In a hire agreement for a concert venue I'm looking at, if any damage is caused to any aspect of the property (floor coverings, furniture etc), I would be personally liable. Does anyone know if it's possible to get insurance to cover this liability and how much would it be?

Thanks

Is a clause of this nature not typical of hire agreements

I agree with David. I would expect a concert venue to have pretty comprehensive insurance - find somewhere else!

Thanks for your thoughts, both of you. I'll go back to them first and see if it's a negotiable clause in the contract

I think this is covered by Public Liability Insurance - it's not very expensive and can get you cover up to around £5,000,000 normally.

Unfortunately it's all part of the litigous society we live in these days. The insurance won't only cover you against any claims from the venue due to damage, it'll also cover you against other 3rd party claims. The venue may sometimes ask for proof of this. Considering it's pretty cheap, I'd just get it for the peace of mind - that way if someone manages to set off sprinklers or something then you're covered as you are the hirer and responsible for the event

Make sure you talk to the venue to see what they expect covered (just furnishings, or other property?). They might be able to provide the cover for a small fee. They might just be asking for cover against 3rd party claims as they might have their own insurance for the venue and hired instruments.

Skyers - how did you get on...?

There was something similar for the hire agreement on the playday, but I was told by the venue manager that it wasn't something I should really worry about (what with it being a closed rehearsal) as it's intended to cover the venue for paid concerts open to the public etc where it's far more likely that there could be some sort of litigation if someone has an accident etc?

I wasn't able to get hold of the person who deals with the hire agreements to discuss it (I gather he works part-time flexible hours) - I'm looking at some other venues instead

Thanks for all the advice