Insurance for Roofers

Roofing is the trade where the weather is part of the job. A roof that is open when a storm arrives can put water through a ceiling, a kitchen and everything in it, and the bill has nothing to do with the size of the job you quoted. Add working at height every day and the consequences of a bad afternoon get large quickly.

We arrange insurance for roofing contractors, from sole traders to companies running several crews across new roofs, re-roofing, repairs and guttering. We take the time to understand the work you take on, the heights you work at and how you make a roof safe overnight, compare options across the market, and stand beside you if you need to make a claim.

Key covers to consider

• Public and Products Liability: injury or property damage caused by your work, including water entering a building while the roof is open
• Business Pack: your yard or shed, plus contents, sheeting and materials
• General Property and Tools: harnesses and fall-arrest gear, ladders, compressors and nail guns, and roof-safety rails away from your premises. Cover can often extend to tools stolen from a locked vehicle or job site, which is worth checking in your wording before you rely on it.
• Commercial Motor: utes, vans, tippers and trailers carrying sheeting and gear between sites
• Contract Works / Construction: the work itself while it is under way, including materials on site, up to handover
• Workers Compensation: compulsory cover for businesses with employees and apprentices
• Management Liability: employment disputes, OH&S, and claims against the business and its owners and managers for alleged mismanagement
• Cyber Liability: quoting, invoicing and payment systems, and the client details you hold
• Personal Accident and Sickness: income while you are off the tools from an injury or illness, and is often mandatory protection for sole traders who are not eligible for workers compensation

Common questions

Does public liability cover faulty or defective work?

Public liability covers injury, and damage your work causes to other property, such as a fire that damages a client's building. The cost of going back and redoing your own faulty or defective work is usually excluded. This is commonly known as the Faulty Workmanship exclusion, and knowing where that line sits is part of what we talk through when we set the policy up.

Rain got in while the roof was open. Is that covered?

It depends on what was damaged and on how the roof was left. Public liability can respond to damage to the building and its contents where you were negligent, and contract works can respond to the work itself while a job is under way. Both look closely at what you did to make the roof safe before you left, so keeping a record of how you cover up is worth the trouble.

Does working at height, or using torch-on, change what I can get?

Both are questions insurers ask rather than automatic barriers. Heights affect how the risk is rated, and hot work such as torch-on membrane is often subject to conditions about what you do before and after you finish for the day. Tell us if you do either and we will make sure the policy has been told, rather than finding out at claim time.

Do I need Home Warranty / Home Building Compensation cover?

This applies to residential work you contract directly with the owner above your state's threshold, such as extensions, garages, fences or retaining walls. It must be in place before work starts. It is compulsory for any residential building or renovation work valued over $20,000 (including GST) in New South Wales.

Do I have to use Dial Before You Dig?

Almost all policies include an exclusion for the damage to pipes and cables when you do not seek appropriate evidence or check that there are pipes or cables below. You should always check before you dig.

Do I Need Professional Indemnity insurance?

Trades industries are becoming more regulated. When a tradesman provides reports, surveys, designs, testing, or certifications, you may leave yourself exposed should a problem arise following your advice. You should always consider your services provided.

How Much Public & Products Liability Cover Do I Need?

It depends on the work you do and who you do it for. Many head contractors, councils, property managers and commercial sites set a minimum amount in their contracts before you can start. If you lease your premises, your lease will usually set a minimum level of public liability you must hold as a tenant, and often asks for the landlord to be noted on your policy. So check your contracts, your lease and any tender or site requirements first. Also think about the worst injury or property damage your work could realistically cause.

Cover level	When it's usually needed
$5 million	Small or hobby-sized businesses with lower-risk work, few or no visitors to their premises, and no lease or contract asking for more.
$10 million	Suits most trades and businesses working on client premises or dealing with the public. Often the minimum set by commercial leases, markets and event organisers, and many subcontract agreements.
$20 million	Suits higher-risk work such as specialist trades, construction, mining, transport operators, or working at heights. Often required by head contractors, government bodies, councils, shopping centres, mine sites and larger commercial clients.

We'll look at your contracts, your lease and your work, and help you choose a limit that fits.

Talk to a broker who knows roofing

Tell us about your business and we'll do the comparing, the paperwork and the advocating.

Request a quote for your roofing business