Pub insurance in 2024. A complete guide.

Pub insurance

Pubs are a labor of love and require many hands to keep an operation going.

Managing a pub comes with everyday hazards and plenty of risks, so pub owners need the right pub insurance coverage to protect themselves.

Pubs work with the public, so they require liability insurance and more.

Table of contents

What does pub insurance cover?
Liability insurance for pub
Additional pub insurance coverage
How do I choose the right pub insurance?
Pub insurance FAQ
Pub insurance cost

What does pub insurance cover?

Pub and restaurant insurance, also known as public house insurance, is a policy for licensed business owners to protect their assets.

This insurance typically includes coverage for employees, customers, and business contents, all under one comprehensive policy.

Public liability insurance is essential for a pub. This insurance can cover you against financial and legal claims from the many risks associated with your business premises.

From public liability, you can also choose to add cover for essential work equipment and your everyday stock items or employers' liability insurance for your team, for example.

We will cover all of the pub insurance coverage available to you in the following section.

Liability insurance for pub

We will first examine pub liability insurance. Public and product liability insurance is an essential cover for pubs.

Liability insurance for pubs is specifically tailored to protect you from claims due to injuries, illnesses, or property damages if your business is at fault.

Public liability insurance for pubs

This insurance type will protect you if your pub causes an injury, illness, or property damage. Public liability coverage is a form of public liability insurance for guests.

From faulty bar stools to accidents in your beer garden, public liability insurance for pubs can shield you from expensive claims.

In addition, public liability insurance for pubs typically covers claims against your business for:

Any accidental damages or injuries caused by your business employees.
Damages to someone else's property where your business is at fault.
Any injuries or illnesses that arise caused by your business activities or products.

Examples of when you might need public liability insurance:

One of your customers slipped on a spilled drink, breaking their leg.
Your chef undercooked a meat dish, and a customer sues you for causing food poisoning.
One of your employees accidentally burns a customer with boiling water while serving them.

Note: you will need additional cover for employees. You're usually required by law to have employers' liability insurance if you employ anyone.

Read more about public liability insurance here.

Employers liability insurance

This coverage will protect you if anyone gets sick or injured while working for your pub.

Employers' liability insurance can protect you from financial losses ranging from faulty kitchen equipment to catching the flu while working.

In addition, employers' liability insurance typically covers you against:

Any injuries and illnesses resulting from working for you (for permanent staff, temporary staff, and casual workers).

Note: Employers' liability is a legal requirement if you have employees. Without this coverage, you could be fined thousands per day for each employee.

Examples of when you might need employers’ liability insurance:

One of your employees injured themselves while stacking bottles on a broken shelf. Your employee then sues you for having an unsafe work environment.
One of your trainee chefs cuts their finger while helping the head chef.

Content insurance

This insurance type will protect you if something happens to your pub's fixtures, fittings, or office equipment.

From issues with your work equipment to extreme weather incidents, contents insurance for pubs can shield you from costly expenses.

In addition, contents insurance for pubs typically covers you for:

Any accidental damages to the equipment used to run your pub or if there are any damages to your pub's fixtures and fittings.
In the event of damages caused by theft, flooding, and fire.

Examples of when you might need contents insurance:

Your business laptop and tablet get stolen from your pub.
Your glass doors were smashed after an attempted robbery.
An employee accidentally damages your jukebox, and you must book a repair.

Building insurance

This insurance type will protect you if something happens to your pub premises.

From damaged pipes to walls needing repair work, building insurance can cover you for costly expenses.

In addition, building insurance for pubs typically covers you for damages such as:

Any type of damage to fixtures and fittings.
Any expenses for repairing damages to the pub's building structure or for rebuilding the structure from scratch altogether.
Damage caused to pipes and cables in your pub that you are responsible for.

Examples of when you might need building insurance:

Vandals break the handles on your pub's doors, forcing you to close for repairs.
A deep fat fryer damaged your kitchen when it caught on fire. Your whole kitchen needs to be rebuilt.
Due to a flash flood, you need to replace your pub's internal doors and flooring.

Money cover

This insurance type will protect you if your pub premises is broken into or vandalized.

Thefts cause financial loss, and vandalism can result in severe property damage. In addition, money cover will protect you if your pub is vandalized by an employee or by another party.

Money cover for pubs typically covers you for:

Any expenses for repairing damages due to vandalism and theft cases.
If money is stolen from your cash register or establishment.
If money is stolen while it's in transit to or from your bank.

Examples of when you might need money cover:

One of your employees breaks in overnight and attempts to steal from your cash register, breaking a window in the process.
Money is stolen from your business vehicle on the way to the bank to deposit cash.
Vandals spray graffiti paint on the front of your windows and doors, which you need to have professionally cleaned.

Additional pub insurance coverage

Business interruption insurance

This insurance type will protect you if you can't trade for any reason related to theft or damage to your pub's essentials. You will be compensated for the loss of sales because you're not able to work.

From renovation work to theft, pub business insurance can shield you from costly issues.

Specifically, business interruption insurance for pubs typically covers:

Your business income will be covered if you are unable to trade due to damaged and stolen stock, contents, or damaged buildings.

Examples of when you might need business interruption insurance:

You’re forced to close your doors due to an earthquake that damages the structure of your pub.
The pipes in your bathroom upstairs are leaking through the roof, which causes extensive water damage. You have to stop trading while the pipes are repaired.
All of your stock has been stolen in a robbery. You can’t open your pub until this has been resolved.

Deterioration of stock insurance

This coverage will protect you if something happens to your stock of drinks or food products.

Whether your food ingredients are spoiled and unusable or your alcoholic drinks get contaminated, stock insurance can protect you from costly claims and legal matters.

Stock insurance for pubs typically covers:

The loss or theft of stock such as drinks, food, or branded pub materials.
For the cost of unusable, damaged, and spoiled goods.

Examples of when you might need deterioration of stock insurance:

A pipe in your kitchen bursts and causes a flood, destroying unrefrigerated food.
Due to an electricity blackout, your refrigerated food is spoiled, and you need to replace everything.
A large crate of bottled drinks are broken while in transit on its way to your pub.

Legal expenses insurance

This insurance type will cover you if you have to pay for legal expenses connected with your pub.

Whether you have to pay for legal costs or compensation payouts, legal expenses insurance can protect you from facing expensive fees.

Legal expenses insurance for pubs typically covers:

Any matters related to tax issues, investigations, and compliance disputes.
Legal claims and compensation payouts associated with property damage or trespass.
Any legal expenses attributed to your pub business and business activities.
Support to help you protect your business' reputation.

Examples of when you might need legal expenses insurance:

An employee takes you to court after you sack them, claiming it was unfair dismissal.
You need to pay for a solicitor to represent you in court for providing incorrect financial information on your tax report.

Personal accident insurance

This insurance will cover you if anyone you've covered is accidentally injured off-duty or at work.

Whether you have to pay for lost income or medical expenses, personal accident insurance can protect you from paying out of pocket.

Personal accident insurance for pubs typically covers:

Lost income, medical costs, and hospitalization benefits.
Accidental injury inside or outside of work, or in the event of death, for anyone covered on the policy.

Examples of when you might need personal accident insurance:

Your temporary staff member suffers an injury while at home, and they can't work for you during a busy period.
You break your arm after slipping in the pub's kitchen, and you need to take time off work.

Let's take a look at the key takeaways from the above sections and help you choose the right insurance.

How do I choose the right pub insurance?

Public liability insurance and customized packages are great options for pub owners.

If you hire staff (contractors, casual, permanent, and temporary staff), it’s essential to take out employers' liability insurance.

You can face fines per day, per person, for any staff member you haven't covered correctly.

From public liability and employers insurance, you can choose from other specific protection, such as protecting your pub's equipment, stock, fixtures and fittings, and the building.

When choosing insurance for a pub, you should consider the maximum possible loss your business could face or the "worst case scenario" in the event of a claim.

Make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration and choose the correct level of coverage for you.

Pub insurance FAQ

Does public liability insurance cover employee actions?

This depends on whether you have employers' liability insurance.

Public liability insurance protects your business against legal action brought by members of the public for damage to their belongings and for injuries.

However, when it comes to your employees' actions causing any damages or injuries, the only way to ensure you're covered is with employers' liability insurance.

What policy covers a deep-fat fryer?

There are safety measures you must follow when using a deep fat fryer, as you know it's a high-risk piece of kitchen equipment.

If you're claiming for unexpected costs and are discovered not to have met these conditions, it could invalidate your policy and leave you without a payout.

To avoid this, check the requirements for the model of the fryer you use (in the manual). You must comply with the fryer's service record and cleaning schedule.

Ensure you stay within the volume of use guidelines, use the necessary safety equipment, replace oils frequently, and employ contractors registered to work on fryers.

To see more FAQs about public liability insurance, see here.

Pub insurance cost

The cost of insurance for a pub is dependent on several factors, these include:

Number of employees
Business size and location
The average number of guests
What coverage is required
The policy limits and deductibles
Your current and past claims history
The total revenue of your business annually.

If you are looking for cheap pub insurance, it's best to shop around. Receiving free quotes is the easiest way to ensure you find the best deal.

By comparing quotes, you can find out the average cost of pub insurance. You can choose what goes into your customized pub insurance, so you only pay for what you need.

Pub insurance quotes

Managing a pub is fast-paced and hectic, so keeping the insurance part simple is best.

Whether you run a small pub or have a chain of bars, our team of experts can help you to take out a simple and understandable business policy.

With 35 years of experience, Pitsas Insurances can guide you to optimal decisions according to your specific needs and budget constraints.

We will help you to find the right pub insurance that fits your business needs.

Business insurance USA

For companies registered in the USA, you can receive quotations from Progressive Commercial.

Business insurance UK

For companies registered in the UK, you can receive quotations from Simply Business.

Business insurance Cyprus

For companies registered in Cyprus, you can receive a quotation from Pitsas Insurances by completing the quotation.

If you have more questions, contact our insurance experts and work with a licensed agent to determine your needs. We offer a fast turnaround.

To find out more about how our team of insurance experts can help you, see here.