Canterbury InsuranceDAC · Dublin

What this cover does

Class 13 — General Liability — is the catch-all liability class under Annex I of the Solvency II Directive. The Directive defines it as covering "all liability other than those referred to in classes 10, 11 and 12" — that is, all liability other than motor, aircraft, and ship liability. In practical terms, this means the entire spectrum of third-party liability that a business can face from its products, services, premises, employees, and decisions.

For most commercial buyers, Class 13 cover sits at the heart of their liability programme — and for many service businesses, it is the most important policy they buy.

Lines of liability cover

Public Liability

Cover for third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from the insured's business activities, premises, and operations. The bedrock liability cover for any business that interacts with the public, contractors, or visitors.

Products Liability

Cover for third-party injury or damage caused by products supplied, sold, manufactured, or distributed by the insured. Material for manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, and food businesses.

Professional Indemnity

Cover for financial loss suffered by clients as a result of professional negligence, breach of duty, or error or omission in the provision of professional services. Essential for consultants, advisors, designers, technical professions, and regulated service providers.

Employers' Liability

Cover for the insured's legal liability to its own employees for bodily injury or disease arising out of and in the course of employment. Required in many EU jurisdictions; written by Canterbury in line with the applicable national framework.

Directors' & Officers' Liability

Cover for the personal liability of directors, officers, and senior managers for wrongful acts in their corporate capacity — including investigation costs, defence costs, and settlements.

Environmental Liability

Cover for sudden and gradual pollution liability, clean-up costs, and statutory environmental obligations under the EU Environmental Liability Directive and equivalent national regimes.

Working with brokers on complex liability programmes

Canterbury's liability underwriters have backgrounds in both broking and claims. We work directly on programme structure — primary and excess layers, sub-limits, retention design, and trigger basis (occurrence vs claims-made) — alongside the broker and the client.

Who it's for

Canterbury writes Class 13 liability cover for a broad range of commercial activities, with particular focus on:

  • Mid-market manufacturers, distributors, and importers
  • Professional services firms — consultancies, design and engineering practices, technology providers
  • Commercial property owners and operators
  • Hospitality, leisure, and event-organising businesses
  • Financial and corporate D&O exposures for unlisted and family-owned businesses
  • Risks with environmental exposures requiring tailored pollution cover

How we underwrite

Liability is fundamentally about the activity, the people, and the historical experience. We underwrite individually: claims history, scale of operations, geographic spread, contractual environment, and risk management arrangements all matter more than industry-average benchmarks. We're comfortable structuring manuscript cover where the standard market wordings don't fit.

Talk to an underwriter

Have a Class 13 risk to discuss?

Our liability team works directly with brokers across the EU.

Contact us