Your business rarely stays exactly the same.
A landscaper starts taking on tree-felling work. A builder begins offering roofing. A groundworker moves into deeper excavation. A carpenter starts managing complete refurbishments rather than simply completing joinery work.
From a commercial point of view, taking on new services can be a natural part of growing your business.
But there is an important question to ask before starting:
Does your existing business insurance actually cover the new work?
Not necessarily.
Business insurance is arranged around the activities and risks disclosed to the insurer. If the type of work you carry out changes, the risks facing your business may change too.
That makes speaking to your broker before branching into a new type of work an important part of protecting your business.
Has your business started offering different services? Speak to CHAS Insurance and make sure your cover still reflects the work you actually do.
Why Does the Type of Work You Do Matter to Your Insurer?
Not every trade carries the same risks.
Even two businesses that describe themselves using the same occupation could operate very differently.
Take landscaping.
One landscaper might spend most of their time:
- Cutting lawns
- Maintaining gardens
- Trimming hedges
- Planting
- Installing fencing
Another might also undertake:
- Tree felling
- Excavation
- Groundworks
- Retaining walls
- Drainage
- Commercial construction projects
Both businesses might reasonably describe themselves as landscapers, but the risks involved aren’t necessarily the same.
Insurers use information about your business activities to understand the risk they are being asked to cover and the terms on which they are prepared to provide insurance.
So when your work changes substantially, your insurance deserves another look too.
Does Your Business Insurance Automatically Cover Every Service You Offer?
You shouldn’t assume that it does.
An insurance policy is a contract providing protection against specified risks under agreed terms.
That means having public liability insurance, for example, doesn’t necessarily mean every activity your business could possibly undertake is automatically insured.
Public liability insurance is designed to cover eligible claims from members of the public arising in connection with your business activities, but the exact activities, conditions and exclusions covered will depend on the policy.
The safest approach is simple:
Tell your broker what you are planning to do and get confirmation that the activity is covered before undertaking the work.
What Happens If You Don’t Tell Your Insurer About Different Work?
This is where taking a “we’re probably covered” approach can become risky.
For non-consumer insurance contracts, the Insurance Act 2015 places a duty on policyholders to make a fair presentation of the risk when entering into an insurance contract.
The practical message for contractors is much simpler:
If there has been a meaningful change to what your business does, don’t guess. Tell your broker or insurer.
Depending on the change, your insurer may:
- Confirm that your existing policy already covers the activity
- Add the new activity to the policy
- Amend policy terms
- Change the premium
- Apply particular conditions
- Require further information
- Decide that the new activity falls outside the cover they can provide
Finding this out before carrying out the work is much better than discovering a potential problem when you need to make a claim.
Does Taking On Higher-Risk Work Affect Your Insurance?
It can.
Consider the difference between trimming a hedge and dismantling a large tree close to a building.
Or between fitting skirting boards and taking on structural alterations.
The business may still think of these services as part of the same general trade, but the potential severity and likelihood of a claim can be very different.
Insurers may therefore want to understand details such as:
What exactly are you doing?
Don’t rely on broad descriptions such as “building” or “landscaping” if your work includes more specialist activities.
How much of your turnover comes from the new work?
Occasional work and a fundamental shift in the business may be viewed differently.
Where are you working?
Domestic gardens, occupied commercial properties and major construction sites can present different risks.
Who is doing the work?
Are employees carrying it out, or are you using specialist subcontractors?
What equipment is involved?
New services may mean introducing plant, machinery or specialist tools.
What qualifications or experience do you have?
For some higher-risk activities, an insurer may want information about competency, training or experience before agreeing to provide cover.
What If You Work Across Several Trades?
Plenty of contractors don’t fit neatly into one box.
You could reasonably describe yourself as a:
Builder + roofer + carpenter
or:
Landscaper + groundworker + fencing contractor
or:
Tree surgeon + landscaper + consultant
That doesn’t automatically mean you need a completely separate policy for every service.
But your insurer does need to understand the full range of activities your business carries out.
The important question isn’t:
“What trade name do I use?”
It’s:
“Does my insurer know everything I’m actually doing?”
This is particularly important when one element of your work carries substantially different risks from the others.
What If You Use a Subcontractor for Different Work?
Bringing in a specialist subcontractor doesn’t necessarily mean you can forget about the insurance implications.
For example, you might run a landscaping business and use a specialist climber when customers ask you to undertake tree work.
Or you might run a building company and subcontract roofing, scaffolding or specialist groundwork.
You should tell your broker how subcontractors are used and make sure your policy accurately reflects your working arrangements.
It can also be important to understand whether the people working for you are genuine independent subcontractors or are working more like employees.
HSE guidance confirms that contractors can include subcontractors, self-employed individuals and businesses carrying out, managing or controlling construction work.
Don’t simply assume that another contractor having their own insurance means there is no potential exposure for your business.
Your Business May Have Changed More Than You Realise
One reason insurance arrangements fall behind is that business growth often happens gradually.
You don’t wake up one morning and decide to completely transform your company.
Instead:
You buy another van.
Then you employ somebody.
Then a customer asks you to do a slightly different job.
You buy some new equipment.
A larger contractor offers you commercial work.
You start using subcontractors.
Before long, the business you are insuring looks very different from the one that originally took out the policy.
This isn’t unusual. In January 2026, the ABI highlighted changing business models as a factor that can leave SMEs with gaps in their insurance protection.
That’s why insurance shouldn’t simply be something you renew automatically every year without considering how your business has changed.
Don’t Wait Until You Need to Make a Claim
Taking on different work can be a positive sign.
Your business is developing, customers trust you with larger projects and new opportunities are opening up.
Your insurance just needs to keep up.
CHAS Insurance is an insurance broker that specialises in commercial insurance for construction businesses and associated trades. We understand that contractors don’t always fit neatly into a single occupation and that the work you undertake can change as your business grows.
We can discuss the different services you provide, the people you employ or subcontract, the contracts you take on and the risks involved before helping you establish whether your insurance still reflects your business.
Has the type of work you undertake changed since you arranged your insurance? Contact CHAS Insurance today and let our team review your requirements with you.
This article provides general information only and does not constitute insurance advice. Insurance cover, requirements, limits, conditions and exclusions vary between policies and businesses. Always check your individual policy documentation and discuss changes to your activities with your insurer or insurance broker.