Insurance for fitness instructors
Fitness and exercise are the centre of your world – but they are not without their risks. There are no legal insurance requirements for fitness instructors but if you’re self-employed and work hard to help people reach their fitness goals, you don’t want a costly lawsuit to weigh down on your success.
Our guide to insurance for fitness instructors
Explanation of insurance requirements for fitness instructors
As a professional fitness instructor, it’s your job to push your clients so they can reach their fitness goals. But what if they wake up the next day with a painful injury?
You might think it’s their responsibility to know their limits, but it’s not always so straightforward. If they seek legal advice, you could find yourself on the receiving end of an expensive personal injury claim, making you responsible for paying compensation.
And what about accidents? As a fitness instructor, you might be leading sessions in
the park or in a fitness studio. If you or one of your clients causes accidental damage
to the property, space, or equipment you’re using, you could find yourself with a
nasty bill. When you’re working directly with clients, you might find yourself in their
home or handling their possessions. Relationships can quickly turn sour – not to
mention expensive – should a client feel you have damaged their belongings or
property.
If someone hurts themselves during a class you’re leading, you’ll want to make sure
they receive the medical attention they need and are looked after without the worry
of an expensive lawsuit ringing in the back of your mind.
“Personal liability insurance” is often the term used during google searches for insurance requirements for fitness instructors. There is no insurance product of such a name. The two legal covers that will make sure your focus can remain on the wellbeing of your clients, and not your bank account are professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Legal insurance offers you a safety net so that you can focus on your clients’ health and fitness without the worry of expensive legal action.
Public liability insurance for fitness instructors
Everyone loves to feel the burn of an intense workout, but if someone pushes themselves too far it could be your business that takes the fall.
You can see how easily something could go wrong – a client tripping on a weight, someone slipping on a mat, or simply a go-getter who doesn’t know their limits and causes themselves injury.
Public liability insurance will cover you should someone be injured because of your business. It also covers any damage caused by you or a client while you’re delivering classes or working with clients.
By taking out public liability insurance, you won’t break a sweat if someone injures themselves at one of your classes. That’s because any costs you may incur from legal action will be covered.
Being a fitness instructor without public liability insurance is an extremely risky game and due to the nature of the business you provide, public liability insurance is worth considering.
Professional indemnity insurance for fitness instructors
You’ll know that when someone finds a fitness class that works for them, they’ll come back week after week. That’s because they love the way you lead the class, the workouts you offer and the results they see. But it’s also because they feel comfortable and safe in your hands.
Your reputation is everything as a fitness instructor, so a rogue accusation about your conduct could soon turn your popular, oversubscribed classes into a ghost town.
Imagine a client pulls you aside at the end of a class to say thanks and to ask for some advice on their home workouts and general health. You, with the best intentions, might give them some pointers and advice. But if they misunderstand your guidance or misinterpret your advice, they could either hurt themselves outside of your class.
The other danger, especially in today’s world, is how you address someone, the things you say and your tone of voice. If a client takes offence to the advice you provide, you might end up facing an allegation of insensitive conduct leading to a professional negligence/duty of care breach legal claim.
Professional indemnity insurance will cover you, should you be sued for any of the above. It will make sure that should you be on the receiving end of a lawsuit, costs and legal advice will be covered, minimising the impact of the case and allowing you to focus on delivering and growing your business.
Business legal expenses extension
Suited also provides an invaluable legal cover extension with its professional indemnity cover to take care of other scenarios a self employed professional might face while running a business.
The good news is that Business Legal Protect is included as standard with the PI cover, nothing extra to pay. It can provide you with legal and professional help with situations like unpaid invoices, tax disputes, threats to your professional reputation or contractual disputes.
Common Questions
What is personal liability insurance for fitness instructors?
As a fitness instructor you need to protect yourself with professional indemnity and public liability insurance which, combined, protect your liability towards your clients and third parties such as premises owners or the members of the public.
Are there any legal insurance requirements for a fitness instructor in the UK?
Fitness instructors are not required to hold any insurance by law. However, gym, dojos or parks might require you to have professional indemnity or public liability insurance or both.
Do I need insurance to run a fitness class?
If you wish to protect yourself against possible legal claims of professional negligence, duty of care breach, causing an injury or property damage then yes. Another reason is if you’re working from a third party premises.
What insurance limits do I need as a fitness instructor?
Be guided by how many clients you have, how much you charge, how risky your classes are. If you have a contract with a premises provider, it might specify the minimum limit requirement. Always ensure that all contracts you have, either with your clients or third parties, limit your liability to the lowest possible amount. For example if a small studio that you rent demands that you have a £5,000,000 public liability limit, then there is a scope to renegotiate to a more appropriate limit reflective of the property.
Covers we offer
Suited small business owner and freelancer insurance starts with professional indemnity. It’s our core cover. With that you can also get public liability and a couple of other helpful insurance add-ons for a solid protection of your business.
Recent articles
What does ‘hibernate’ mean in professional indemnity insurance?
Imagine you’ve just delivered the last piece of work for your client and plan to take some time off, perhaps for good. Cancelling your professional indemnity cover is an option but not a very good one. The work you did in the past may still catch up with you in the future and since professional indemnity insurance (PI) works on a ‘claims made basis’, you won’t be able to access its benefits unless you have an active PI cover in place.
What is a retroactive date in professional indemnity insurance?
A retroactive date is a line in the sand which determines a specific point in the past from which your insurers have agreed to insure your business. You are effectively allowed by some insurers to backdate your professional indemnity (PI) cover so that your business is protected against possible claims as a result of your past work.
Is professional indemnity insurance the same as public liability insurance?
In short, no. It isn’t. Professional indemnity and public liability insurance are both legal covers, meaning you’re protecting yourself and your business against legal threats from clients and third parties. However, there are subtle differences and whether you need one, the other or both does depend on your business activities.
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