With over 60% of garden rooms sold, being used as home garden offices it is important that they are insured properly and you don’t depend solely on your household insurance. A couple weeks ago we asked Henshalls Insurance Brokers for some advice on insuring a garden office, since then Henshalls have written a detailed blog about insurance for homeworkers and garden offices, here’s an extract from the blog:
[box]Mark Freeman, of Henshalls Insurance Brokers in Newport and Shrewsbury, said his company was now dealing with more and more enquiries from people who work from home.
“Whether it’s someone running their own business or working for someone else, we’ve seen an explosion in enquiries from people who need specialist advice when it comes to insurance coverage.
“And as a result, we have been working hard to research the market to make sure we are fully up-to-speed on the latest innovative products in the insurance sector that cater specifically for this market.”
Mark said it was vital homeworkers were fully protected from a whole range of issues, as their needs were very different from more traditional business clients.
“In particular, many of our homeworker clients operate from an office in the garden at home and this requires very specific cover when it comes to insurance.”
Mark said one of the most popular policies in terms of both the cost and the cover it provides is the “Homeworking” package.
“This has proved to be a real success with many of our clients as it specifically covers people who work from an office in their garden at home.
“Cover like this depends on how substantial the office building is and how it has been constructed, whether it has appropriate locks and ongoing maintenance – especially when it comes to flat, felt on timber roofing, and electrical wiring.
“One of the highlights of the homeworking policy is that it already includes coverage for most items you’d expect in a more traditional commercial policy such as business contents and stock, goods in transit, and legal expenses.
“But it also offers clients the chance to upgrade their insurance with affordable extras to include home insurance, commercial liabilities and personal accident cover.
“Homeworkers must be aware that they need very specific cover and that they cannot just rely on their existing house insurance. So if your circumstances have changed and you’ve joined the crowds of people working from home, look carefully at your cover and seek expert advice.”[/box]
Henshalls have organised insurance for several garden office workers and we recommend you give them a call on 0800 064 3757 for a quote or visit their website www.henshalls.com
