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As more and more people are choosing flexible working or working from home, it's important to make sure you have the right cover.
- Will working from home affect your home insurance?
- Can you run your business from your home?
- Should you get extra cover if you're now working from home?
COVID-19 has undoubtedly affected how many of us work, with working from home and hybrid working set-ups now a permanent part of most businesses. Here’s everything you need to know about working from home and your LV= home insurance. Remember, you’re still covered to work from home.
Do I need specialist ‘working from home' insurance?
No. Whether you're working from home because of national or local restrictions or because you're self-isolating, your LV= home insurance cover won't be affected. You'll also continue to be covered after restrictions are lifted because office work is covered under your LV= home insurance policy. We already provide cover for office equipment like computers and printers - it comes as standard with our contents insurance. If your employer has given you office equipment to use from home, this would usually be covered by their business insurance, so you don't need to add it your policy.
There's no need to get in touch with us to let us know you're working from home, so you can just concentrate on setting up the perfect working from home space. No commuting, no distractions, and managing your own time - there are lots of positives to working from home. Not to mention the fact that you can be in your comfiest clothes with access to unlimited tea and coffee!
If you need to see clients at home, this may alter your home insurance cover as additional people coming to your house could be seen as more of an insurance risk, so your home insurance costs may increase. If you're not sure, just give us a call.
If you're not insured with LV=, you may need to tell your insurer. If you don't tell them that you work from home and need to make a claim in the future, it may have consequences so it's always worth checking.
Does my home insurance cover my garden office?
Yes – though it’s worth checking. Often, your home insurance covers all property on your land, including your garden. This covers everything from sheds, gardening equipment, bicycles, and BBQs – so your insurance will also cover the equipment inside your garden office.
However, an important thing to note is that a very basic policy might not cover the contents of your garden. It’s worth double-checking your home insurance policy if you’re unsure, or just give us a call, and we’ll be able to find out for you.
You should also ensure that you’re covered by both buildings and contents insurance, as this will cover any damage to external properties like sheds and external offices.
If you're spending more time working from home, your home insurance with LV= will not be affected
Can I run my business from home?
Over 4.93 million people now class themselves as self-employed and many of them run a business from home.
When your home address is also your registered business address then your home insurance company will need to know the nature of your business.
They'll want to know:
- If you're just using your home for clerical work
- Whether you have regular visitors
- Whether you store goods at home and what they are
- Whether you hold any specialist tools or equipment
They may then decide to extend your contents cover to include your business stock and equipment, or they could ask you to take out separate cover for these items.
Do I need extra home insurance cover to work from home?
If you're at home more, you may want to make sure you're fully covered for accidents that happen as a result of working from home. This depends on the nature of your job. If this is something you've been thinking about, you might consider taking out extra insurance such as additional accidental cover. Some further examples include:
Public liability
Included as standard with LV= home insurance policies, this covers you if a visitor to your home is injured and makes a claim. It can also cover you if you accidently damage something that belongs to a visitor.
Professional indemnity
This covers you if someone complains about the advice or service you have provided. They may sue if the advice you gave them was wrong or cost them money.
Employer's liability
If you employ anyone, on any basis, even volunteers, you need to have cover in case they injure themselves whilst they're working for you. If you have LV= home insurance, you’ll have standard cover for domestic employees like gardeners.
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All content is approved by our in-house advisory board of experts.