GUIDE · FOR UK SOLAR INSTALLERS · 11 MIN READ

Solar Installer Insurance: What UK Installers Need

Legal minimum employers' liability cover

£5m

Legal minimum employers' liability cover

Fine for each day without proper EL cover

£2,500

Fine for each day without proper EL cover

Minimum public liability under the MCS Installer Agreement

£2m

Minimum public liability under the MCS Installer Agreement

Minimum cover from MCS approved financial protection

6 years

Minimum cover from MCS approved financial protection

Insurance comes up at three moments: when you take on your first employee, when you apply for or move across MCS, and when a commercial client or main contractor asks for your certificates before letting you on site. This guide sets out what is required, by whom, and what a commercial customer is likely to check.

Last updated 22 October 2026. Legal requirements are from GOV.UK and HSE; scheme requirements from MCS and NICEIC; commercial expectations from RC62; all read that day and listed at the end. We don't quote premiums or recommend insurers. This is general information, not insurance advice: speak to a broker.

The cover at a glance

Employers' liability: the legal requirement

Under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, GOV.UK says you must get employers' liability (EL) insurance as soon as you become an employer, covering at least £5 million, from an authorised insurer. It pays compensation if an employee is injured or becomes ill because of the work they do for you. HSE adds that the £5 million minimum includes costs, and that in practice most insurers offer at least £10 million.

• Fines. Up to £2,500 for every day you are not properly insured, and up to £1,000 if you don't display the certificate or refuse to show it to an HSE inspector.
• The certificate. Display it where employees can easily read it; since 1 October 2008 that can be electronic if employees know where to find it and can reach it.
• Exemptions. Not needed if you only employ close family members (but HSE says this doesn't apply to family businesses incorporated as limited companies), or for a company whose only employee is its owner holding 50% or more of the shares.
• Authorised insurer. GOV.UK says to check the insurer on the Financial Conduct Authority register.
• Old certificates. There's no legal requirement to keep out-of-date certificates, but HSE strongly advises keeping a full record, because some diseases appear decades after exposure.

Subcontractors. If you use self-employed fitters, HSE is clear that the label doesn't decide it: what matters is the real relationship and how much control you have. You may need EL cover for someone where you deduct tax and national insurance, control where, when and how they work, supply their materials and equipment, or they can't send a substitute. You may not where they work for others too, bring most of their own kit, are clearly in business for themselves and can send a substitute. HSE says that even someone self-employed for tax may count as an employee for EL purposes, and to take legal advice if in doubt. These GOV.UK rules cover employees based in England, Scotland and Wales.

Public liability

HSE describes public liability as cover for claims made against you by members of the public or other businesses, but not by employees, and says it is generally voluntary. For a solar installer it is not optional in practice: the MCS Installer Agreement requires public liability insurance with a minimum coverage of £2 million, and NICEIC adds that the policy must detail the scope of work undertaken. Make sure the scope on your schedule actually describes solar PV, battery storage and roof work, at the heights you work at.

Professional indemnity

Professional indemnity (PI) covers claims arising from your professional services, such as a system design, a performance estimate or advice that turns out to be wrong. The MCS Installer Agreement requires PI "sufficient to cover any liabilities arising from any professional services You provide", and NICEIC states the MCS figure as £250,000.

On commercial work, design is a bigger share of the job, and RC62 recommends that the PV provider or installer holds "appropriate insurance including an appropriate level of professional indemnity to cover the scope of the project requirements". On a large roof that may mean more than the MCS minimum; size it against the contracts you sign.

Guarantees and financial protection

This is the customer's insurance, not yours, but you buy it and it is part of your scheme obligations on domestic work:

• Insurance-backed guarantees (current MCS scheme). MCS says that with domestic customers you must guarantee the workmanship for at least two years, transferable to a new owner, and insure it so it is honoured if you stop trading. For domestic installations an IBG is required, and you name its provider when you create the MCS certificate. Pay for it when you register the installation: MCS says a policy is only valid once the premium is paid and the policy issued to the customer, its cover should match your guarantee period, and it runs for up to 10 years.
• MCS approved financial protection (redeveloped scheme). These products replace IBGs as mandatory. MCS says they give at least six years' cover, protect the customer if you go bust, retire or refuse to put a problem right, and cap the excess at £250. Installers on the current scheme can already use them in place of an IBG.
• Regulated cover. HIES, an MCS approved provider, notes that where a guarantee is backed by a regulated insurer, eligible consumers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the insurer fails, and complaints can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

These requirements are written for domestic contracts. On a commercial contract, guarantee terms are whatever you agree with the client, so put them in writing. Our guide to PAS 2030, TrustMark and RECC covers the consumer codes and schemes these products sit alongside.

Contract works and other cover

Beyond the three named covers, the MCS Installer Agreement asks for "any other insurance necessary to cover risks associated with the services performed". Neither the law nor MCS lists what that is, so talk it through with a broker. Things commonly discussed for an installation business include cover for the works themselves while they are being built (often called contract works or contractors' all risks, relevant when a commercial contract makes you responsible for the works until handover), tools and plant, stock in transit, and vehicles. Read any contract you sign for the insurance it asks you to hold.

Working at height

HSE says falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace deaths and major injuries, commonly from ladders and through fragile roofs. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, before working at height you must avoid it where reasonably practicable, prevent falls where it can't be avoided, and minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk can't be eliminated. Work has to be properly planned, supervised and done by competent people.

The practical link to insurance: tell your insurer the heights, roof types and access equipment you use, and make sure the policy doesn't exclude them. On older commercial roofs, fragile sheeting and asbestos are where the risk sits; see our asbestos roof guide.

What clients and main contractors check

The fullest published list of what a commercial client should look for is in RC62, the Joint Code of Practice for fire safety with PV, developed by insurers through RISCAuthority with MCS. As a minimum it recommends that the installer:

• holds MCS certification in PV systems and BS EN ISO 9001:2015;
• is an SSIP registered member of an organisation such as Acclaim or CHAS;
• holds appropriate certification and competence for DC, low voltage AC and, where relevant, high voltage systems;
• holds appropriate insurance including professional indemnity for the scope of the project;
• and, as desirable, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

RC62 also tells clients to review previous experience and references, check key staff's competence in line with CDM 2015, carry out a financial review of the company, and review the subcontractors. Separately, it asks for the project to be discussed with the building's insurer, who may have its own requirements. The MCS Installer Agreement requires you to provide evidence of your insurance on request. Have your certificates, policy schedules and accreditation evidence ready in one pack. Our RC62 fire safety guide covers the rest of the code.

Before you buy or renew

1. 1Check the legal minimum. Employers' liability of at least £5 million if you have employees, with the certificate displayed.
2. 2Check your scheme. At least £2 million public liability, professional indemnity for the services you provide, and evidence ready for MCS on request.
3. 3Match the wording to the work. The policy schedule should name solar PV, batteries, roof work and any design you do, at the heights and on the roof types you work on.
4. 4Size cover for your biggest contracts. Commercial contracts may ask for more than the MCS minimums. Read the insurance clause before you sign.
5. 5Sort the customer's protection. On domestic jobs, an IBG or MCS approved financial protection product bought for every installation.
6. 6Keep records. Old EL certificates, policy schedules and guarantee certificates, kept long after the job.

Starting out? Our guide to starting a solar panel business covers structure, VAT and the MCS roles, and our commercial solar leads put booked surveys with business owners in your diary.

Solar installer insurance: FAQ