Plumbers Insurance

Tools & Equipment Insurance, often called General Property Insurance, can help cover insured portable tools and equipment used for your plumbing work, subject to the policy wording.

For plumbers, this may include gear carried between jobs in utes, vans, trailers, site boxes, storage sheds or temporary work areas.

Typical insured items may include:

• B-press tools and power tools
• Hand tools
• Drain cameras and inspection equipment
• Hydro jetters and water jetting equipment
• Pipe locators
• Pressure testers
• Testing and diagnostic equipment
• Tools stored in vehicles, trailers, sheds or on site
• Open-air theft extensions, where available

Commonly considered by plumbers carrying mobile tools, specialist plumbing equipment or high-value gear between jobs.

Commercial Vehicle Insurance can help cover work vehicles used to move tools, trailers, materials, workers, and mobile equipment between jobs.

For plumbing businesses, this may include utes, vans, trucks, trailers, mounted jetters, and vehicles used across public roads, job sites, and access tracks.

Cover can be structured for:

• Work utes, vans, trucks, and trailers
• Vehicles used for site access and daily job travel
• Toolboxes, mounted equipment, and fixed accessories
• Windscreen cover where available
• Hire vehicle options while repairs are completed
• Finance or lease requirements
• Adding or removing vehicles as the business changes

Commonly taken out by: plumbing businesses that rely on vehicles to keep jobs moving.

Personal Accident & Illness Insurance may help provide financial support if you are unable to work due to an accident or illness, subject to the policy terms, conditions, waiting periods, benefit periods and exclusions.

This can be relevant for sole traders, working directors and small plumbing business owners who may not be covered under workers compensation for their own injury or illness, depending on their business structure and circumstances.

Cover may include:

• Weekly benefit payments while you recover
• Lump sum benefits for serious injury, permanent injury or death
• Medical, rehabilitation or hospital benefits, where available
• Cover outside work hours, depending on the policy

Commonly considered by sole traders, working owners and contractors who rely on their ability to work.

Workers Compensation Insurance is generally required when a business employs workers. Requirements vary by state and territory, so the right cover depends on where your workers are based, your workforce structure, and the types of workers you use.

We can help arrange Workers Compensation Insurance in Western Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

For New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, we can provide general guidance only, as workers compensation is managed through state-based schemes and requirements. Each state and territory has its own workers compensation authority or regulator.

We may be able to help with:

• Workers Compensation setup and renewals in WA, TAS, ACT and NT
• Wage estimates and annual declarations
• Worker classification, including apprentices, casuals and working directors
• Subcontractor and labour hire considerations
• Claims lodgement support
• Return-to-work coordination
• Insurer and scheme paperwork
• If past claims have increased your premium, we can review your history and support renewal discussions where this is available under the relevant state or territory scheme.

Commonly used by: Plumbing businesses with employees, apprentices, working directors, subcontractor arrangements or labour hire exposure.

Contract Works Insurance can help cover insured contract works during the construction period, including certain materials and project-related property before handover, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

For plumbers, this may be relevant when working under fixed-price contracts, staged works, commercial fit-outs, multi-unit developments, civil plumbing packages or larger installation projects.

Cover may apply to:

• Plumbing works during construction
• Materials intended to form part of the works
• Theft, storm, fire, vandalism or accidental damage during the job
• Annual or project-specific cover
• Larger fit-outs, infrastructure works and staged projects

This cover may be required by builders, principals, councils or project contracts.

Contract requirements should be reviewed carefully, as responsibility for contract works cover can vary between the builder, principal, head contractor and subcontractors.

Commonly considered by plumbing contractors taking on fixed-scope, staged or higher-value works before handover.

Professional Indemnity Insurance may help cover certain claims alleging financial loss caused by professional advice, reports, design input, documentation, certification or other professional services, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

This may be relevant if your plumbing business provides more than installation labour.

You may need to consider this cover if you:

• Issue compliance reports
• Provide inspections, reports or technical advice
• Provide design input or recommendations
• Sign off on installations or certify works
• Advise on drainage, water pressure, system design or site compliance
• Work on council, government, health, education or commercial projects
• Tender for jobs where Professional Indemnity cover is specified

Commonly considered by plumbing businesses that provide advice, reporting, certification, design input, inspections or technical sign-offs.

Business Package Insurance brings several common business covers together under one policy structure. This may make it easier to manage property, liability, business interruption and other business risks under one arrangement.

For plumbers, a Business Package may include:

• Public and Products Liability
• General Property cover for tools and equipment
• Property cover for workshops, depots or storage areas
• Theft and vandalism cover
• Business Interruption cover following an insured event
• Transit cover for materials and equipment, where available
• Optional extensions, depending on insurer appetite and policy wording

Commonly considered by plumbing businesses with tools, vehicles, workshops, storage areas, crews or multiple active jobs.

Contractor Plant & Machinery Insurance can help cover eligible mobile plant and machinery used for excavation, drainage, trenching, civil works and larger plumbing projects, subject to insurer acceptance and the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

This may include owned, hired or leased machinery, depending on the item, usage, value and hire or finance arrangements.

Cover may be structured for:

• Excavators
• Trenchers
• Skid steers
• Vacuum units
• Directional drilling equipment
• Hired-in plant
• Wet hire and dry hire arrangements
• Accidental damage, fire, theft and malicious damage
• Breakdown and recovery options, where available
• Road risk and public liability extensions, where relevant
• Finance gap cover, where available

Commonly considered by plumbers using plant, machinery, hired equipment or civil plumbing gear.

Motor Fleet Insurance may suit plumbing businesses with multiple vehicles. Instead of managing separate vehicle policies, fleet cover can bring eligible vehicles under one program, subject to insurer acceptance and the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

Cover may include:

• Comprehensive or third-party property damage options
• Owned, leased or financed vehicles
• Utes, vans, trucks, trailers and support vehicles
• Windscreen cover, where available
• Downtime and hire vehicle options, where available
• Automatic additions and removals within agreed limits
• Tools or equipment in transit extensions, where available

Commonly considered by plumbing businesses running multiple vehicles across crews, jobs and locations.

Directors & Officers Insurance may help protect company directors, officers and senior decision-makers from certain claims or investigations alleging wrongful acts in the management of the business, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

This is separate from day-to-day operational plumbing risks, which are usually considered under covers such as Public Liability, Contract Works, Workers Compensation or Commercial Motor.

This cover may become more relevant as your business grows, takes on larger projects, appoints multiple directors or senior managers, or manages staff, subcontractors, creditors and compliance obligations.

Cover can include:

• Claims against directors or officers for alleged wrongful acts in their official capacity
• Legal defence costs connected with covered claims or investigations
• Mismanagement, breach of duty or governance-related allegations
• Shareholder, creditor or insolvency-related claims
• Regulatory investigations or proceedings, where covered by the policy
• Employment practices liability extensions, where available
• Certain fines, penalties or compensation amounts, only where legally insurable and covered by the policy

Commonly considered by incorporated plumbing businesses with directors, senior managers, larger contracts, staff, subcontractors, creditors or more complex management responsibilities.

Management Liability Insurance may help protect your business, and the people who run it, from certain claims, investigations or disputes relating to the management of the business, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

As your plumbing business grows, so can your exposure to risks that sit beyond day-to-day plumbing operations. Claims or investigations may arise from staff management, regulatory obligations, alleged wrongful acts, internal fraud, or decisions made by directors, officers or managers.

Your policy may be structured to include:

• Employment Practices Liability, such as unfair dismissal, discrimination, bullying or harassment claims
• Statutory Liability, including certain regulatory investigations, defence costs, fines or penalties where legally insurable and covered by the policy
• Crime cover for certain internal or external fraud, theft or dishonesty
• Tax audit and regulatory investigation costs, where available

This cover is commonly considered by plumbing businesses with payroll obligations, employees, subcontractor oversight, multiple directors, senior managers or commercial contracts, where leadership decisions and business processes may come under greater scrutiny.

Tax Audit Insurance can help cover specified professional fees if your plumbing business is audited, reviewed or investigated by the ATO or another revenue authority, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

It may respond to professional costs linked to:

• ATO audits
• BAS reviews
• Payroll tax reviews
• Superannuation guarantee reviews
• Income tax reviews
• Workers Compensation or WorkCover-related audits, where included

Tax Audit Insurance generally responds to eligible professional fees, not the tax payable, shortfall amounts, fines or penalties themselves, unless specifically covered by the policy.

Commonly considered by plumbing businesses with employees, subcontractors, payroll obligations or more complex reporting.

Cyber Insurance can help cover certain financial, operational and liability impacts of cyber incidents, such as phishing, ransomware, data breaches, invoice scams or business email compromise, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

This may be relevant for plumbing businesses using cloud quoting software, email invoicing, online banking, customer records, payroll systems or job management platforms.

Cover may include:

• Cyber incident response costs
• Data restoration and system recovery costs
• Business interruption following a covered cyber event
• Legal, forensic and notification costs
• Ransomware and phishing response costs, where covered
• Cyber crime or fraudulent payment losses, where available
• Third-party liability for exposed client, employee or contractor data

Cyber crime, invoice fraud and funds transfer losses should be reviewed carefully, as cover can vary depending on the policy, security controls, verification processes and how the loss occurred.

Commonly considered by plumbing businesses using digital systems to manage quotes, invoices, staff, suppliers and customers.