During this unprecedented time, most of the UK’s workforce have either been furloughed or have been requested to work from home where possible to limit the spread of Covid-19. But there has been some confusion about whether your home insurance provider should be informed about your home working or if your equipment is covered in the event of an accident.
Typically, insurers need to be informed if certain circumstances change after you buy your home insurance policy. If you’re doing administrative or clerical work from home on a computer, it may not be necessary to contact your insurer and you can go about your business as normal. The Association of British Insurers have stated that if you are an office-based worker and need to work from home because of government advice or because you need to self-isolate, your home insurance cover will not be affected. You do not need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.
But if you have recently started running a business from your property to make some additional money, they will need to be informed otherwise you could be invalidating your policy.
Steve Rayner from PayingTooMuch.com said: “If you are using company property such as a laptop, tablet or any other communication devices, you should check with your employer whether it is covered whilst outside of the usual place of work - should any damage, loss or theft occur. Typically, this would not usually be covered by an employee’s standard household insurance, so it is best to check with your employer before taking anything from the office.”
If you are looking at starting up an online shop or business from home, you will need to speak to your insurance provider and take out the correct cover for your property. There may be instances where you are not allowed to run a business from your property due to restrictions from landlords or any other third parties.”
If your home insurance policy is due for renewal or if you would like to add anything to an existing policy you have such as additional contents cover, please call us on 01243 219333 and our team will be happy to assist.
