled by an insurer, or having no recent claims.
For scaffolding, one Irish scheme advertises cover that can be arranged without height or depth limits, which suggests that some policies do apply them. Check whether yours does.
These conditions sit in the policy wording, not in the headline price, so read them before you rely on any advertised price.
Self-employed and working alone
A sole trader with no employees can buy public liability on its own. Employers' liability covers injuries to your employees, so it comes into play once you have staff.
Some tradesman products are limited by size. One Irish comparison site (PaddyCompare) says a tradesman policy typically suits trade businesses with turnover up to €750,000 and up to eight employees.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Have these to hand, because every quote starts from them:
The exact work you do, including any work at height, roofing, hot work or work on occupied buildings.
Your turnover for the last year and your estimate for the next.
The number of employees, and any subcontractors with what you paid them.
The limit your main contractor, client or tender asks for.
Your claims history, and whether you have ever been declined or had a policy cancelled.
Whether you need employers' liability, tools, materials or van cover alongside.
Ask for the policy schedule and wording as well as the price, so that limits, sub-limits and conditions can be compared like for like.