Home Insurance to cover Business Use?

Started by SallyR, November 17, 2014, 03:26:21 PM

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SallyR


Our current home insurer has just informed us that they no longer wish to insure my shed for business use (no reason given) - previously it's been included on our buildings and contents insurance.  So, I'm now trying to find an alternative insurer who's happy to insure for running a lampworking and fusing business from home - I've got separate public liability and product liability insurance with Ian Wallace, so that's not a problem.

Having searched through previous threads, I've just phoned NFU Mutual (who other people seemed to have had good experiences with) but they've said that I would have to have separate policies for the house (buildings/contents) and then business insurance for the shed and its contents etc, although the person I spoke to wasn't sure if they would even cover lampworking or not.  (No one seems to have a problem with the fact that I also work full time from home as my 'real' job, presumably because that's desk-based and does't involve anyone visiting the premises etc.)

Does anyone have any recent experience of sorting out insurance or could suggest brokers that are lampwork/fusing friendly?  Any help gratefully received ...
Sally
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want ...

Shirley

I have a single policy with NFU that covers home and business together, so it can be done.
Val Cox Frit - Thai and Bali Silver 

Blue Box Studio

#2
My NFU policy is just one - there is a specific name I think.  It covers the home, contents, his business, my business and we pay one premium.  The man I spoke to said he knew what lampworking was so I didn't bore him with the finer points though.  

ETA - It's called Home and Lifestyle.  We used to be with Direct Line and their business policy - until we renewed one year and they did the 'oh but we wouldn't cover you with that' bit - don't like customers coming to the house, don't like covering anything, totally lied in writing about what they did cover.  Wouldn't touch DL with a bargepole. (They also failed to pay out on a car claim we had, and our vets won't cover their pet policy as they never pay up either).
Sue
Website ~ Etsy ~ Blog ~ Flickr

Lotti

We are with NFU too, very helpful.  Get them to come round and see you (that is what they say on their ads that they will do, and they came round here for a chat when ours was up for renewal this year).

SallyR


Thanks for your replies.  I found the policy on the NFU website (thank you Sue for the name) and rang our local office rather than the national customer service number. The local office were much more helpful, confirmed the underwriters do provide cover for lampworking and fusing and are currently preparing a quote for me. Hopefully sorted ...
Sally
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want ...

SallyR


Oh well, spoke too soon  :(

The local NFU ffice has just rung to say that the underwriters won't offer cover because my workshop is a log cabin. They're happy with lampworking and fusing in principle but not when carried out in a wooden building.

Can I just ask if any of you work in sheds/wood buildings and can confirm that the NFU were happy with it?  Thanks.

Starting to get a bit desperate as our policy expires on the 30th ... :-\
Sally
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want ...

Blue Box Studio

Quote from: SallyR on November 21, 2014, 05:38:03 PM

Oh well, spoke too soon  :(

The local NFU ffice has just rung to say that the underwriters won't offer cover because my workshop is a log cabin. They're happy with lampworking and fusing in principle but not when carried out in a wooden building.

Can I just ask if any of you work in sheds/wood buildings and can confirm that the NFU were happy with it?  Thanks.

Starting to get a bit desperate as our policy expires on the 30th ... :-\


Well they covered me and I'm in a timber workshop (glorified shed) and they happily covered the studios (I have 2) for damage/break in  etc on our policy, they actually pushed that side of the policy.  I've not not given them any info, but haven't gone out of my way to make them refuse us.  We couldn't find anyone else who would cover us because we have people come to the property on business (OH is a meditation teacher, we have people come on retreats, I do arts weeks and open my studio).  So please don't ring them and say 'well you covered Sue Harris ....' I don't need the hassle right now.  I think it is as good as the person you get on the phone.  Will dig out our paperwork and see if there are any clues there, but from memory we valued the studios at about £10k to replace from scratch and don't think you could build anything other than timber, including the wiring, lights etc for that?  My conservatory is smaller and cost a lot more.
Sue
Website ~ Etsy ~ Blog ~ Flickr

Jane C ♫

I used a broker for ours - try quoteline direct - they have loads of different companies available.
Hand Painted Silk and Fused Glass Artist.
Lampwork Beginner!
Website

Mars

Hi all

Have been reading all about insurance but thought I'd jump on this thread rather than start a brand new one.

My current situation is I have a regular day job, which involves working from home (office work) when I'm not out and about doing my job, current home/building insurance is fine with this.

I've previously been renting a bench at a workshop for my lampworking - but as I could only access this at very limited times so it didn't work out long term.  I want to start lampworking and fusing from home (in one end of my ground floor kitchen... it's a long room) and would be running a business in that I would be selling my stuff (but no business visitors or anything), just me torching/fusing in my spare time and selling online.

However when I mentioned this to my current insurance providers they practically had kittens, even when I explained my "business" would be very small time and the actual heat stuff a couple of hours a week.

So, is NFU the preferred provider of choice still? And do you lampwork in  your home (as opposed to a shed/outbuilding)

I have a shed, so if doing it at the non kitcheny end of the kitchen is the barrier, I could look at setting myself up in the shed at the end of my garden... but I'd have to put in power etc and it is just a shed... although a nice big one.

Looking for your collective advice on how things are at the moment :)

Thanks in advance!
Mars xx


Fluffstar

Hi Mars,

The best thing is to phone your current insurance company and ask.  When I phoned up direct line a few months ago, basically they changed our terms so that my shed+lampwork stuff is no longer covered under the house insurance, but our premium didn't go up. However, they did ask me if any part of the shed was brick, which implied that they might have considered insuring it (and upping the premium) but since it's 100% wood (and 100% flammable), I guess it was just too much of a risk.  I was willing to go with the option of simply not insuring my shed, only feasible because it's not my main source of income so if anything happened to it, it would suck but I would still have a job.  Instead of paying insurance I put some money into a savings account monthly incase anything does happen to the shed.  We're in quite a safe area and nobody knows it's there, so the main risk is fire.  If you wanted though, you could insure the shed separately with NFU I would imagine.

That being said, it would be much nicer to work in the house where it is warm, rather than down the bottom of the garden where it is dark and cold, and indeed when our current insurance expires I'm planning on moving into the garage and going with NFU, if Direct Line won't cover me in the garage.

I'd give your current insurers a ring first, they'll phone down to the underwriters probably but at least you'll have a quote to compare against NFU =)
Kathy

Blue Box Studio

I'm still with NFU, but the man who sorted me has since left and I'm not rocking the boat but waving a red flag about lamp work in a wooden building, not eh kiln in the other. We can't find anyone else to cover us as we regularly have people in the premises and most do not allow that. Husband runs meditation retreats for individuals, and even our policy doesn't cover us for any damage unless there is a forced entry when they are here. The insurance. Business  only wants your money, they don't actually want to cover you for anything.

I wouldn't touch Direct Line, they lied over the cover they gave me, was only a,long drawn out conversation about something that highlighted it! My policy said I was covered, but another document contradicted it.
Sue
Website ~ Etsy ~ Blog ~ Flickr

Mars

#11
Thanks both, it seems it's still a less than straightforward situation...

Hear what you're both saying about the insurance business - I still find it weird that I could be torching a few hours a week at home but that makes me a higher risk than someone who has a drink and smokes in bed whilst leaving the tumble dryer on overnight... ;) My FT work is in housing so assessing risk and behaviour to do with fire is par for the course.  I've only started to look a lot more into it insurance wise because I want to move it to home, I didn't think it would be straightforward particularly and I wasn't disappointed.

Ideally I do want to be in the house, I've got the room to do it, it's convenient (and warm and has power & light) and to be honest I'd rather be around when the kiln is on, if it's in the shed I can't see that being too comfy for long periods... also we live in the city, so whilst I do have a garden with a big shed at the end of it, my neighbours would quickly become aware of what I was doing and I'd rather not advertise that the shed contains more than our camping kit and old crap!  Although I think I'd have to be moving the old crap out :)

Hmmm, more thought I think, ironically my current insurance providers tried to sell me more insurance... I did mention that as they said they wouldn't cover me for lampworking in the house, that when I do move it I'm likely to be looking for new insurers for everything so didn't really want to take anything extra out until I'd decided where I was going to be doing anything... but they do have to keep to their scripts on selling extra regardless of the conversation you've just had!

Mars xx

Zeldazog

Always worth checking Hencilla Canworth, they are the underwriters/providers of the AN Artists Insurance and when we set up Shed 2 Studios (not a shed I might add, but you'd be surprised at the garden people that get in touch!) - apparently very few were willing to cover us because it was an open studio and had wood and welding equipment in the same space (even though opposite ends of a building, 50 feet apart)

They were completely unconcerned when I moved in with my glass kiln and Nic with her ceramics kiln - didn't phase them one bit, and didn't affect premiums.

I am also part of an steering group for an arts in empty spaces project, and apparently Hencilla were again the best choice for giving us a type of employee liability insurance, even though we don't employ anybody, we still have to be covered for volunteers in shops. 

So, they seem to specialise anything 'different'. 

It may not be so much what you're doing, as in lampworking and fusing, but it's the fact you're running a business from home - I think most insurers don't mind if you do a bit of paperwork at home, but if you're making, then it is business insurance - perhaps that's the issue?

Mars

Thanks will add them to the list as well :)

From the conversation I got the impression it was the fire risk that was the main issue (as we couldn't get past that bit of the conversation without them saying no) so didn't want to push it any further with my current insurers as didn't want to get into the situation where they were just going to cancel there and then.  But you're right, had we got past that bit of the conversation I'm sure that would have been the next stumbling block! I've still got a bit of time to decide so wanted some thinking space before making any changes because of this.

It seems that they (as in people on phones, or people who write online applications programs for stuff, as it's not just insurers) seem to have trouble believing that I really do have a full time day job (that involves both being out and doing office based stuff working from home) and that I can also be running a different business that's very part-time, as on a hobby level, but because I sell stuff I'm set up as a business.

The day job is going super crazy this month so just going to get January out the way and February is figure out what I'm going to do time!

Thanks for all the advice, it's good to find out what others are doing and to know it can be sorted out!
Mars xx


Nicknack

My current insurer has no problem with my torch or kilns (I have a workshop in the garden) but won't let me light the woodburning stove!  Apparently it's a naked flame! :o :o What do they think the torch is?  I've explained, but it doesn't get through.

Nick