Gardening looks like a low hazard trade and is insured as a machinery trade, because the equipment is the exposure. A ride on mower, a strimmer, a hedge cutter and a chipper all throw things, and the thing they throw generally lands on somebody else's car, window or child. Add chemicals and chainsaws and the rating question becomes which of those you actually do.
Machinery, and the projectile claim
The classic gardening claim is a stone thrown by a mower or a strimmer into a parked car or a window. It is third party property damage and sits squarely in public liability, and it is frequent rather than severe, which is why a modest limit covers most gardeners well. Insurers ask what machinery is used because a ride on mower, a flail and a chipper are progressively higher exposures than a push mower and a rake.
Chemicals, and the qualifications behind them
Applying professional pesticides and herbicides in amenity or horticultural settings brings duties around competence, storage and application, and the Health and Safety Executive publishes what is expected. An insurer will ask whether chemicals are applied and, if so, what certification the operator holds, because an unqualified application that damages a neighbouring garden or harms a pet is both a liability claim and a regulatory problem.
Where tree work stops
Hedge trimming from the ground is gardening. Felling, climbing, chainsaw work at height and dismantling are ARBORICULTURE, and most gardening policies exclude them unless declared, because the severity of a tree work claim is in a different league. A gardener taking on a tree job should establish which side of that line it falls before the quote, not afterwards.
Tools, the trailer and the van
Gardening kit is numerous rather than individually expensive, which suits a standard tools sum insured, though a ride on mower can breach a single item limit on its own. Trailers need declaring, and the van needs carriage of own goods cover. Theft from vans and from unattended trailers at a customer's property is the routine loss, and the conditions about locking and overnight parking decide those claims.
Questions people ask about gardeners public liability insurance
How much public liability do gardeners need?
One or two million pounds suits most domestic gardening rounds. Commercial grounds maintenance contracts, schools and local authorities normally require five million and will ask for evidence before work starts.
Does the policy cover damage from a stone thrown by a mower?
Yes, that is third party property damage and is what public liability is for, where you are legally liable. It is the most common claim on this trade, which is why insurers ask what machinery you use.
Is tree surgery covered by gardening insurance?
Usually not. Felling, climbing and chainsaw work at height are arboriculture and are excluded on most gardening wordings unless specifically declared and rated. Establish which side of the line a job falls before accepting it.
Do I need cover to spray weedkiller?
Professional pesticide application brings competence, storage and application duties, and insurers ask what certification the operator holds. An unqualified application that damages a neighbouring garden is both an uninsured risk and a regulatory one.