Working from home

Working from home

 

Does working from home affect your Home Insurance?

Understandably, as many more of us now work from home compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we frequently get questions from policyholders asking if working from home will affect their home insurance and if they need to let us know they now work from home.

There's actually not normally a need for policyholders to contact us to tell us that they’re now working from home. As long as the work being done is simple administrative tasks and clerical duties such as sending emails and taking calls - which you would likely have been doing previously from your normal place of work - this won’t affect the cover you receive from your Paymentshield Home Insurance policy.

However, if you’re not a Paymentshield policyholder we’d highly recommend checking your policy as not all insurance policies offer this protection.

 

Do I need to add optional extras to my policy if I’m working from home?

If you’re using computer equipment from home that you purchased yourself then you’re already covered by your policy if you need to claim for loss or damage following theft, fire, or escape of water (such as a burst pipe causing damage to your equipment).

We also cover Accidental Damage to computer equipment as standard with some of our products. So, if you spill your morning cup of coffee over your laptop because you haven’t quite woken up yet, you’ll be covered for it to be fixed or replaced where the item cannot be economically repaired. If computer equipment isn’t covered as standard in your policy, you may require accidental damage cover  to be added.

So, it’s a good idea, especially if you’ve got children at home, to check your policy documentation to see if you’ve got accidental damage cover as part of your policy. This will ensure you’re covered for common mishaps like careless coffee spills or damage to your TV from an inside ball game!

I’m using business equipment whilst working at home. Am I still protected?

Your insurance policy will generally only provide cover for the items you’re legally responsible for. So, if you’re using equipment provided by your employer to work from home then you should also check with your employer if the equipment is your legal responsibility or to confirm if they carry adequate insurance for the items they’ve issued to you.

In addition, if you run your own business and are now working from home instead of your normal place of work then you’ll need to get in touch with your insurer to see if any items needed to conduct your business are covered. For example, if you’re now holding stock or cash in your home, garage, or other outbuildings instead of your normal business premises, you may find that you need to buy a more specialist home insurance policy.

It’s also important to keep in mind you might also need a more specialist policy if you have staff or business-related visitors at the property. Restrictions should be put in place regarding the admission of staff and visitors to your temporary place of business.

 

Do I still need Home Insurance if I’m now spending less time inside of my home?

For many people, the financial impact of the pandemic will be playing on their minds and they may have started reviewing outgoings to try and save a few pounds where possible. However, even though lockdown measures have now been eased and you may not be spending as much time at home, having quality Home Insurance that meets your needs (rather than just trying to find the cheapest policy), is just as important as ever.

Not only is your Home Insurance policy there to protect against theft of your belongings, it’s also in place to cover the cost from loss or damage from the likes of fire, floods, storms, and subsidence which can happen at any time.

In fact, one of the most common reasons people need to claim on their policy is an escape of water from leaking or burst pipes which can happen at any time of year (not just winter) and can cause significant damage to the room of the leak or overflow - as well as the rooms below.

It’s also worth remembering that in most cases, Buildings Insurance will be a non-negotiable requirement of your mortgage agreement. So, if you’re a homeowner, having adequate home insurance in place at all times is an absolute necessity.