Landscaping insurance
Insurance for landscapers who build: retaining walls, paving, decks, irrigation, turf and garden beds. Digging near services, a bobcat on a tight block, bigger jobs under your own contract: we ask about the work you actually do, then get you quotes from insurers.
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General advice only. Read the policy documents we send with your quote before you decide.
What it can cover for landscapers.
Examples of the claims landscaping insurance can respond to. Whether a claim is paid, and how much, is up to the insurer under your policy.
You hit a pipe or cable digging
Trenching for irrigation or a retaining wall footing, you cut through a water service, a gas line or a communications cable. Damage to underground services can fall under public liability, but some policies set conditions, such as getting plans before you dig, or a higher excess. An excess is the amount you pay towards a claim.
A retaining wall moves
After heavy rain, a retaining wall you built shifts and pushes over the neighbour's fence. Damage to someone else's property caused by your work can fall under public liability. Rebuilding the wall itself, or a fault in its design, is a separate question.
The bobcat clips the house
Turning a skid steer on a tight block, you crack the client's driveway or clip the corner of the house. Damage from machinery you operate can fall under public liability, depending on how the policy treats plant. Damage to the machine itself needs its own cover.
A paver lifts and someone trips
A visitor trips on a paver you laid that has lifted, and breaks a wrist. Injury caused by work you'd finished can fall under public liability, depending on the wording.
A chip from the saw breaks a window
Cutting pavers with a cut-off saw, a chip flies and breaks the neighbour's window. Damage to someone else's property from your work can fall under public liability, and you pay the excess.
Plant and tools go from the trailer
The plate compactor, a cut-off saw and your hand tools are taken from a trailer left on site overnight. Tool cover can pay to repair or replace tools and equipment that are stolen or damaged, up to the policy limits (the most the policy pays for a claim); bigger machines may need to be listed or covered on their own.
What it usually doesn't cover.
Every policy is different, and the policy wording is what counts. These are the usual gaps.
- The cost of rebuilding your own faulty work, such as a wall or paving that has to come up: the policy looks at the damage it causes, not the fix
- Injury to you or your workers: that's workers comp, or personal accident cover for yourself
- Design and engineering, such as designing a retaining wall or site drainage: that's professional indemnity
- Damage to, or theft of, the bobcat, excavator or trailer itself: machines need their own cover
- Service strikes where a policy condition wasn't met, such as getting plans before you dig
- Work you didn't tell the insurer you do, such as excavation, tree work, pools or work near railways
- Plants or turf that fail to take, and subsidence or wear that builds up over time
The covers landscapers ask about.
In the order most landscapers think about them. Each one is explained on its own page.
- Public liabilityService strikes, a wall that moves, a paver that trips a visitor. Builders and councils usually ask to see this first.
- ToolsThe plate compactor, cut-off saws, laser level and hand tools, for theft and damage up to the policy limits.
- VehiclesThe ute and trailer that carry soil, pavers and plant. Commercial vehicle cover is for vehicles used for work, depending on the policy.
- Contract worksA full yard of walls, paving and decking under your own contract? Contract works is for damage to the job while it's underway, like a storm washing out a half-built wall.
- ContractorsLandscaping for a builder or developer? The head contractor sets the cover and the certificate they need to see.
- Workers compLabourers and apprentices doing the digging and lifting. Workers comp for employees runs under each state's scheme.
- Accident and illnessLandscaping is heavy, physical work. Personal accident and illness cover can pay a weekly benefit if injury or illness stops you working, depending on the policy.
- Sole tradersRunning your own landscaping business on an ABN? See how the covers fit together for sole traders.
Licences and site rules.
- On site
Builders, developers and strata managers often ask for a certificate of currency (the insurer's proof that your policy is in force) for your public liability before you start, and commercial or council work may set a cover limit in the contract.
- Western Australia
If a landscaping job includes a structure that needs a building permit, check with Building and Energy, and with the local council, whether the builders' registration rules apply before you quote.
Builders' registration, Building and Energy WA(opens in a new tab)- New South Wales
In NSW, check with Building Commission NSW when landscaping work needs a contractor licence and what counts as structural landscaping.
Structural landscaping work, Building Commission NSW(opens in a new tab)- Before you dig
Before You Dig Australia is one place to request plans of the underground and overhead services at your site, instead of asking each utility. Some policies make checking for services a condition of cover, so request plans before every dig.
Before You Dig Australia(opens in a new tab)- Other states
Whether landscaping needs a licence, and any insurance it asks for, is set by each state's regulator. Check with yours, and tell us what it asks for.
What sets the price.
- The work you do: walls, paving, decks, irrigation, turf or planting
- Whether you dig, and the machines you use, such as a bobcat or mini excavator
- Your turnover
- The public liability limit you choose
- How many people work for you, and how much you subcontract
- The value of the tools and equipment you insure
- The state you work in
- Your claims history
On the quote form
Pick the one that matches your work. Not sure? Pick the closest and tell us in the comments.
- Landscaping Contractor (excluding work on Railways)
How to get landscaping insurance.
Tell us about your landscaping.
Walls, paving, decks or irrigation, the machines you run, how deep you dig, your turnover, who works with you and the limit your contracts ask for. Use the quote form or call us.
We get you quotes.
We ask insurers to quote with your digging, your machines and any conditions on underground services spelled out, and come back to you with what each one covers and what it doesn't.
Choose a policy.
Cover starts once you pick a policy and the insurer agrees to it. Then ask us for a certificate of currency, and request service plans before you dig.
Landscapers: your questions.
What insurance do I need as a landscaper?
Most landscapers start with public liability, because builders, councils and many owners ask to see it before you start. Tool cover and cover for the ute and trailer usually come next, then cover for any machines you own, workers comp if you employ anyone, and personal accident cover for yourself. Contract works matters on bigger builds under your own contract. What suits you depends on your work, so talk it through with a broker before you decide.
How much does landscaping insurance cost?
There's no set price. The insurer works it out from the landscaping you do, whether you dig or run machines, your turnover, the public liability limit you choose, how many people work for you, the tools you insure, your state and your claims history. A higher limit, such as $10 million or $20 million, is one of the things that changes the price, and the limit is often set by your contracts. Tell us about your work and we'll get you quotes.
Do landscapers need public liability insurance?
It's often asked for by builders, developers, councils and strata managers before you start, and structural landscaping needs a licence in some states. Common limits are $5 million, $10 million and $20 million; if a contract names a limit, choose at least that. Check the rules for your state with the regulator, and keep a certificate of currency handy.
How much public liability tradies needAm I covered if I hit a pipe or cable while digging?
Damage to underground water, gas, power or communications services can fall under public liability, but it's a known risk for landscapers, so some policies set conditions, such as getting service plans before you dig, or a higher excess for underground services. Request plans through Before You Dig Australia before every job, and ask us to check the wording before you take on trenching or excavation.
Is my bobcat covered?
Not by tool cover or public liability alone, in most cases. Damage to the machine itself, or its theft, needs cover for the machine, and some policies treat liability from operating plant differently, especially on a public road. Tell us what machines you own or hire, and whether you drive them on the road, so we can check how each quote treats them.
Do I need contract works on bigger landscaping jobs?
It depends on the contract. When you build walls, paving or structures under your own contract, contract works can cover damage to the works while they're underway, such as a storm washing out a half-built wall, depending on the policy. On a builder's site, the builder's policy may cover the works instead, so check the contract and ask us before the job starts.
What about garden maintenance and mowing?
That has its own page. Mowing, hedging and garden upkeep carry different risks from building walls and paving.
Lawn mowing and gardening insuranceSort your cover.
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