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Chimney Sweep Insurance

Expert business insurance for chimney sweeps

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Cover for your business, staff, tools and equipment

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Rated 4.7 out of 5 by our customers on Feefo

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The trend of installing attractive log burners in homes has helped to increase the demand for professional chimney sweeping services. It is important that home owners keep their chimney flues clear to ensure efficiency and above all, safety when lighting their stoves.

As a chimney sweep, if you are alleged to have caused damage to a customer’s property or any injury caused to the customer or member of the public, it could result in a substantial compensation claim and legal bills if you’re not insured. That’s where our chimney sweep insurance can help.

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What is chimney sweep insurance?

Chimney sweep insurance is a range of different types of cover – led by public liability insurance – that offer protection for your business from compensation claims due to accidents and injury or due to accidental damage to property. The range of policies available offer cover for your tools and equipment,  office contents, accidents, and your employees.

 

Why do chimney sweeps need insurance?

When you’re cleaning chimney flues, you’re potentially working at height, but undoubtedly on your knees and sometimes in confined spaces. As such, it’s important to be insured to cover personal accident and illness issues, whilst also helping to reduce the potential financial impact on your business if a compensation claim is made against you due to damage caused to a customer’s property.

Examples of why chimney sweeps need insurance include:

  • Sweeping chimneys is a dirty job, and no matter how careful you are soot can still escape and settle on furniture and soft furnishings. Accidentally damage to a customer’s property which requires repair or cleaning could potentially be expensive if you’re not insured. Public liability insurance will cover you for the cost of a claim to put the damage right again.
  • Working on your knees, and potentially in confined spaces, for many hours a day will not be good for your joints. As a result you could suffer from pain and even require an operation in later life. How would you cope financially if you were unable to work for any length of time as a result of an operation?
  • As with many trades associations, it can be a requirement of members of organisations such as HETAS to carry insurance.

Why choose Caunce O'Hara for your insurance?

As trades insurance experts, we're your number one choice for your business protection.

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Trusted by over 23,000 clients for their business insurance.

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Immediate cover available, with documents issued via email in minutes!

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Over 25 years’ experience of insuring self-employed professionals, including freelancers, contractors, and small business owners.

Golden star
I had spoken to Caunce O'Hara prior to the transaction and it all went smoothly for me. I have used them now for 12 years.
Trusted Customer
Feefo
Golden star
Excellent Customer service and value for money. Best public liability, professional indemnity and employers liability insurance offer I’ve come across.
Trusted Customer
Feefo
Golden star
Company insurances renewed for another year with Caunce O'Hara. No drama, issues or concerns.
Trusted Customer
Feefo

Frequently asked questions about chimney sweep's insurance

At Caunce O’Hara we offer the opportunity to customise your chimney sweep insurance to meet your needs, including:

Property damage – You accidentally damage a customer’s property when carrying your equipment into the premises requiring the damage to be repaired.

Personal injury – After years of crawling and kneeling you require a knee operation resulting in you not being able to work. Or worse, you begin to suffer from serious breathing issues from sustained exposure to soot which require long-term medical treatment. Personal accident insurance offers cover for your loss of earning.

Theft or damage to your tools and trade materials – Whilst working at a customer’s premises, your van is broken into and your essential tools or materials are stolen.

Caunce O’Hara are experts for tradesman insurance. These are just a few of the reasons to choose us for your cover:

Quick online quotes

Complete our simple online quote form and get a quote in as little as 90 seconds.

Affordable protection

Our pricing is fully transparent, meaning you won’t be charged any hidden or unnecessary fees.

Platinum rated customer service

Customer service has always been at the top of Caunce O’Hara’s priorities, which is reflected in our positive Feefo feedback.

Over 25 years’ experience

We have been offering business insurance to self-employed professionals since 1995. As a result we understand the needs of self-employed business owners and contractors, which enables us to provide the cover you need.

The cost of an annual premium varies depending on your type of cover and the level of cover you need. Our trades public liability insurance for chimney sweeps starts from £84.80* for £1million of annual cover, which we think represents real value for money.

* Price quoted is inclusive of Insurance Premium Tax at the current rate, and based on a chimney sweep with 1 employee, 5+ years trading and no claims in the last 3 years.

As well as public liability insurance, we offer a range of insurance covers for your individual circumstances, including:

  • Personal accident insurance – covers you for accidents sustained in the course of your work and can pay a lump sum or regular payments to cover loss of earnings.
  • Employers’ liability insurance (EL) – is a legal requirement if you employ staff, with a minimum of £5 million of cover to protect your employees.
  • Tools insurance – available with our public liability insurance policy, provides cover from £1,000 to £5,000 for the replacement of your lost, damaged or stolen tools.
  • Good in transit insurance – provides cover for your goods against theft, loss or damage while they are being transported in your own vehicle, or on your behalf by a third-party carrier. The policy can cover theft of items whilst in transit; damage caused by an accident during transit; loss of items during transit; and damage caused to items during transit.
  • Plant insurance (PI) – we offer cover for both hired-in and owned plant equipment. Plant insurance can cover the costs incurred for ongoing lease hire for hired-in plant while the hired plant is being replaced, recovered or repaired, and can cover the cost of repairing or replacing owned plant following theft, loss or damage (accidental or malicious) to your equipment.
  • Contract works insurance – cover for costs incurred in having to re-do work that is part of a contract, including the cost of the tools, materials and the labour, should the existing work be destroyed by fire, flood, or theft.
  • Professional indemnity insurance (PI) – covers professionals who give advice, provide designs or other professional services to customers and covers allegations of negligent work.

The excess is the amount you pay towards a claim you make on your insurance policy. For example, if you make a claim for £1,000 for stolen tools and your excess is £200, then your payout will be £800.

Insurance policyLowest excessHighest excess
Public liability insurance£250£250
Employers’ liability insurance£0£0
Tools & trade materials cover (can only be purchased with the public liability policy)£250£250
Personal accident insurance£0£0
Professional indemnity insurance£250£500

Please note the figures shown are for illustrative purposes only and any excess applied to your quote may differ, or affect the price.

Contact us

Call 0333 321 1403

Our understanding of the freelance sector and the challenges you face daily, enables us to tailor our insurance products to meet your needs. Contact us to talk about your insurance requirements and to better understand the insurance we offer.

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Contact Caunce O'Hara for your business insurance today