Working from home insurance: What you need to know

Working from home insurance is reasonably clear-cut; if you run a business from your home, you need working from home insurance. If you fail to declare that you are running a business from your home when applying for home insurance, your insurance could be invalid.

Although to many people operating a business from home, this can seem like an unnecessary expense, working from home insurance provides useful additional cover that in the right circumstances, may prove highly beneficial.

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What exactly does a good working from home insurance policy cover you for?

Public liability insurance in case of injury to a visitor

Employee liability insurance to cover anyone assisting you in the course of your business

Legal expenses support, such as a breach of the Health and Safety at work act 1974

Business interruption and alternative accommodation costs in the event of a relevant claim

There may also be an additional contents cover requirement, to cover business equipment such as PC’s. This can include accidental damage. A good example of a need for this would be if you own a guest house; you can be covered for accidental damage and theft by guests.

Is working from home insurance over complicating your home insurance policy?

No, it’s not complicated at all. A good insurer should be able to tailor your policy to suit your home and the demands of your business. Depending on the type of business you run, you may need things like product liability insurance. This gives you a safety net should a manufacturer not be liable as you’ve sold a product in an unsafe condition.

Also, do you need to consider cover for legal expenses? A full business package could cover you for such things as:

Supplier contractual disputes for the sale and supply of goods

Employment issues concerning contracts of employment or any employment related legislation

Defence of criminal prosecutions and appeals against Improvement Notices under the Health and

Safety at Work Act or the Food Safety Act.

All of these things mean that including working from home insurance within your home and contents cover, is a very effective method of ensuring that your business has all the cover you require at competitive premiums.

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There are many contributory factors which influence your working from home insurance premiums.
Questions insurers will need to know include:

What type of business do you run from home?

Does your business require visitors coming into your home?

Do you employ any staff?

What is the location, size and type of your property?

Speak to a specialist about working from home insurance

For many people, the working from home element is not the only factor to consider when it comes to home insurance. For example, you may be running a bed & breakfast from a listed building, be operating as a childminder from a house considered of non-standard construction, or perhaps you own expensive jewellery or collections which require additional cover due to visitors coming into your home.

None of these things present a problem to experienced specialist Brokers such as Highworth Insurance. You can speak to our specialist advisors who understand the reality of working from home and who can tailor a competitive policy designed to suit the requirements of both your home and your business.