Painters & Decorators Insurance Brokers
Cover built around paint, ladders and other people’s property
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What Insurance Does a Painter Need?
Most Australian painters need public liability insurance as the baseline, since it’s what most builders, strata managers and commercial clients require before letting you on site. On top of that, tools and equipment cover, commercial vehicle insurance and personal accident cover round out what most painting businesses actually carry, with workers compensation becoming compulsory the moment you employ staff.
Coverscope works with sole trader painters, painting crews, subcontractors and commercial and strata painting businesses across Australia. Whether the work is residential repaints, commercial fit-outs or spray-applied finishes, the cover needs to reflect what’s actually being painted, at what height, and with what equipment.
What Does Painters Insurance Cover?
The most commonly included cover sections are as follows:
- Public and Products Liability: injury or property damage while you’re on the job, and claims arising from a product or finish you supplied after you’ve left.
- Professional Indemnity (optional): financial loss from advice, colour consultation or specification recommendations, distinct from a physical damage claim.
- Tools and Equipment: spray guns, ladders, scaffolding and power tools against theft, loss or accidental damage.
- Commercial Vehicle: your work van or ute against accidents, theft and vandalism.
- Personal Accident and Income Protection: a portion of your income if you’re injured or ill and can’t work, on the job or off it.
- Workers Compensation: mandatory in every state once you employ staff.
Who Needs Painters Insurance?
Painters carry risk that a generic business policy doesn’t account for, working inside occupied homes and businesses, using spray equipment near other people’s property, and often working at height on ladders or scaffolding. The right mix of cover depends on the type of work, not just the fact that paint is involved.
- Sole trader and self-employed painters
- Painting crews and small painting businesses
- Subcontractors working under a head contractor
- Commercial and strata painting businesses
- Spray painters and airless spray applicators
- Painters working above two storeys or on scaffolding and EWPs
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What's the Difference Between Public and Products Liability for a Painter?
Public liability covers what happens while you’re actively on the job, spilling paint on a client’s floor, or your ladder injuring someone passing by. Products liability covers what happens after you’ve finished and left, a specialty coating or sealant you supplied and applied breaking down months later and causing damage. Most trade packages bundle both together, but they respond to genuinely different moments in the job.
Does Painters Insurance Cover Lead Paint or Asbestos?
Not under a standard policy, and this is worth taking seriously rather than assumed. Virtually all public liability policies in Australia carry a pollution and contamination exclusion, which catches lead paint dust and asbestos fibres disturbed during sanding or surface preparation, exactly the kind of work painters do on older properties. Talk to your broker directly if you work on pre-1990s properties, since a specific pollution or asbestos liability extension is usually available and isn’t something to assume is already included.
Does Painters Insurance Cover Working at Heights?
Generally yes, but often with a limit. Standard public liability typically covers falls from ladders or scaffolding, consistent with the general duty of care Safe Work Australia sets out for working at height, but many policies cap cover at a set height, commonly around two storeys or 10 to 15 metres. If you regularly work on multi-storey commercial buildings or high-access scaffolding, ask your broker about a no-height-limit endorsement rather than assuming standard cover extends that far.
Do Painters Need Professional Indemnity Insurance?
Not legally, but it’s worth considering if your work goes beyond hands-on painting. If you provide colour consultation, specify architectural coatings, or give advice a client relies on, professional indemnity responds to a financial loss claim arising from that advice, which public liability doesn’t cover. Some commercial or head contractor agreements require it specifically, so it’s worth checking before assuming it’s not needed.
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Find The Right Cover
Complete the form to request a QUOTE. Call us at 1300 900 207 for an immediate response.
Painters Insurance Cover Types Explained
Public Liability Insurance
Covers legal costs and compensation if your work injures someone or damages property while you’re on the job, a paint spill on a client’s flooring, a ladder causing a trip hazard, or overspray drifting onto a neighbour’s car. Most builders, commercial clients and strata managers require evidence of it before engaging a painter, commonly at $5 million to $20 million depending on the contract.
Products Liability Insurance
Covers claims arising from a product or finish you supplied and applied, after the job is complete and you’ve left the property. A specialty coating that chemically breaks down and damages timber months later is a products liability claim, not a public liability one, since the incident happens after you’re gone.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Covers financial loss a client suffers because of advice, colour consultation or specification recommendations you provided, distinct from physical damage. See our professional indemnity page for how this cover works more broadly. Relevant for painters offering design input or working on commercial projects where a contract specifically requires it.
Tools and Equipment Insurance
Covers spray guns, ladders, scaffolding, brushes and power tools against theft, loss or accidental damage, on-site or in transit. Theft from a van or ute is a common claim scenario, and some policies require evidence of forced entry or a locked vehicle before a claim responds.
Commercial Vehicle Insurance
Covers your work van, ute or trailer against accidents, theft and vandalism, alongside business liability arising from its use.
Personal Accident and Income Protection
Replaces a portion of your income if you’re injured or become ill and can’t work, whether it happens on the job or in your personal time. Particularly relevant for sole traders and subcontractors without access to sick leave.
Workers Compensation Insurance
A mandatory, state-based policy covering employees for work-related injury or illness, required the moment a painting business employs staff rather than operating as a sole trader or with subcontractors only.
Faulty Workmanship Extension
Standard public liability covers the consequential damage from a mistake, not the cost of redoing the work itself. Peeling paint or an incorrect colour applied generally isn’t covered unless this specific extension has been added, worth asking your broker about if rework costs are a real exposure for your business.
Asbestos and Pollution Liability
Standard liability policies commonly exclude pollution and contamination claims, which catches lead paint dust and asbestos fibres disturbed during sanding or surface preparation. A specific pollution or asbestos liability extension closes this gap and is worth arranging directly with your broker if you regularly work on older properties.
What Usually Isn't Covered?
Exclusions, excess amounts and limits of liability vary between insurers, so always check the current Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before relying on a policy summary. Common exclusions include:
- Cost of rectifying faulty workmanship, unless a specific extension has been added
- Damage to your own product or materials
- Claims for injury to PAYG employees, which fall under workers compensation rather than public liability
- Claims related to asbestos or pollution and contamination, such as lead paint dust, unless a specific extension has been arranged, let your broker know if this matters given the age of properties you work on
- High-pressure spray gun use, unless the policy specifically declares and covers spray application
- Work above a set height, commonly around two storeys or 10 to 15 metres, unless a no-height-limit endorsement is in place
- Consequential loss beyond the nominated indemnity period
What insurance does a painter need?
Most painters need public liability insurance as the baseline, since it’s what most clients and builders require. On top of that, tools and equipment cover, commercial vehicle insurance and personal accident cover are common, and workers compensation becomes mandatory once you employ staff.
Does painters insurance cover lead paint or asbestos claims?
Not under a standard policy. Virtually all public liability policies in Australia carry a pollution and contamination exclusion that catches lead paint dust and asbestos fibres disturbed during sanding or prep work. Let your broker know if you work on pre-1990s properties, so a pollution or asbestos liability extension can be arranged.
Does painters insurance cover overspray damage to a neighbour's property?
Generally yes under public liability, but only if spray application is specifically declared to the insurer. Some standard policies restrict or exclude high-pressure spray gun use unless this is confirmed upfront.
Does painters insurance cover theft of tools from a vehicle?
Yes, under tools and equipment cover, though conditions often apply, such as requiring the vehicle to be locked or showing evidence of forced entry. Reviewing the policy’s specific terms confirms what’s actually required.
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Suite 10B, Level 10, 2 Corporate Court, Bundall QLD 4217
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PO Box 7005, Mount Crosby QLD 4306
Our team continues to work remotely but you are welcome to arrange an appointment with one of our consultants.
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