Question 1

Are you insured?

Accepted Answer

Insurance is checked as part of vetting, and you are entitled to ask to see the certificate before work starts — a genuine contractor will produce it without hesitation. Public liability is the one that matters most to a homeowner, and any firm with employees also needs employers' liability by law. Public liability insurance covers damage to your property, or injury to somebody, arising from the work. On a driveway job — where a machine is digging within feet of a house, buried services run under the ground being opened, and lorries are manoeuvring on a residential street — it is not a formality. You are entitled to ask to see the certificate, and it is worth doing. It should be current, it should be in the name of the business quoting you, and the level of cover should be sensible for the job. A contractor reluctant to show it is telling you something worth listening to. Employers' liability insurance is a separate legal requirement for any business with employees, and it is compulsory rather than optional. If a crew of three turns up, that should exist. Vetting on our side means checking that insurance is in place and current, along with references and a look at previous work, before any homeowner's details are passed on. That is done on a best-efforts basis and it is not a guarantee — which is stated plainly in the terms rather than buried. Confirming the credentials directly before work begins is always sensible. Two other things worth knowing. There is no mandatory registration scheme for driveway contractors, so there is no equivalent of a Gas Safe card to ask for. What exists is voluntary: trade association membership, TrustMark, and insurance-backed guarantees on larger jobs. None is legally required and their absence proves nothing — but their presence is a positive signal. And the waste side has its own paperwork worth asking for. Excavated spoil is controlled waste, so the contractor should be registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier and should give you a waste transfer note. That is a legal duty rather than a courtesy, and it protects you as much as anyone.

Question 2

Do you have public liability insurance?

Accepted Answer

Insurance is checked as part of vetting, and you are entitled to ask to see the certificate before work starts — a genuine contractor will produce it without hesitation. Public liability is the one that matters most to a homeowner, and any firm with employees also needs employers' liability by law. Public liability insurance covers damage to your property, or injury to somebody, arising from the work. On a driveway job — where a machine is digging within feet of a house, buried services run under the ground being opened, and lorries are manoeuvring on a residential street — it is not a formality. You are entitled to ask to see the certificate, and it is worth doing. It should be current, it should be in the name of the business quoting you, and the level of cover should be sensible for the job. A contractor reluctant to show it is telling you something worth listening to. Employers' liability insurance is a separate legal requirement for any business with employees, and it is compulsory rather than optional. If a crew of three turns up, that should exist. Vetting on our side means checking that insurance is in place and current, along with references and a look at previous work, before any homeowner's details are passed on. That is done on a best-efforts basis and it is not a guarantee — which is stated plainly in the terms rather than buried. Confirming the credentials directly before work begins is always sensible. Two other things worth knowing. There is no mandatory registration scheme for driveway contractors, so there is no equivalent of a Gas Safe card to ask for. What exists is voluntary: trade association membership, TrustMark, and insurance-backed guarantees on larger jobs. None is legally required and their absence proves nothing — but their presence is a positive signal. And the waste side has its own paperwork worth asking for. Excavated spoil is controlled waste, so the contractor should be registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier and should give you a waste transfer note. That is a legal duty rather than a courtesy, and it protects you as much as anyone.

Question 3

What if something gets damaged?

Accepted Answer

Insurance is checked as part of vetting, and you are entitled to ask to see the certificate before work starts — a genuine contractor will produce it without hesitation. Public liability is the one that matters most to a homeowner, and any firm with employees also needs employers' liability by law. Public liability insurance covers damage to your property, or injury to somebody, arising from the work. On a driveway job — where a machine is digging within feet of a house, buried services run under the ground being opened, and lorries are manoeuvring on a residential street — it is not a formality. You are entitled to ask to see the certificate, and it is worth doing. It should be current, it should be in the name of the business quoting you, and the level of cover should be sensible for the job. A contractor reluctant to show it is telling you something worth listening to. Employers' liability insurance is a separate legal requirement for any business with employees, and it is compulsory rather than optional. If a crew of three turns up, that should exist. Vetting on our side means checking that insurance is in place and current, along with references and a look at previous work, before any homeowner's details are passed on. That is done on a best-efforts basis and it is not a guarantee — which is stated plainly in the terms rather than buried. Confirming the credentials directly before work begins is always sensible. Two other things worth knowing. There is no mandatory registration scheme for driveway contractors, so there is no equivalent of a Gas Safe card to ask for. What exists is voluntary: trade association membership, TrustMark, and insurance-backed guarantees on larger jobs. None is legally required and their absence proves nothing — but their presence is a positive signal. And the waste side has its own paperwork worth asking for. Excavated spoil is controlled waste, so the contractor should be registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier and should give you a waste transfer note. That is a legal duty rather than a courtesy, and it protects you as much as anyone.

Are you insured?

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