Tree Lopping Insurance
Insurance For Tree Lopping & Arborists using the services of Morgan Insurance Brokers - Experience to protect your business
Tree Lopping Insurance
Tree Lopping Insurance using the services of Morgan Insurance Brokers - Experience to protect your business
Tree Lopping Insurance is important to protect your business!
Tree lopping can be a dangerous trade, which is why having the right Tree Lopping Insurance is essential to protect your business, your clients, and the public. Every job carries potential risks from falling branches and heavy equipment to chemical use and professional advice.
Accidents can happen at any time. A tree could fall and damage a client’s home, vehicle, or fence, or even cause serious injury to a passerby. The financial consequences of such incidents can easily reach tens of thousands of dollars or more if someone is hurt.
What Does Public Liability Insurance Cover?
Public Liability Insurance is designed to provide financial coverage for accidents that occur whilst you're conducting your business. If a claim were to be brought against you for property damages, or injuries, your Public Liability Insurance can pay the compensation costs for medical expenses, time off work etc. In the case that you are not negligent, it can pay the legal costs to defend your position.
Tree lopping involves working at height, using powerful equipment, and operating near people and public spaces all of which carry a risk of injury to others. If a client, neighbour, or passerby is hurt due to your work for instance, a falling branch causes an injury or someone trips over your gear, you could be liable for medical costs and legal claims.
Tree lopping often takes place near homes, vehicles, fences, and powerlines, where accidental damage can easily occur. A falling limb might break a window, dent a car, or damage a client’s roof or garden structure. In these cases, your business could be responsible for the cost of repairs or replacement.
Is Insurance Mandatory?
While most types of Tree Lopping Insurance aren’t legally mandatory, Public Liability Insurance is highly recommended for anyone working in the tree lopping industry. It provides essential protection if your work causes injury to a third party or damage to someone’s property. The cost of cover is minimal compared to the potentially huge expenses of a legal claim or compensation payout.
Workers Compensation Insurance is mandatory if you employ staff — whether casual, part-time, or full-time. Be sure to check with your state or territory’s workers compensation authority for specific requirements and compliance information.
Personal Accident & Illness Insurance
Being in a physical and manual trade, Tree Loppers & Arborists should consider protecting their income if they’re unable to work with a comprehensive Personal Accident & Illness cover.
How Morgan Insurance Brokers can help Tree Lopping & Arborists
Morgan Insurance Brokers can provide insurance policies that will protect your business from the risks that you encounter daily. Some policies can come with height exclusions that you may not be aware of, others may have exclusion that are hidden in the fine print. We anaylise the market on your behalf and provide a strong reccomendation to protect you so you can trade knowing if something goes wrong, you are protected.
Frequently Asked Questions
With the insurers that we approach for tree loppers, they usually don’t have height restrictions on your policy.
It is common that you will need at least 2 years experience in the industry.
Yes bushfire cover can be included, but only on request.
For tree loppers working in rural areas, standard insurance policies typically do not automatically cover bushfire-related risks due to the higher exposure involved. However, if you specifically request it, your insurer can assess and extend bushfire cover, or as your broker, Morgan Insurance Brokers can source an alternative policy.
Yes, in most cases you do need to complete a Dial Before You Dig heck for every job.
It’s a required especially for tree loppers, arborists, and anyone working near the ground. The Dial Before You Dig Process is free and the process helps identify underground utilities such as gas, water, and electrical lines which reduces the risk of damage, accidents, or liability.
Income protection insurance is not available for tree loppers, however you can still be covered under a Personal Accident and Illness policy. This type of cover provides financial support if you’re injured or become sick and can’t work, helping to replace lost income during your recovery. While it’s not technically “income protection,” it serves a similar purpose by giving you peace of mind that you’ll still have an income stream if you’re unable to do your job due to an accident or illness.
No, your subcontractors are not “personally” covered under your policy if they cause damage or an accident.
Each subcontractor is considered independently responsible for their own work and liability, so they’ll need to have their own insurance policies in place, typically Public Liability Insurance and, if applicable, Personal Accident and Illness cover.
Even if they’re working under your direction, your policy won’t automatically extend to them unless they’re formally listed as employees and declared to your insurer. Always make sure your subcontractors can provide a Certificate of Currency before starting any job to avoid potential claims being denied.
Your vicarious liability which is your legal responsibility for the actions of subcontractors working on your behalf can be covered, but only if you’ve declared that you engage subcontractors on your policy.
If you don’t disclose this, your insurer may refuse to cover any claims arising from subcontractor work. It’s important to be upfront about your business setup and ensure that subcontractors also hold their own valid insurance policies, such as Public Liability and Personal Accident & Illness cover.
Generally, tree loppers do not need professional indemnity insurance, as their work is primarily physical and operational, not advisory.
Professional indemnity (PI) insurance is designed for professions that provide specialist advice or consultancy, such as arborists preparing reports, risk assessments, or council submissions. If your work involves offering professional opinions, writing tree condition reports, or providing expert advice that clients rely on, then PI insurance is recommended.
However, if you’re focused solely on tree cutting, pruning, removals, or stump grinding, public liability insurance is the key cover you need, not professional indemnity.
