Reviewed by licensed advisers at Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver (FSP712931) · Updated 11 November 2026

Roofing Business Insurance NZ: Liability, Limits and What Roofers Are Asked For

Roofing business insurance in New Zealand usually starts with public liability, which pays when your work damages a client's property or injures a member of the public. The limit is set by the contract, not by law, and roofing policies often carry conditions on heights, hot work and water damage. Tools, the work vehicle and statutory liability sit alongside it.

In short

The limit on your liability cover is whatever the builder, property manager or client writes in the contract. Read the insurance clause before you quote.
Roofing is a high-risk trade for insurers. Expect questions about height, torch-on or other hot work, and how much of the work is subcontracted.
Cost depends on turnover, the type of roofing, your claims history and the limit. An adviser needs a short call, so there is no instant online price.

What builders and clients ask roofers for

A liability limit named in the contract, often $1m, $2m or $5m
A certificate showing that limit
How long cover lasts after practical completion
Proof that subcontractors have their own cover

Water getting in

A flashing lapped wrongly can leak months after you leave.

Hot work

A gas torch on a membrane roof can start a fire.

Dropped tools and sheets

A falling sheet damages a car or conservatory below.

Work out what to raise

Tick what applies to you

We re-roof existing houses
Older buildings can involve asbestos-containing materials, which many policies exclude.
Covers to raise: Public liability
We roof new builds
An exposed new build is at risk until it is closed in.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Contract works
We use a gas torch on membrane roofs
Hot work often has its own conditions in the wording.
Covers to raise: Public liability
We do flashings and weathertightness repairs
A flashing lapped wrongly can leak months later.
Covers to raise: Public liability
We employ roofers
Work at height brings duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
Covers to raise: Statutory liability
We use subcontractors
Covers to raise: Public liability, Statutory liability
Nail guns, seamers and ladders live in a van or yard
Covers to raise: Tools and equipment
A ute or truck carries sheets and ladders
Covers to raise: Business vehicles

What these covers do not pay

Re-laying or repairing your own leaking roof.
Asbestos, which many policies exclude.
Your own tools and ladders under public liability.
Damage from work that ignores a hot work or height condition in the wording.
Health and safety fines, which can never be insured (Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, s 29).

General information only. Whether a cover responds depends on the policy wording.

Which clause is in your contract?

Hot work conditions
Welding, grinding, torch-on roofing and similar work often comes with set precautions, such as a fire watch, a permit or an extinguisher on hand. The contract or the insurer may spell these out.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Contract works, Premises, stock and interruption
What it does not decide: It does not decide whether a fire loss is covered. A policy condition about hot work not being followed can affect how a claim is treated, so read the wording.
Subcontractor cover
The contract asks that anyone you sub the work to carries their own insurance, or that your policy responds to their work. Insurers often ask how much work you sub out and whether you check your subbies.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Contract works, Statutory liability
What it does not decide: It does not decide whether your policy covers a subcontractor, or whether theirs is enough. Both depend on the wordings and on what you declared.
Workmanship warranty
You promise to put right defective work for a set period after completion. On residential building work, the Building Act 2004 also implies warranties that sit alongside the contract.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Professional indemnity, Contract works
What it does not decide: It does not decide whether insurance pays to redo your own faulty work. Public liability generally responds to resulting damage to others, not the cost of fixing the work itself.

General information, not legal advice. The full clause and the policy wording decide how it applies.

Check your certificate of currency against the contract

Clients and main contractors in this trade ask for:

A liability limit named in the contract, which varies job to job.
How long cover lasts after practical completion.
Proof that subcontractors have their own cover.

Check the insured name, limit and dates match the contract. The policy wording, not the certificate, decides what is covered. How a certificate of currency works

What each cover may pay, and what it usually does not

Public liability
May respond to
Damage to other property from your roofing work.
Common trigger
A leak, a fire or a falling sheet.
Usually not covered
Redoing your own leaking roof.
Tools and equipment
May respond to
Nail guns, seamers and ladders.
Common trigger
Theft from vans and yards.
Usually not covered
Wear and tear, and gear left unsecured.
Business vehicles
May respond to
A ute or truck carrying ladders and sheets.
Common trigger
A crash or theft of the vehicle.
Usually not covered
Load, unless the policy lists it.
Statutory liability
May respond to
Defence costs if a regulator investigates or prosecutes, depending on the wording.
Common trigger
A regulator reviews a fall or near miss.
Usually not covered
Health and safety fines, which can never be insured.
Contract works
May respond to
The roof and materials where you carry the risk.
Common trigger
Wind, rain or theft on an exposed new build.
Usually not covered
The cost of redoing faulty workmanship.

If something goes wrong

A flashing leaks months later
A flashing is lapped wrongly, and water stains a ceiling and damages insulation.
May respond: Public liability
Have ready
- Photos of the roof and the ceiling
- The job record and date of work
- A moisture report
A torch starts a fire
A gas torch on a membrane roof ignites material beneath it.
May respond: Public liability
Have ready
- The fire brigade report
- Your hot work procedure
- Photos of the site
A sheet falls onto a car
A roofing sheet slides off and damages a car and a conservatory below.
May respond: Public liability
Have ready
- Photos of the damage
- A repair quote
- Notes on how the site was fenced
Wind hits an open new build
Wind lifts underlay on a new build before it is closed in, and rain gets inside.
May respond: Contract works
Have ready
- The contract showing who insures the works
- Dated photos
- Materials invoices

Typical examples, not real claims. ACC deals with most injuries, so an injury claim is mostly about property and legal costs. Whether a claim is paid depends on the policy wording and the facts.

Licence versus insurance

A licence is not insurance.

What the licence or register says

Run by MBIE, with a Roofing licence class.
The scheme says an LBP may carry out or supervise restricted building work only within their licence class.

Source: Licensed Building Practitioners scheme

Why insurers treat roofing as its own risk

You work at height, outdoors, over someone else's building. Water is the big one: a flashing lapped wrongly or a penetration left unsealed can let water in months after you have left, by which time the damage is in the ceiling, insulation and framing.

The others are more immediate. A dropped tool or sheet damages a car. A tarp lifts in a southerly and the room below is soaked. A gas torch on a membrane roof starts a fire.

Public liability is the cover for most of these. It pays for damage to other people's property and injury to the public that your work causes, plus legal costs. It does not pay to redo your own faulty work.

Liability limits for roofers

The limit is the most the insurer will pay for one claim, and the contract sets it. A homeowner re-roof may name no figure. A builder subcontracting you on a new house often will, and a commercial or multi-unit job often names a higher one. Common asks are $1m, $2m and $5m, and a lower limit on your certificate of currency can mean you do not get on site.

Check the limit per claim and whether there is an annual aggregate, meaning a cap across all claims in the year.
Check how long the contract wants cover kept after practical completion. Roofing problems show up late.
Arrange the limit before the quote goes out. Changing limits mid-tender is slow.

For standard-form contracts, see NZS 3910 insurance requirements.

What affects roofing liability cost

Insurers price roofing on turnover or wages, the type of roofing (long-run metal, tile, membrane, shingle, repairs), any hot work such as torch-on, the height and type of building, how much is subcontracted, your claims history, and the limit and excess you choose. A higher limit costs more, and a higher excess usually lowers the premium.

What roofing policies often exclude

Exclusions and conditions are where roofing claims are won and lost. These are areas to ask about, not what every policy says:

Your own work. Public liability responds to the resulting damage, not the fix.
Hot work. Some policies exclude fire from torch-on work, or require fire precautions or training.
Water ingress. Some restrict or exclude claims about water entering a building.
Asbestos. Re-roofing older buildings can involve asbestos-containing materials, many policies exclude it, and WorkSafe publishes asbestos guidance for tradespeople.
Height limits. Some limit the height or type of building.
Subcontractors. Cover may depend on the subcontractor holding their own policy.
Fines. Section 29 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 makes any cover for them of no effect.

The Building Act 2004 sets a 10-year limit (s 393(2)) on civil proceedings about building work, so a roof claim can turn up years later. Ask how your policy treats claims that arrive after you change insurer or sell the business.

Other covers a roofing business looks at

Tools and equipment. Nail guns, seamers and ladders are stolen from vans and yards. See tool insurance.
Business vehicle. A ute or truck carrying ladders and sheets needs business vehicle cover.
Contract works. If you carry the risk on a project, see contract works insurance.
Statutory liability. If you employ roofers, this can pay defence costs when a regulator investigates. See statutory liability.
Business interruption. If fire or storm stops the yard, see business interruption insurance.

Licensing and insurance are separate

The Licensed Building Practitioners scheme is run by MBIE and has a Roofing licence class, and LBPs must not carry out or supervise restricted building work outside their class (licensing classes). An insurer may ask about your class at application. Running the whole build? See builders insurance. Work at height also carries duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and insurance does not replace meeting them.

For your own income, see income protection for tradies and business protection. The wider picture is in the tradie insurance guide and the business insurance hub.

How we help

A Smiths adviser will phone you to talk through which covers to look at. Some business covers we refer to another licensed Financial Advice Provider, and we will tell you who, and how they are paid, before your details go to that firm. There is no instant online quote. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission or referral payment if you buy. Cover and price depend on insurer underwriting and the policy wording. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does roofing liability insurance cost in NZ?

It depends on your turnover, the type of roofing, any hot work, subcontracting, claims history, and the limit and excess you choose. An adviser needs a short conversation about the business before anyone can give a sensible number.

What liability limit do I need as a roofer?

The limit comes from your contracts, not from a rule. Builders and commercial clients commonly ask for $1m, $2m or $5m. Check the insurance clause before you quote.

Does public liability cover a leaking roof I installed?

Generally it does not pay to redo your own work. It can respond to the damage the leak causes to other people's property, subject to the wording. Ask how your policy treats water ingress.

Is torch-on roofing covered?

Some policies exclude fire from hot work or attach conditions to it. Tell the adviser at the start if you do torch-on work.

Do I need insurance if I only subcontract to a builder?

Often yes. Builders commonly want proof of public liability before you start, so ask for the insurance clause in the subcontract.

References

Related industries

Protect the people behind the business

Liability cover protects the business from claims. If you or a business partner could not work, or died, key person and shareholder cover can help keep the business, and your family, going.

Key person cover, if the business relies on you
Shareholder cover, so partners can buy each other out
Income protection for owners and the self-employed

Quoting a roof with an insurance clause?

A licensed Smiths adviser phones you and asks about the type of roofing, any torch-on work, how much you subcontract and the limit in your contract. If we refer you to another licensed firm, we tell you who first. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission or referral payment if you buy.

A licensed Smiths adviser phones you. If we refer you to another licensed firm we tell you who first and how they are paid.

Read the full insurance guides

Tell us how the business trades and a Smiths adviser will phone you to talk through which covers to look at. Check what cover you need. No cost to talk it through.