Water goes where it shouldn’t.
Commercial insurance for plumbing contractors of any size: working out of a van, or out of a stores unit with engineers on the road.
Plumbing contractor insurance
Usually includes
Public liability
Employers’ liability
Premises & contents
Business interruption
Stock & materials
Tools, plant & equipment
One
conversation.
You explain the business once, and we take it from there.
Bespoke service
for your business
No two businesses are the same, so we start with yours rather than with a template.
Everything
quoted together.
The tools, the van, your liability and the work in progress, priced in one go rather than piece by piece.
Know your cover
What is plumbing contractor insurance?
Plumbing carries a risk most trades don’t: water. A joint that lets go overnight can do more damage to a building than almost anything else a tradesman is capable of, and it can happen weeks after you left. That’s the same whether you’re one man in a van or running a team of engineers. Cover for it comes as a commercial combined policy: property, liability and business interruption in one, with fleet alongside, sized to what you actually run.
Damage that spreads
Water doesn’t stay where it starts. A small leak upstairs becomes a big claim downstairs.
The people doing the work
Your own team and any subcontractors you bring in. Both have to be declared.
The days you can’t work
If your stores is out of action, the jobs stall and the money stops with them.
Who it’s for
Whatever you install.
✓
Sole trader plumbers
One van, domestic repairs and installation.
✓
Domestic plumbing firms
Bathrooms, kitchens and household systems.
✓
Commercial plumbing contractors
Offices, schools and commercial buildings.
✓
Contractors with a stores unit
Pipe, fittings and boilers held in stock, engineers loading out daily.
✓
Maintenance & reactive plumbers
Call-out and contract maintenance work.
✓
Bathroom installation specialists
Full bathroom fit-outs, often in occupied homes.
What we cover
Cover built around the way you work.
We get to know how you actually run before we build anything around it.
Public liability
Injury or damage arising from your work, including water damage after you’ve left.
Employers’ liability
Required by law as soon as you employ anyone, apprentice included.
Premises & contents
The stores, unit or office you work out of, and everything in it.
Business interruption
If your stores is out of action, jobs stall. This covers the trading you lose.
Stock & materials
Pipe, fittings, boilers and bathroom stock in the stores or the van.
Tools, plant & equipment
Power tools, press kit and equipment, in the van or on site.
Legal expenses
Contract disputes, employment matters and the cost of defending a claim.
Fleet
Vans on one fleet policy alongside the main cover.
Cyber & data
A payment diverted to someone posing as a subcontractor, and an attack on the office systems that hold your contracts and payroll.
Who this cover tends to suit.
This cover is generally bought by plumbing contractors at any size, from a sole trader with one van to a firm with a stores unit and engineers. Not every part will apply to every business, so tell us how you’re set up and we’ll show you what’s relevant rather than sell you cover you don’t need.
Worth knowing
Check the details before you choose.
Water damage after the job
Leaks can surface well after you’ve signed off and left.
Working in occupied homes
A leak in someone’s house while they live in it escalates quickly.
Hot works
Soldering and torch work gets looked at more closely.
Gas work
If you’re Gas Safe registered as well, tell us. It’s a different exposure.
Every system is different.
A tap washer and a commercial plant room don’t carry the same risk. We ask different questions, and we’ll quote both.
Plumbers
Plumbing contractors
Domestic plumbing
Bathroom installation
Commercial plumbing
Maintenance plumbing
Reactive call-out
Pipework
Plumbers
Plumbing contractors
Domestic plumbing
Bathroom installation
Commercial plumbing
Maintenance plumbing
Reactive call-out
Pipework
Underfloor heating
Water treatment
Drainage connections
Wet rooms
Boiler installation
Commercial plant rooms
Legionella control
Contract maintenance
Underfloor heating
Water treatment
Drainage connections
Wet rooms
Boiler installation
Commercial plant rooms
Legionella control
Contract maintenance
Why Vara
Bespoke service for you & your business,
without the big-firm minimum.
01
We ask what the engineers carry
Tools and materials in a van are rated differently from stock held in a stores, and the value on the road changes the premium. We ask what your engineers carry before we approach anyone.
02
Cover for water damage
The claim that most often catches plumbers out. We make sure it’s dealt with properly.
03
Certificates your contracts will accept
Agents and principals want proof before you start. We turn it round quickly.
04
We present the risk right
Work mix, hot works and claims history all change what you pay.
You talk to a person. The machines do the typing.
Free review of your plumbing cover and costs.
Cover spread across three or four policies? Leave your details and we’ll call you straight back. One conversation covers the lot.
What the review covers
Water damage claims often surface weeks after a job is signed off, and they’re usually larger than the job that caused them.
Gas Safe registration is a separate exposure from general plumbing work, so tell us if you hold it.
We approach insurers on our panel who write plumbing risks, and come back with what they’ll offer.
We explain each option in plain English, including what it doesn’t cover.
If it’s not a risk we can place, we’ll tell you straight away rather than leave you waiting.
No obligation to switch. You decide what fits.
Rather not wait? Call us on 0333 091 3663
Good to know
Plumbing questions, answered straight.
What insurance does a plumber need?
Am I covered if a leak causes damage after I've left?
Does soldering or torch work affect my cover?
I'm Gas Safe registered too. Does that matter?
Can my vans go on the same arrangement?
How is business interruption calculated?
Are my materials and stock covered, or just tools?
What does this cover if I lease my premises?
Vara Commercial Insurance · 0333 091 3663
Vara is a trading name of Koral AI Operating Company Limited. Vara is an appointed representative of Innovative Risk Labs Ltd, under Firm Reference Number 1060955. Innovative Risk Labs Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, under FRN 609155. We are registered in England and Wales under Registered Company Number 17256222. Registered office: 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF.