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Commercial insurance
If your contract works policy stops at the site boundary, your diggers, tools and hired-in kit may not be covered when they are damaged, stolen or written off. Plant & equipment insurance covers the machinery you own and hire in — on site, in transit and between jobs.
Part of: Construction & contractor insurance at Apex
In short
Contractors’ plant and equipment insurance covers your owned and hired-in plant, tools and machinery against damage, theft and loss. It sits alongside contractors’ all risks cover and can include the continuing hire charges you owe when hired-in kit is put out of action.
A contract works or all-risks policy insures what you are building. It does not always cover the machinery you build with. Contractors’ plant and equipment (CPE) insurance covers the plant, tools and equipment you own and hire in — against accidental damage, fire, theft and vandalism, on site, in transit and in storage between jobs.
Typical items include excavators, dumpers, rollers and telehandlers; generators, compressors and pumps; power tools and small tools; and site equipment such as cabins and fencing. Cover can be arranged new-for-old or on an indemnity basis depending on the age of the fleet.
These are two different exposures and both matter. Owned plant is insured for its replacement or indemnity value. Hired-in plant is trickier: under standard hire conditions (for example the CPA model terms) you are usually responsible both for physical loss or damage to the hirer’s machine and for the continuing hire charges that keep running while it is off the road. A well-set CPE policy can cover both, so a written-off hired excavator doesn’t leave you paying twice.
Cover is set on an any-one-item and any-one-occurrence basis — the first matched to your single most valuable machine, the second to the most that could be lost in one event. High limits are available for larger plant fleets, subject to underwriting. We place this cover through specialist, Lloyd’s-backed construction markets, which is what makes higher limits and hired-in exposures straightforward to arrange.
Any contractor that owns or hires machinery: groundworkers and light civil-engineering firms, general building and steel-erection contractors, scaffolders and roofers, utilities and plant-hire businesses. If losing a machine for a fortnight would stall a job, this is the cover that keeps you moving. The right terms depend on the trade, the plant and how it is stored and secured — which is exactly what a quick conversation sorts out.
Think of it as two halves of the same job: contractors’ all risks covers the works you are building, and plant & equipment covers the kit you build with. Most contractors need both, and they can often be brought together under a single combined contractors’ policy so there is no gap where one stops and the other should start.
Five things catch people out: whether continuing hire charges are included; whether tools in transit and kit left in vehicles overnight are covered; the basis of settlement (new-for-old or indemnity); any security or immobiliser conditions that must be met for a claim to pay; and the excess that applies per item. We check all five against how you actually operate, not a generic template.
Yes. Cover can include both physical damage to the hired-in machine and the continuing hire charges you remain liable for while it is out of action under standard hire conditions, if arranged that way.
No. Contractors’ all risks covers the works you are constructing; plant & equipment covers the machinery and tools you use to do it. Many contractors carry both, often on one combined policy.
They can be, including tools in transit and left in vehicles overnight, subject to a per-item limit and any security conditions. It is worth confirming the overnight and in-transit position specifically.
On an any-one-item and any-one-occurrence basis — the item limit reflects your single most valuable machine, and the occurrence limit reflects the most that could be lost in one incident such as a site fire or theft.
Tell us what you own and what you hire in, and we’ll arrange cover that matches your fleet and how you work. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Get a quote Call 0117 325 0027Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms. Premium figures shown are historic typical ranges from Apex’s own placements, not quotes.
