Do I Need My Own Self Build Insurance?

13 July 2021
by Karen Humphreys

I am a self-builder of a single-storey house with a builder who will build and project manage the build.

Should I take out insurance? At present I only have a Public Liability insurance in place for myself as an owner.

The builder is suggesting a 'joint-names policy'??

Do I need some sort of insurance myself in case he couldn't finish the work?

Thank you
Karen Humphreys

One Answer

  1. Chris says:

    Hi Karen,

    I’d strongly recommend that you look into securing your owns specific Self-Build Insurance policy through a recognised provider such as Self-Build Zone or Protek. In the grand scheme of your project budget, this will be a relatively modest investment but will protect you should things go awry.

    Public liability insurance is a start, but it won’t cover all your potential risks on a site like a fully-fledged self build insurance policy.

    Similarly, relying on the builder’s own insurance could open you up to extra risk. This issue has been highlighted by a recent case we’ve heard about, where the owner of a loft conversion project found themselves uninsured when their house was catastrophically damaged during the works. The builder had a court judgement against them for unpaid parking fines… which invalidated the builder’s insurance… and the homeowner hadn’t arranged their own policy. As a result, they were left with a whopping repair bill.

    So, while it’s not mandatory, I would always strongly advise self builders to arrange specific insurance cover for their projects.

    Best wishes,

    Chris (editor, Build It)

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