A dropped tin of paint doesn't just make a mess. It ruins someone else's carpet.
Painting is one of the lower-risk trades, but it's not a no-risk one. Overspray on a parked car, a ladder that slips on a polished floor, a client's furniture in the way of a roller, the exposure is smaller than a structural trade's, but it's still real and it still needs answering. Public liability cover sized to the actual risk of the job.
Where a painter actually gets exposed
Almost every painting claim traces back to the same source: you're working inside or around someone else's property, and paint, overspray, and ladders don't stay contained the way you'd like them to.
Overspray on the neighbour's car
You're spraying a fence line on a windy day. Overspray drifts onto a car parked next door, leaving a fine mist across the panels that needs professional buffing to remove.
The ladder fall on a client's site
You're painting an internal stairwell. A ladder shifts on a freshly polished floor and you fall, injuring your back badly enough to be off work for weeks. The floor's condition is part of what caused it.
Paint damage to furniture and fixtures
Drop sheets slip and paint gets onto a client's dining table and a rug underneath. The client wants both replaced, not just cleaned.
Who's going to ask you for it
Managing agents and head contractors want proof before you start
Painters run into the same certificate-of-currency requests as other trades once the job isn't a small residential one:
- Managing agents and body corporates want a current certificate before you work in an occupied building.
- Head contractors on new-build or renovation jobs where painting is one trade among many usually ask for $10M+ cover.
- Commercial clients painting retail or office space often have their own minimum written into the contract.
What painters don't need, and shouldn't overpay for
Unlike structural trades, painters generally don't carry a heavy completed-operations exposure. A poor paint job is almost always a rework or a refund, not a lawsuit. The bigger trap is the opposite one: assuming you need the same product liability and professional indemnity cover a builder or electrician needs, and paying for cover you don't.
Common questions
Do I really need professional indemnity as a painter?
Usually not. Painting rarely involves the kind of design or specification advice that triggers a professional indemnity claim. Public liability is the core cover most painters need.
What if overspray damages a car or property nearby?
That's exactly what public liability answers, damage to third-party property caused by your work, even where the property owner has no direct relationship with you.
A managing agent wants a certificate of currency before I can start. Is that normal?
Yes, particularly for work in occupied apartment buildings or commercial premises. It's a routine request, and your certificate can usually be issued within a day of your policy being in place.
My client says my finish was patchy and wants a refund. Is that a claim?
Not usually a public liability claim. Dissatisfaction with the standard of work is a commercial dispute between you and the client, handled through rework or a partial refund rather than an insurance claim.
I sometimes hire a labourer for bigger jobs. Does that change what I need?
It can. Once you have staff or casual labour, workers compensation becomes a separate legal requirement in most states, on top of your public liability. Tell us if you're taking on help.