Builders Insurance from £9.50/month

Builders insurance — sole trader, limited company and principal contractor cover

Builders insurance is one of the broadest trade-cover requirements in the market: you need public liability up to £10m, employers' liability for staff and labour-only sub-contractors, contract works for the structures in progress, plant cover for own and hired-in machinery, tools cover, professional indemnity for design-and-build, and (for principal contractors) JCT-required cover including non-negligent damage to surrounding property. Premier Insurance has insured builders since 1983 across new-build, refurbishment, basement, loft conversion and full structural extension work.

Builders insurance cover

• Public liability £2m–£10m with underground services cover
• Employers' liability £10m including labour-only sub-contractors
• Contract works / contractors all risks — typically £100k–£2m per contract
• Own plant and hired-in plant
• Tools cover
• Professional indemnity for design-and-build work
• JCT 6.5.1 non-negligent damage for principal contractor work
• Goods in transit for materials

Typical builders insurance pricing in 2026

• Sole-trader general builder (small refurb only): £45.00–£95.00/mo with £2m PL
• Limited company general builder (5 staff, £500k turnover): £180.00–£385.00/mo
• Loft / basement / extension specialist: £220.00–£480.00/mo with £5m PL
• Principal contractor on £1m+ JCT projects: £550.00–£1,500.00/mo (PI £100–£400/mo on top)
• New-build housing developer: specialist market — typically £2k/mo+

The basement / underpinning rating loading

Any structural work involving basement excavation, underpinning, party-wall work or significant ground engineering is treated by insurers as a separate, higher-rated trade. Standard builders policies often exclude this work entirely. If you do basement or underpinning work — even occasionally — you need either a specialist endorsement or a dedicated structural-engineer wording. We have access to the Lloyd's basement markets for exactly this purpose.

For a builders quote, call 020 8908 2426.