Waterproofing Insurance

Professional Indemnity Insurance may be relevant if your waterproofing business provides design advice, specification advice, inspection reports, consulting, defect assessments, scope recommendations or written professional opinions.

Not every waterproofer needs Professional Indemnity Insurance. It may become more relevant where your advice, report, specification or recommendation could later be challenged as incorrect, incomplete or negligent.

You may need to consider this cover if you:

• prepare waterproofing specifications or scope documents
• provide written defect assessments
• advise builders, owners or strata managers on waterproofing systems
• inspect failed waterproofing and provide reports
• recommend membrane systems or remediation methods
• provide design input for balconies, rooftops, wet areas or basements

Depending on the policy, cover may respond to:

• legal defence costs for covered claims
• claims alleging breach of professional duty
• claims relating to advice, reports, specifications or documentation
• past work where retroactive cover applies and is included in the policy

Professional Indemnity Insurance is often separate from Public Liability Insurance. Public Liability generally responds to covered third-party injury or property damage claims, while Professional Indemnity may respond to claims linked to professional advice, reports, specifications or other professional services.

Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions, retroactive date and insurer acceptance.

Tools & Equipment Insurance, also known as General Property Insurance, may help cover insured tools and portable equipment used in your waterproofing business, subject to the policy wording.

Waterproofing contractors often carry specialised equipment and materials between sites. Theft or accidental damage involving key tools can delay work and create unexpected costs.

Small Contractors (1–5 Employees)

For small waterproofing contractors, this cover may help protect insured tools and portable items stored in vehicles, trailers, depots or on site, subject to policy conditions, storage requirements and exclusions.

Covered items may include:

• Spray equipment
• Mixers and application tools
• Heat guns and welding tools
• Moisture meters and testing equipment
• Grinders, drills and preparation tools
• Hand tools and power tools
• Portable access equipment, where accepted by the insurer

Plasterers should check item limits, storage conditions, overnight vehicle restrictions, proof of ownership requirements, excesses and whether evidence of forcible entry is required.

Larger Contractors

For larger waterproofing businesses, Tools & Equipment cover may be structured around multiple crews, vehicle setups, storage locations and scheduled equipment.

Cover may be arranged for:

• multiple tool kits across different crews
• high-value testing and preparation equipment
• equipment stored across depots, vehicles and job sites
• hired-in or borrowed equipment, where available
• portable equipment schedules across multiple locations

Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions and insurer acceptance.

Commercial Vehicle Insurance may help cover eligible business vehicles used by waterproofing contractors, such as utes, vans, trailers and work vehicles, subject to the policy terms, conditions and selected cover.

Waterproofing work often relies on vehicles to transport tools, membranes, primers, coatings, sealants, PPE and access equipment. A vehicle accident, theft or damage event can affect job scheduling, site access and the ability to move between projects.

Small Contractors (1–5 Employees)

For sole traders and small crews, Commercial Vehicle Insurance may be arranged for work vehicles used to travel between residential jobs, construction sites, suppliers and storage facilities.

Cover may include:

• business-use vehicles
• utes, vans and trailers
• vehicle damage, depending on the selected cover
• third-party property damage liability from vehicle use
• finance clauses or interested party endorsements, where required and accepted by the insurer

Larger Contractors

For larger waterproofing contractors, Fleet Insurance may be more practical where several vehicles are used across crews, projects and locations.

Fleet cover may help manage:

• multiple business vehicles under one arrangement
• vehicle additions and removals as the fleet changes
• trailers and fitted storage systems
• finance and leasing requirements
• claims support across multiple vehicles

Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions, selected cover type and insurer acceptance.

Personal Accident & Illness Insurance may be considered by sole traders and contractors who are not covered by Workers Compensation Insurance. It may provide a weekly benefit if an insured injury, or an illness where illness cover is included, prevents you from working for a period of time, subject to the policy wording.

Waterproofing work can involve manual handling, surface preparation, kneeling, working at height, chemical handling, confined spaces and repetitive movement. If you are self-employed and cannot work, your earnings may be affected quickly.

Depending on the policy, cover may include:

• Weekly benefit payments while recovering from an insured injury or illness
• Lump sum benefits for serious injury, where included
• Capital Benefits, where selected
• Optional medical cost benefits, depending on the policy

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, waiting periods, benefit periods, exclusions, benefit limits and insurer acceptance.

Workers Compensation Insurance is generally required when a waterproofing business employs workers. Requirements vary by state and territory, so the right approach depends on where your workers are based, where the work is performed, how your workforce is structured, and whether you use employees, apprentices, casuals, working directors, labour hire or subcontractors.

We may be able to 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 may be able to provide general guidance, but workers compensation is managed through state-based schemes and requirements.

We may be able to help with:

• Workers Compensation setup in WA, TAS, ACT and NT
• Wage estimates and annual declarations
• Worker classification, including apprentices, casuals and working directors
• Subcontractor and labour hire considerations
• Principal’s Indemnity, where required and available
• Claims lodgement support
• Return-to-work coordination
• Insurer correspondence and paperwork
• Claims history reviews and renewal discussions where past claims have affected premium

This cover is commonly considered by waterproofing businesses with employees, apprentices, working directors, subcontractor arrangements or labour hire exposure.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, exclusions and insurer acceptance.

Contract Works Insurance may be relevant where your waterproofing business is responsible for works in progress, materials, project delivery or construction-related obligations under a contract.

For waterproofing contractors, this cover may be considered on larger renovation, remedial, commercial or construction projects where loss or damage to insured works could create cost and delay issues.

Depending on the policy, cover may include:

• insured works in progress
• materials stored on site
• theft, vandalism, fire or storm damage to insured works
• project-specific or annual cover options
• materials in transit or temporary storage, where included

Contract Works Insurance may be required by builders, developers, principal contractors or project owners. The exact requirement depends on the contract, project structure and your role on the project.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions and insurer acceptance.

Management Liability Insurance may help protect the business and the people who run it from certain claims relating to management decisions, governance issues, employment disputes, regulatory investigations or alleged wrongful acts.

As your waterproofing business grows, so can your exposure to risks beyond day-to-day trade work. Claims can arise from staff management, WHS obligations, regulatory investigations, subcontractor arrangements or decisions made by directors, officers or senior managers.

Depending on the policy, cover may include:

• Directors & Officers Liability, either as part of a Management Liability policy or arranged separately
• Employment Practices Liability, such as unfair dismissal, discrimination or harassment claims
• Statutory Liability, where available, including certain defence costs or penalties connected with regulatory investigations or unintentional breaches, where legally insurable
• Crime or fidelity cover for internal or external fraud or theft
• Tax audit or regulatory investigation costs, where covered

This cover may be considered by waterproofing businesses managing employees, subcontractor crews, WHS obligations, multi-site work and contract compliance requirements.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions, legally insurable amounts and insurer acceptance.

Business Interruption Insurance may help cover loss of income, continuing expenses and increased costs of working if an insured event temporarily affects your ability to trade.

For waterproofing contractors, interruption may occur after insured damage to a depot, storage area, tools, equipment or materials. Cover depends on the insured event, selected policy, waiting periods, indemnity period, limits and exclusions.

Depending on the policy, cover may respond to:

• damage to business premises, depots or storage areas
• loss or damage to essential insured tools, equipment or materials, where covered
• loss of income following an insured property damage event
• additional costs needed to keep the business operating, where covered

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, waiting periods, indemnity periods, limits, exclusions and insurer acceptance.

Tax Audit Insurance may help cover certain professional fees if your business is audited, reviewed or investigated by the ATO or a state revenue office. It may help pay for accountant, bookkeeper or adviser time required to respond to a covered audit or review, subject to the policy wording.

This may be relevant for waterproofing contractors claiming vehicle, tools, travel, subcontractor, materials, payroll or other work-related deductions.

Depending on the policy, cover may include:

• accounting fees during a covered audit or review
• ATO, BAS and GST-related reviews or investigations
• payroll tax and superannuation audits
• state revenue office reviews, where covered
• record review and response costs, where included

Tax Audit Insurance does not usually cover tax liabilities, fines, penalties, interest payable to a revenue authority, or the cost of correcting non-compliant records.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions and insurer acceptance.

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

This may be relevant for waterproofing businesses using job management software, digital quoting tools, cloud accounting, payroll systems, online invoicing, project documents or client databases.

Depending on the policy, cover may include:

• cyber incident response costs
• data restoration and system recovery
• business interruption following a covered cyber event
• legal and notification costs connected with eligible data breaches
• ransomware, phishing or business email compromise response support
• social engineering, fraudulent payment losses or invoice redirection scams, where available and selected
• third-party liability for exposed client, contractor or employee data

Cyber Insurance may be considered by waterproofing businesses using digital systems to manage quotes, invoices, client records, payroll, project documents and supplier payments.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions, sub-limits, waiting periods and insurer acceptance.

Business Package Insurance may combine several common business cover sections under one policy structure. This can make it easier to manage property, liability, business interruption and other business risks under one arrangement.

For waterproofing businesses, a Business Package may include:

• Public and Products Liability
• General Property cover for tools and portable equipment
• Property cover for depots, offices or storage areas
• Theft and vandalism cover for insured property
• Business Interruption cover following an insured event
• Money, glass or electronic equipment cover, where relevant
• Optional extensions, depending on insurer appetite and policy wording

This cover may be considered by waterproofing businesses with tools, equipment, stock, storage areas, offices or depots.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, sub-limits, exclusions and insurer acceptance.

Journey Insurance may provide personal accident cover for employees travelling directly between their home and their usual place of work, depot or job site, subject to the policy wording.

This cover may be relevant where Workers Compensation does not respond to ordinary commuting injuries, or where a business wants additional cover for employees travelling to and from work. Workers Compensation journey claim rules vary by state and territory, so the right approach depends on where the business operates and how employees travel.

Depending on the policy, cover may include:

• weekly benefit payments while an employee recovers from an insured commuting injury
• lump sum benefits for serious permanent injury or death resulting from a covered journey accident
• rehabilitation or non-Medicare medical expense benefits, where available and included
• certain variations of the daily commute, such as attending a mandatory training venue or travelling directly between job sites, where covered

Journey Insurance may be considered by waterproofing businesses with employees travelling between home, depots, training venues and active job sites.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions, benefit periods, waiting periods and insurer acceptance.

Corporate Travel Insurance may provide cover for employees, directors or business owners undertaking approved work-related travel, both domestically and internationally, subject to the policy wording.

For waterproofing businesses, this may be relevant where staff travel for regional projects, interstate contracts, project meetings, supplier visits, training or site inspections.

Depending on the policy, cover may include:

• overseas medical and evacuation expenses
• trip cancellation, delay or disruption costs, where covered
• loss or theft of insured business property and equipment while travelling
• rental vehicle excess and associated damage, where covered
• personal accident benefits during approved business travel

Corporate Travel Insurance may be considered by waterproofing businesses with directors, supervisors, project managers or employees travelling for work-related purposes.

Cover is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits, exclusions, sub-limits, territorial limits and insurer acceptance.