Do I Need Insurance as a Handyman?

Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement, but only once you employ someone who isn't a close family member — a solo self-employed handyman doesn't need it. Public liability insurance isn't confirmed as a general legal requirement for a solo operator, but it's overwhelmingly expected commercially, and many letting agents and clients won't engage an uninsured tradesperson working unsupervised in their home. Tools/equipment cover protects against the mobile-specific risk of carrying a valuable toolkit. No insurance policy extends — or should be expected to extend — cover to gas, notifiable electrical, structural, or licensed asbestos work; those activities sit outside a general handyman's scope entirely, which is a different issue from what any policy covers.