The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Buildings & planning => Topic started by: jaffab on February 23, 2026, 03:34:30 pm
-
Q for the group. I just got out insurance quote from Greenlands - and its jumped from £1060 a year to almost £1900 becuase their old provider (Axa) no longer does smallholding insurance and they had to get a new provider (iFarm Underwriting).
Clearly, I am very unhappy with the insurance leap. So wondering what others are doing for insurance?
The new quote does not cover machinery or livestock/dogs, but covers £10m of public liability and £2m of environmental liability.
It also includes £183 of tax, £65 of insurer fee, £50 arangment fee etc.
We have 8 sheep, 3 goats and a handful of chickens - but all are fenced off pretty secure.
The whole thing is not commerical - a small hobby smallholding.
Was wondering what other people are doing - was thinking maybe cheaper to get home/house insurance and then public liability seperatly.
What is the minimum that is needed?
-
Presume the Public Liability is because you have paying visitors to your farm? Otherwise, it sounds like you have the wrong kind of insurance.
We had chickens and sheep in England and didn't have any insurance specifically for that. I don't think it is a requirement either as they were all 'pets'.
I'd just not bother with it at all. Sounds like a real ripoff and when you make a claim they will do their best to avoid paying it. Spend the money on keeping the enclosures escape proof including locking the gates so someone can't get in and let them out 'for fun'.
What you do need is buildings and machinery insurance, because of fire or theft.
-
Nope - no paying visitors. Only visitors are friends and tradesmen (painters for the house etc).
I was pretty positive you needed public liability - if somebody walked across you land (tresspass, we have no rights of public access but people come up our drive now and again, lost) and fell over a branch because they had their eyes shut, they could sue you if they were injured.
-
Yup, plus if any sheep get on the road and cause an accident, things like that.
-
£1900 sounds an awful lot for something that almost certainly will never happen. A sign on the gate saying 'Private Property, Enter at your own risk' will cover the sue for anything American and now it seems British mentality. Spending that premium on fences and double gates will cover the other.
Presume you have legal costs cover on the house and land? Consider £100K an absolute minimum. They only spend half on your case in anticipation of costs against them and with frequent changes of solicitor (we had 10 different) each taking well over £1000 for 'familiarisation', there is pretty much very little left to mount any kind of defence with the prospect of an appeal as well.
My opinion remains unchanged. £1900 is an absolute ripoff, in fact any amount for what they are covering is.