No shopfront doesn't mean no liability. It means the liability follows you.
Without a premises, it's easy to assume public liability is something other businesses need and you don't. It's actually the opposite. Every job happens on someone else's property, their home, their office, their driveway, which means you're always the visitor, and the visitor is exactly who public liability is built to protect.
Where a mobile business actually gets exposed
The exposure isn't about a shopfront you don't have, it's about what happens every time you're working at someone else's address instead of your own.
Damage to a client's home during the job
Providing a mobile service inside a client's home, something goes wrong, a spilled product, a dropped tool, equipment marking a surface, and the client's property is damaged in the process.
Injury to a client or their family
A client or a family member is injured by your equipment or during the course of the service you're providing at their home.
Damage or theft of equipment left in the client's care
Equipment or product you leave at a client's home between visits is damaged or goes missing, and a dispute follows over who's responsible for replacing it.
What this actually covers
Public liability for a mobile or home-service business
Public liability protects you if:
- A client or their family is injured during your work at their home or business
- You damage a client's property while providing your service
- Someone sues over injury or damage linked to your business, wherever the job happens to take place
Who's going to ask you for it
Platforms are starting to gate this, not just clients
Without a landlord to require it, the push toward cover for mobile businesses increasingly comes from elsewhere:
- Booking platforms and marketplaces increasingly require proof of public liability before listing a mobile service provider.
- Corporate and commercial clients booking a mobile service to their office may ask for a certificate of currency.
- Some residential clients, particularly for higher-value work, now ask directly before booking.
Common questions
I don't have a shop or an office. Do I actually need this?
Yes, arguably more so than a fixed-premises business, since every job happens on someone else's property rather than your own. That's exactly the risk public liability is designed to answer.
Does this cover damage I cause inside a client's home?
Yes, this is one of the most common claims for mobile businesses, damage to a client's property during the course of your work.
Do booking platforms actually check for this?
Increasingly, yes. Many now require a certificate of currency before allowing you to list or accept bookings through their platform.
I sometimes leave product or equipment at a client's property between visits. Does that matter?
It's worth telling us if this is a regular part of your business, since it raises slightly different questions to standard on-the-day liability.
I work from home but visit clients as well. What should my cover reflect?
Tell us both sides of how you work, since your home workspace and your client-visit work can carry slightly different considerations depending on your setup.