Who needs Face Painting Insurance?

Many face painters are sole traders who have a relatively low annual income so they wonder why they need face painting insurance to cover their business.

However, anyone who comes into contact with members of the public need to cover themselves because no matter how careful you are, it only takes one accident to result in a compensation claim being made against you.

Also, although most face painters aren’t legally required to have insurance covering their business, often if you don’t have public liability insurance you won’t be allowed to trade because it’s a contractual condition, or you’ll be required to get a licence from the local authority.

There are other risks that a face painter faces and covering those risks via insurance is something that should be considered as well.

Compensation claims

People can claim compensation from you if something you have done or failed to do has resulted in them being injured or their property damaged.

As well as the compensation award, there could also be associated expenses and costs. If the claimant was unable to work due to an injury, there could be lost wages that you would be liable to pay. If they needed to attend hospital, you could be liable for their taxi fares.

Compensation claims can be expensive to settle. A claim for facial scarring could easily cost £50,000 and you could also be liable to pay for private cosmetic surgery to deal with the scarring. Some compensation claims can end up costing £250,000 or more to settle.

Legal defence

As well as paying any compensation awarded, face painting insurers will also deal with any compensation claims made against you on your behalf. This means that you don’t have to deal with solicitors and potentially complex legal arguments.

The legal fees can soon mount up if someone claims compensation from you. Your face painting insurance will cover your legal fees, as well as the claimant’s legal fees.

Legal requirements

If you employ anyone, even if they’re only on a temporary or a casual basis, you’re legally required to have employer’s liability insurance. However, most face painters work as sole operators so this doesn’t apply.

However, although you aren’t legally required to have public liability insurance, many venues will make it a contractual requirement that you can produce evidence of a valid and current public liability insurance policy before they will allow you to operate at their venue. Local authorities will also usually insist that you have public liability insurance.

Public liability insurance is part of a face painting insurance package. You should check that the public liability indemnity limit is sufficient to meet your contractual obligations.

Other types of insurance to consider

Although public liability insurance is the main type of insurance that a face painter needs, there are other risks that face painters face.

If you have business assets, such as office equipment that you use for your business admin or a phone that you use to take bookings and communicate with clients, you should consider insuring those items against accidental damage or loss due to theft.

You should also consider legal expenses insurance. This covers your legal fees if you become involved in legal action such as having criminal charges brought against you, becoming involved in a dispute with a neighbour or a client, or if you find yourself subject to a tax or VAT inspection. Your legal expenses insurer would also help you deal with the legal action, giving you one less thing to worry about.

If you are self-employed, you should also consider personal accident and sickness insurance. This covers your lost income if you’re unable to work because you’re ill or have been injured, either by paying a weekly benefit or by paying a lump sum if you’ll never be able to return to face painting.