An Irish pub or bar that closes for a week loses a week’s takings. A pub that closes for three months loses a season. Insurance claims in licensed premises are about getting trading again as fast as possible, and the difference between a competent claim and a poor one is often six weeks of lost trading on top of the property damage. Here is what matters in pub and bar claims.
The four claim heads on a pub policy
Most commercial policies covering pubs include four sections that engage simultaneously on a major loss:
- Buildings. Reinstatement of the structure, fittings, bar, beer cellar, plumbing, electrics.
- Contents. Stock (beer, wine, spirits), glassware, kitchen equipment, AV systems, soft furnishings.
- Business interruption. Lost gross profit during the period of closure.
- Public liability. Separate policy or section, engaged when a third party (customer, visitor) is injured.
A typical fire claim engages the first three at once. We work all of them in parallel on every business interruption claim for hospitality clients.
Common claim scenarios in Irish pubs
Patterns we see repeatedly:
- Kitchen fires from extraction failures or unattended cooking
- Cellar floods from beer-line failures or external drainage
- Storm damage to roofs and external signage
- Theft of cash, spirits, or AV equipment
- Public liability from slip-and-trip incidents on tiled or wet floors
- Glass breakage in displays, mirrors, or shopfronts
Stock claims, valued correctly
Pub stock claims sit at the intersection of two valuation bases:
- Cost. What the publican paid for the stock at wholesale.
- Selling price. What the same stock would have generated as drinks sales.
The default in most Irish commercial policies is cost basis. The difference between cost and selling price on a 30,000 euro stock loss can be 60,000 euro or more in lost margin. Selling-price cover is an extension worth confirming on the policy schedule. Where it is in force, the stock damage claim includes the lost margin too.
Business interruption: the calculation that matters
BI on a pub claim should reflect:
- Lost gross profit (turnover minus variable costs)
- Continued fixed costs (rent, insurance, mortgage, key staff payroll)
- Additional costs incurred (alternative trading arrangements, marketing relaunch)
- Sustained loss after reopening (customers slow to return)
The “indemnity period” on the policy decides how long the BI cover runs (typically 12, 24 or 36 months). Pub BI claims often need 18 to 36 months of indemnity period to cover the slow-return phase after major works.
Reinstatement realities for licensed premises
Pub reinstatement runs into specific issues:
- Listed-building constraints on older premises
- Planning permission for any external changes
- Council and HSE requirements for kitchens and toilets
- Excise compliance for the bar setup
- Compliance with current building regulations during reinstatement, often more stringent than original construction
Each of these adds time and cost. The original policy basis (reinstatement vs indemnity, sums insured, sub-limits) determines whether the upgrade costs are recoverable.
When to call a loss assessor
For any pub claim above 25,000 euro of property damage or where business interruption is engaged, professional handling pays for itself comfortably. The combined claim across buildings, contents, stock, and BI typically delivers settlements that more than justify the fee, particularly where the BI side is correctly quantified.
The summary
Pub claims are multi-section commercial claims that engage four heads of cover at once. Get the BI right, get the stock valuation right, get the reinstatement scope right. Contact us for a free initial review.
Written by the team at N.J. Carroll & Associates, insurance loss assessors and quantity surveyors, established 1988.
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