Land With Public Right Of Way Public Liability Insurance

Land Public Liability Insurance for Land with Public Rights of Way

Owning land with public rights of way — including footpaths and bridleways — brings unique responsibilities and potential risks. Even if your land isn’t actively used by you, you can still be held responsible for injuries or property damage to members of the public using these paths. Public liability insurance for land with rights of way protects you financially if an incident occurs on your land.

Whether your land includes access tracks, public footpaths, bridleways, fields, woodlands, lakes, or mixed-use countryside, you may be liable for accidents even if visitors are there without explicit permission. This insurance offers vital financial protection, covering legal costs, medical expenses, and compensation payouts.

Possible example claims for land with public rights of way include:

A walker trips over a hidden tree root on a footpath and breaks an ankle, resulting in a claim for medical expenses and loss of income
A horse rider is thrown after encountering an unexpected hazard on a bridleway and claims for injuries and equipment damage
A cyclist hits a pothole or rut on a permitted path, causing serious injury and resulting in a compensation claim
A tree branch falls onto a passing walker’s vehicle parked near a path, leading to a claim for repair costs
A delivery driver accessing your land slips on wet or uneven ground, leading to an injury claim

Key benefits of public liability insurance for land with footpaths & bridle paths

Protection against costly compensation claims
Cover for legal defence fees and settlement costs
Peace of mind for landowners and estate managers
Flexible limits of indemnity to suit your level of public access and risk exposure
Protection whether paths are permissive or public rights of way

Having strong liability cover helps you manage unexpected incidents confidently and ensures you meet legal or local council obligations, especially when allowing public access or maintaining rights of way.

At Quote Monkey, we specialise in flexible, tailored liability solutions for landowners with footpaths and bridle paths. Our policies are competitively priced and easy to arrange online, giving you the freedom to share and maintain your land safely and without worry.

Employers’ Liability Insurance for Land with Public Rights of Way

If you own or manage land and employ anyone — whether for maintaining footpaths, hedge cutting, fencing, or general land management — you are legally required to hold employers’ liability insurance. This cover protects you financially if an employee, volunteer, or seasonal worker is injured or becomes ill as a result of their work on your land.

Whether you employ permanent staff, part-time maintenance workers, seasonal ground teams, or volunteers helping with upkeep, employers’ liability insurance ensures you can continue operating without the risk of heavy compensation payouts.

Employers’ liability insurance covers legal costs, medical expenses, and compensation claims. Possible example claims include:

A groundskeeper slips on wet ground while clearing a bridleway and fractures their wrist, resulting in a claim for medical costs and lost wages
A worker strains their back while installing new fencing along a footpath, leading to a claim for rehabilitation costs
A seasonal worker operating machinery to maintain access tracks suffers an injury and makes a compensation claim
A volunteer helping clear overgrown sections of a path trips over roots and requires surgery, leading to a damages claim

Key benefits of employers’ liability insurance for landowners:

Meets legal requirements if you employ staff or use volunteers
Protects against costly claims from employees or helpers
Covers legal fees, medical expenses, and compensation payouts
Provides peace of mind to focus on land and path management confidently
Flexible cover limits to suit your workforce and activities

At Quote Monkey, we offer specialist employers’ liability insurance designed for landowners managing public rights of way. Our policies are competitively priced, easy to arrange online, and help you stay compliant so you can run your land safely and effectively.

Liability Cover for Footpaths, Bridleways & Other Access Routes

Allowing public recreational access — whether for walkers, cyclists, or horse riders — is a great way to share your land, but it also increases your exposure to liability claims. At Quote Monkey, we offer tailored liability insurance to cover land with public footpaths, bridleways, or other access routes, so you stay protected if someone is injured or their property is damaged.

Possible example claims include:

A walker slips on muddy ground on a footpath and fractures their ankle, leading to a claim for medical expenses and lost income
A cyclist crashes after hitting an unseen hazard on a permitted path and files a claim for injury and equipment replacement costs
A horse rider falls due to an unexpected obstacle on a bridleway, resulting in a claim for medical treatment and tack damage

Key benefits of this cover:

Protection from claims by walkers, cyclists, and horse riders
Covers legal defence costs and settlements
Peace of mind when providing public access
Helps meet local authority or council requirements for public liability
Flexible indemnity limits to suit the level of activity and usage

Whether you have a single footpath, multiple interconnected trails, or extensive bridle routes, our tailored liability insurance allows you to welcome visitors confidently without worrying about unexpected financial risks. At Quote Monkey, we understand the needs of landowners with public access routes and provide flexible, affordable cover so you can maintain and share your land with confidence.

Liability Cover for Unoccupied Buildings on Land with Rights of Way

If your land includes unoccupied buildings — such as barns, sheds, or disused agricultural structures — these can pose risks to visitors using public paths nearby. Even if unused, these buildings remain your responsibility and can lead to costly claims.

At Quote Monkey, we can include liability cover for unoccupied buildings as part of your land insurance policy. This protects you if someone is injured or their property is damaged due to hazards from these structures.

Possible example claims include:

A visitor trips over debris inside an unused barn and suffers a serious injury, resulting in a claim for medical expenses and compensation
A child trespassing near a footpath climbs onto a derelict building, falls, and claims for injury costs
A contractor inspecting a nearby path is injured by a falling beam from an unused shed, leading to a claim for damages and legal costs

Key benefits of liability cover for unoccupied buildings:

Protects you against unexpected claims from unused structures
Covers legal defence costs, medical expenses, and settlements
Peace of mind, even if your buildings aren’t actively used or maintained
Helps you meet legal obligations if your land is accessible to the public
Flexible cover options to match different building types and conditions

Even if these structures are not actively in use, they remain a potential source of liability. At Quote Monkey, we understand the risks that come with owning unoccupied buildings on land with public access. Our policies are flexible, affordable, and easy to arrange online — so you can secure essential protection with confidence.

At Quote Monkey, we specialise in protecting rural landowners and understand the risks that come with owning and managing unoccupied buildings. Our policies are flexible, affordable, and easy to arrange online, so you can secure essential protection with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions – Rural Landowners Insurance