Garage conversion insurance: cover to check before work

Before a garage conversion, check your existing home-insurance policy, tell the insurer about the work when required and ask what conditions or exclusions apply. Separately verify the contractor’s public liability and, where relevant, employers’ liability, contract-works and professional-indemnity arrangements. Insurance, warranties and building-control certificates protect against different risks.

Cover for the existing home

Changing a garage can alter the risk to the existing structure, contents, access and neighbouring property. Your insurer may require notice before substantial building work, temporary vacancy, structural alterations or changes to locks and security. Ask for the answer in writing and keep it with the contract.

Cover to ask the contractor about

• Public liability for injury or damage to third-party property.
• Employers’ liability where the business employs people, subject to the legal rules.
• Contract-works or contractors-all-risks cover for the work, materials and temporary risks.
• Professional indemnity where a designer, engineer or consultant is responsible for professional advice.
• Subcontractor arrangements and whether their cover extends to the work they carry out.

Do not rely on a verbal statement that the contractor is insured. Ask for the insurer, policy type, expiry date, relevant limits and exclusions, then check whether the scope matches the work. Avoid publishing a fixed “required” limit when the correct cover depends on the contract and risk.

Insurance is not a warranty

A warranty may address agreed workmanship or defects. Building-control documents record a statutory approval route. Insurance responds only to risks covered by the policy wording. Read the payment and contract guide to record who carries each risk and when cover must be in place.

Questions to ask before signing

Ask the home insurer whether the property remains covered during works, whether an excess changes, and whether unoccupied periods or structural alterations need notification. Ask the contractor whether public liability covers damage to existing property and whether contract-works cover is in place. If a designer or engineer is responsible for professional advice, ask what professional-indemnity arrangement applies. Record answers, policy dates and exclusions.