What Is Hired-In Plant Insurance?

Hired-in plant insurance covers plant and equipment you’ve rented from a third party, like a plant hire company. Once the kit is delivered to your site, you’re usually contractually responsible for:

• Damage

• Theft

• Loss during transport

• Continuing hire charges if the machinery becomes unusable

Example Equipment:

• Mini diggers

• Dumpers

• Telehandlers

• Generators

• Excavators

• Scissor lifts

This cover ensures that you’re not personally liable if something goes wrong with rented machinery while it’s in your care.

What Is Owned Plant Insurance?

Owned plant insurance protects machinery and tools your business owns outright. It covers loss or damage to equipment due to:

• Theft

• Fire

• Accidental or malicious damage

• Weather-related incidents

• Site or transit damage

Whether you store your machinery on-site, in a yard, or move it between jobs, this policy protects your assets.

Example Equipment:

• Your company’s own dumpers or diggers

• Forklifts and lifting gear

• Ride-on rollers

• Tracked equipment

• Attachments and trailers

This cover is typically arranged on either a named-item basis (for specific pieces of kit) or a blanket basis for businesses with a large or rotating fleet.

Key Differences at a Glance

When You Might Need Both Types of Cover

Many contractors and construction firms use a mix of owned and hired plant across different jobs and sites. In these cases, you’ll likely need both types of insurance:

• Owned plant cover for your machinery

• Hired-in plant cover for anything brought in for specific projects

A combined policy ensures all your kit — regardless of who owns it — is properly protected.

Do I Need Hired-In Plant Cover If the Hire Company Offers Insurance?

You might be offered the hire company’s insurance — but it’s not always the best option. Their policy might:

• Be more expensive

• Include high excess fees

• Provide limited cover (excluding transit or storage)

• Require you to accept liability clauses

Many contractors choose to arrange their own hired-in plant cover to ensure full protection, better policy terms, and faster claims handling.

What About Public Liability?

Neither hired-in nor owned plant insurance automatically includes public liability cover — but both should work alongside a public liability policy.

That policy protects you if:

• The plant causes injury to a third party

• Property is damaged during use of the plant

Always ensure your public liability limit is sufficient for the size and scale of work you’re doing — especially on commercial or public sector sites.

What to Check Before You Buy

Before arranging either type of policy, check:

• The replacement value of the plant

• Who is responsible for storage and security

• Whether cover extends to overnight storage and transit

• What the excess amounts are

• Whether continuing hire charges are included (for hired-in plant)

Your broker can help build a combined policy if you operate with both owned and hired plant on-site.

Need a quote or want to review your current policy?
Call us on 01474 833 322 or get a fast online quote at: www.abainsurance.co.uk/trades-insurance-quote/