What does a business insurance policy cover?
Business insurance typically covers many insurable events or items. If you need business insurance, you can choose the appropriate cover needed to protect your business. When you buy your premium, your business insurance policy can cover:
- Damage to or theft of your business property, equipment and stock
- Injury or property damage caused by your business
- Sickness, injury or other employee-related issues such as contract violations
- Third-party property damages caused by your business
- Business interruption insurance for earnings lost due to an insured event (eg. flood)
Is business insurance a legal requirement for a business?
Businesses need employers liability insurance as it is a legal requirement for any business with one or more employees (who aren’t immediate family members). Employers liability insurance ensures that, in the event of illness or injury, staff can be compensated via the business insurance policy.
Professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance aren’t legal requirements. However, these types of business insurance policies are a good business decision. Some clients will only work with you if you have proper coverage, especially public liability insurance. Regulators and professional bodies will often require or advise that you get business insurance before you can become a member or licensed.
What other types of cover do businesses need?
You can add insurance elements to your business insurance policy. Here are some of the most common types of add-ons:
- Product liability insurance: If a customer or client is injured or their property damaged by a product you sold them, product liability insurance covers you financially. This is often an add-on to public liability insurance.
- Commercial buildings and business contents insurance: This protects your business premises and contents if they get damaged in an insurable event. These events typically include flood, theft or fire. It doesn’t typically cover large quantities of stock or tools – those may need to be covered by additional policies such as stock insurance or business equipment insurance.
- Landlord insurance: This covers the cost of damage to your rental property and repairs. You can also include protection against financial loss of earnings due to an insured event. This includes burst pipes or boiler breakdowns, which means you can’t rent out your property while the repairs are made.
- Key person cover: This policy protects your business if a key company employee dies or is diagnosed with a critical illness that may lead to a business interruption.
- Cyber risk insurance: Cyber insurance covers cyber security claims and protects your business if your data is breached by a cyber attack. It is a more modern but vital add-on to commercial insurance.
What level of insurance does my business need?
The level of insurance, or how much you’re covered for, depends on the nature and size of your business. Even a sole trader working from home who is providing, financial advice carries the risk of significant losses.
It’s important to ensure you’re covered for everyday risks, such as breakages and being sued, which could lead to extensive legal expenses. Some professional bodies or regulators might set out a minimum level of business insurance coverage that they expect you to have.
Is business insurance worth it?
We believe business insurance is absolutely worth it. Like all insurance products, you don’t need business insurance until you do.
It’s tempting to think bad things won’t happen. But it’s worth considering if you could afford to cover the legal expenses when being sued or rebuilding your premises or replacing essential tools.
Having the right business insurance gives you the peace of mind that if the day comes when the worst happens, you’ll be covered. This is especially important in certain sectors, like logistics and removals, where there is high liability. Having the right insurance reassures your clients that if accidents occur, they can trust you to put it right.
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