Softwashing Insurance: The Cover Gaps That Could Cost You

Mark Cave

Picture this. You've been a window cleaner for six years. Your insurance schedule says window cleaner, you've got public liability with a few million pounds of cover, and you renew it every year without a second thought. Then you add softwashing. You buy a pump, a drum of sodium hypochlorite, and you do your first render job. Three weeks later the customer rings. The wall's gone patchy and the colour's changed. You phone your insurer, fully expecting them to sort it. And they say no. That's a made up scenario, but the policy wording behind it is very real, and it catches people out.

Mark Cave

I'm Mark Cave from SoftWash UK. A while back I talked about treatment risk as one of the pillars that separates properly qualified contractors from cowboy operators. Today I want to take that warning and open it right up. We're going to look at how these policies are actually built, where the traps sit, and finish with an audit you can do on your own paperwork this week.

Mark Cave

Let's start with the big one. Standard trade public liability covers third parties. Drop a lance through a customer's conservatory glazing, that's typically covered. Leave a hose trailing and someone trips, covered. Splash chemical onto a neighbour's parked car, again, generally covered. But here's the catch. Many standard policies exclude damage to the very thing you're working on. The wording is often something like damage to property being worked upon. In our industry, we call it the treatment risk exclusion.

Mark Cave

So think about what that means. You bleach through coloured render. You etch a piece of delicate limestone. You discolour roof tiles. You ruin a powder coated cladding elevation. Those are all damage to the surface you were treating. SoftWash UK's own insurance guidance says it plainly: some standard public liability policies may exclude damage caused by cleaning, treatment or application processes unless treatment risk is included. And a claim for stripped render or damaged roofs can easily reach three thousand pounds, ten thousand, or more. That's not a nuisance. For a small business, that's a serious hit.

Mark Cave

So the fix is simple to say. Ask your broker for an explicit treatment risk endorsement, sometimes worded as damage to property being worked upon, and get it confirmed in writing. Not a chat on the phone. Writing.

Mark Cave

Trap number two is what you declare. Lots of people transition from pressure washing or window cleaning with a generic description on the schedule. Window cleaner. Property maintenance. That description doesn't mention chemicals at all. Some policies carry hazardous substance exclusions that can catch oxidising agents, toxic substances or industrial chemicals unless they've been specifically underwritten. So you need to be clear and honest with your insurer. Sodium hypochlorite. Biocides such as DDAC and BAC. Render cleaning. Roof cleaning. Pressure washing equipment. Domestic and commercial work. Working at height. Vague descriptions can create real problems when a claim is made later. The simplest test is this: ask your insurer whether the activities you've declared match the work you actually carry out.

Mark Cave

Trap number three is height. Plenty of exterior cleaning policies set limits. You'll see two storeys, five metres, or ground level work only. Now, if you're cleaning roofs, gutters or upper render using a MEWP or a mobile access tower, you need to confirm that's endorsed. And don't forget long carbon fibre water fed poles. People assume a pole keeps them at ground level, but the policy might see it differently. Read the actual height wording, then ask your broker to confirm it covers how you really work.

Mark Cave

Now, a few more areas that get overlooked. Pollution first. Say wash off from a job runs into a storm drain, or a pond, or a koi pool, or a local watercourse. That can bring in the Environment Agency or the local authority. Standard policies frequently exclude gradual pollution, so you may need a specific pollution liability extension. Ask the question rather than assuming.

Mark Cave

Then your van. A personal motor policy, or a generic commercial one, can exclude carrying hazardous materials. Think of a 25 litre container of 14 to 15 percent sodium hypochlorite sitting in the back. Then there's the kit. Proportioners, Dosatron systems, pumps, reels. Is goods in transit covered? Is tools and equipment cover in place for when it's all left in the van overnight? SoftWash UK's guidance is clear that your vehicle policy should reflect business use, so check whether it covers tools, chemicals, equipment and commercial travel.

Mark Cave

Now here's the part that really matters. Insurance is not a substitute for competence. When a significant claim comes in, a loss adjuster looks at whether you exercised reasonable care. They may want to see your site specific risk assessment and method statement. Your COSHH assessment. Your pre clean condition photographs and inspection notes. Your training records. And whether you followed the manufacturer's dilution and application ratios. If you can't show any of that, the insurer may argue breach of a policy warranty, or even gross negligence, and refuse to pay. A good policy and a poor paper trail is a risky combination.

Mark Cave

So here's your audit. One. Get your policy wording and schedule out today and read them, properly. Two. Email your broker and ask for written confirmation of treatment risk, and of chemical softwashing including sodium hypochlorite and biocides. Three. Check your height limits against how you actually work. Four. Confirm your vehicle policy covers hazardous chemical transit, plus goods in transit and tools and equipment. Five. Ask about pollution cover. Six. Build the habit of RAMS, COSHH and before and after photographs on every single job. And I'm not an insurer, so always talk to a suitable insurance provider about your own situation.

Mark Cave

Podcasts like this are a good place to start, but if you're serious about offering softwashing professionally, structured training goes much deeper. The SoftWash UK CPD Certified Softwash Training Course is an online course you can work through at your own pace. It covers chemical selection, application methods, surface identification, safety, compliance and pricing, all built from real world experience to help you avoid expensive mistakes. Completing it also gives you the opportunity to become an Approved Softwash Applicator, with a directory listing and a place in the National Association of Softwash community. You'll also find compliance documents, including a RAMS pack, at softwashing.uk.

Mark Cave

So here's my challenge. Before the end of this week, send that one email to your broker and get the answers in writing. If the reply surprises you, you'll be glad you found out now rather than after a claim. Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you in the next one.