General liability
Injury and property damage arising from repair and maintenance work in client properties.
Business Insurance
Handyman insurance for the trade that does everything.
Doing a bit of everything is what makes handyman work useful to clients and awkward to underwrite. The scope you declare decides whether a claim gets paid.
Handyman businesses sit in an unusual position: the work is genuinely varied, but insurance policies are written around defined scopes. That mismatch is the single biggest source of declined claims in this trade, and it is almost always avoidable by being accurate about what you actually do.
Declare the full scope, including what you rarely do
If your policy is written for general repairs and light carpentry, and a claim arises from the one roof you patched last spring, the carrier will look at the scope you declared. Occasional work outside your stated scope is exactly where cover fails.
Tell us everything the business does, including the jobs you take once or twice a year. Some of it may need to be excluded or rated separately, and that is a far better outcome than assuming it was covered.
Work at height and the roofing question
Roofing is the most common sticking point. Many carriers that happily write handyman work will exclude roofing outright, or restrict it by height and pitch. The same applies to significant electrical and plumbing work, which may need a licensed trade.
None of that means the work cannot be insured — it means it needs to be placed with a carrier whose appetite matches, which is straightforward when several are being approached rather than one.
What it covers
The parts of a handyman insurance policy
Tools and equipment
Hand and power tools, covered in the vehicle, on site and in storage.
Commercial auto
The truck or van, rated for business use rather than personal.
Completed operations
Claims arising after you have finished and left the property.
Certificates
Same-day documents for property managers, letting agents and commercial clients.
Workers compensation
If you take on a helper, and often required by commercial property managers.
Working with us
What we do differently
We are an independent agency, so we place your handyman insurance across several carriers rather than fitting you to one company's product. That means a genuine comparison, and someone to call who is not a call centre.
- Declare every type of work you take on, including the occasional jobs
- Check whether roofing and work at height are excluded before you accept one
- Rate the truck commercially — a personal auto policy can decline a work claim
- Keep certificates on hand for property managers, who ask for them constantly
Common questions
Handyman Insurance, answered
Do I need insurance to work as a handyman in Texas?
There is no blanket state requirement for general handyman work, but property managers, commercial clients and many residential customers will ask for a certificate. Work that requires a licensed trade, such as significant electrical or plumbing, carries its own rules.
Is roofing covered?
Often not. Many carriers exclude roofing from handyman policies or restrict it by height and pitch. If you take roofing work, say so up front so the policy is placed with a carrier that accepts it.
What happens if I do a job outside my declared scope?
A claim arising from work outside the scope on your policy can be declined. This is the most common way handyman claims fail, and it is entirely avoidable by describing the business accurately when the policy is written.
Are my tools covered in the truck overnight?
Under a tools and equipment policy, generally yes, though some carriers apply conditions about vehicles left unattended overnight. Worth confirming rather than assuming, given how often tools are stolen from parked vans.
Do I need workers comp for a part-time helper?
Texas does not require it, but a helper injured on a job can pursue you directly, and as a non-subscriber you lose key legal defences. Commercial property managers frequently require it regardless.
Related cover
Often arranged alongside this
Contractor Insurance
Most contractors do not buy insurance because they want it. They buy it because a general contractor, a client or a city will not let them start without a certificate.
Read moreArtisan Contractor Insurance
Painters, tilers, drywall, flooring and finish carpentry. Smaller crews, interior work, and a risk profile that carriers price very differently from heavy construction.
Read moreGeneral Liability Insurance
Commercial general liability covers claims brought against your business by other people. It is also the policy almost every client contract and commercial lease requires you to hold.
Read moreReady for a handyman insurance quote?
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