
home business insurance
Home insurance with business use for the modern worker
- We cover homes with full-time, part-time, and hobby home businesses.
- Business equipment covered.
- Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
Home Insurance with business use
Home insurance cover that takes the impact of your business into account
Whether you’re a childminder, counsellor, retailer, or any other type of home-based entrepreneur, running a business from home is a great option for professionals seeking advantages such as greater flexibility, reduced overhead costs, and the additional perks of working from the comfort of their own home.
However, it’s important to be aware of the unique risks that can come with operating a business from home. Starting a home business introduces new risks to your living space, security, business equipment, and any visitors coming to your home.
At Homeprotect, we recognise that not every home business looks the same, which is why when it comes to home business insurance, your contents insurance policy can be tailored to meet your needs according to the type of business assets kept on your premises. However, if your work includes travel, don’t forget to get cover away from the home for valuables like cameras, laptops, mobile phones and baggage. As a home business owner, you may also have lots of different people visiting your home. Public liability insurance protects you from claims made by third parties for accidents or injuries sustained on your premises.
KEY POINTS
- You must inform your insurance provider if you are running or plan to run a business from home.
- Choose a policy that covers your business equipment, including laptops, office furniture and stock.
- Check your mortgage or rental contracts to make sure you aren’t breaking any terms by starting a business from your house.
- If you have employees, you are legally required to have employer’s liability insurance. This is separate from your domestic home insurance.

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What’s covered by HOME insurance with business use?
Home insurance provides financial protection if you need to repair your home or replace your belongings after they’ve been stolen, damaged or destroyed.
It comes in two parts: buildings insurance (cover against damage to the property itself) and contents insurance (for damaged or stolen items within the home). These can be combined or bought separately, so the first step is deciding which option is better for you.
What we offer
Quick home emergency response times
Have a home emergency, such as electricity failure, faulty locks or vermin infestation? With the 24/7 Home Emergency cover, which we provide as standard, you can typically get an engineer at your home within four hours. And if you’re worried about an uncontrollable leak in your home, we aim to have an emergency plumber to you within two hours.
Extreme weather conditions may extend response time. Policy terms and claim limits apply.
5 star rated buildings cover
Our building insurance has been given the highest rating by independent financial research companies, Defaqto and Moneyfacts.
Repair guarantee
Any buildings work we undertake is guaranteed for 24 months following a claim and any contents repair work we undertake is guaranteed for 12 months.
New for old
Where we replace an item, we will do our best to meet the original specification on a ‘new for old’ basis. If we can’t find an exact replacement, we’ll offer you a suitable alternative, or a full cash settlement.
Legal advice
We provide Legal Protection cover as standard, giving you access to telephone legal advice on any personal legal issue, under the laws of the UK, any European Union country, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Norway.
What isn’t included?
Damage cause gradually, or by wear and tear, or by failure to fix a known issue.
Faulty design or poor workmanship.
Theft, vandalism or accidental damage caused by a paying guest.
The cost of repairing or replacing items following a mechanical or electrical fault.
Lost items.
Business stock.
Home Insurance with business use Cover Levels
Our home insurance is designed to protect your home against insured events such as fire, storm, flood, escape of water, theft, malicious damage, subsidence, landslip or heave.
Buildings cover
Covers the main structure of your home if you need to rebuild or repair it.
up to £1 million
(eligibility criteria applies)
Contents cover
Covering the value of all your possessions in the home, on a new for old basis. Business equipment (e.g. desktop computers, photocopiers, printers, office furniture) is covered up to £3,000 per claim (a higher claim limit is available if you need it). Laptops and mobile phones worth less than £1,500 each are covered as standard inside the home – more expensive electronic gadgets can be covered as an optional extra.
from £25,000
Alternative accommodation
For you and your pets, in case you can’t live at your home while it’s being repaired after an insured event.
up to £85,000
Home emergency
Covers emergencies that occur in your home like uncontrollable water leaks, electricity failure, faulty locks and vermin infestation. Two levels of cover are available.
up to £500
Family legal protection
Provides a 24/7 legal advice helpline and up to £25,000 cover for claims involving contract disputes and property damage. For a claim to be successful, there must be reasonable prospects (more than a 50% chance) of winning the legal case. Two levels of cover are available.
up to £25,000
Trace and access
Covers the cost of detecting the source of a water or oil leak and repairing any damage caused in the process.
up to £10,000
Outbuildings cover
Covers rebuild or repair of your outbuildings (such as detached garages, greenhouses, sheds and summerhouses).
from £20,000
Liability cover
Liability cover involving accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage that you are legally liable to pay. There is a claims limit of £100,000 for incidents arising out of the supply of food and drink to paying guests.
up to £5 million
Personal possessions
Cover for portable items that you take out of your home, like bags, clothes and sports equipment
Optional
Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home
Cover for electronic gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc), bikes (including electrically assisted bikes) and valuables (e.g. watches and jewellery) that you take out of your home.
Optional
Accidental damage
Covers situations when unexpected accidents happen, such as spillages on the carpet, breakages around the house or drilling through hidden pipes. Two levels of cover are available. No cover is provided for any area of the home used by paying guests.
Optional
Your Questions Answered
Public liability insurance can cover damages and claimants’ costs and expenses for your legal liability in the event of accidental death, bodily injury or illness to a third party, or damage to property belonging to a third party that is not in the custody or control of you, your family or domestic staff.
If you are operating a business and have staff then you must take out Employer’s Liability Insurance. This can cover you in the case of claims relating to illness or injury of staff as a direct result of their employment in your company. Up to £2,500 in fines per day can be charged if you do not have this form of insurance in place. Sole traders are exempt from this.
At Homeprotect, home business office equipment is covered automatically up to £3,000 per claim as standard. This includes desktop computers, printers, fax machines, photocopiers and other administrative equipment belonging to you and used in conjunction with your business at the property.
The cost of business insurance can vary depending on the type of cover that you need. As with other home insurance quotes, your premium is determined by the answers you supply surrounding your personal circumstances, your property, the nature of your work and your claims history, among other things.
You should also consider whether you require:
- Professional indemnity insurance.
- Public liability insurance.
- Employer’s liability insurance.
- Business buildings insurance.
- Insurance for stock and/or tools.
Firstly, congratulations on your success! Now your business is growing there are a few things which you need to pay attention to. For instance, health and safety is paramount and particularly so when you are employing other people. If that is the case then you will also need to look into having employers’ liability insurance. Personal liability insurance and/or public liability insurance are also necessary depending on the number of customers visiting your property. Start a quote for more details of what can be included in a policy.
Yes, business equipment is covered as standard under a Homeprotect Contents policy – up to £3,000 per claim. A higher claim limit can potentially arranged following referral to our underwriting team.
We define business equipment as equipment used to run your business, such as desktop computers, keyboards, monitors, office furniture, photocopiers, printers, routers.
Laptops, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets are also covered under a Homeprotect Contents policy, though these are not subject to the £3,000 claims limit.
Business tools (e.g. professional lawnmowers, kilns, power tools) and business stock are not covered as standard under a Homeprotect policy, though they can be potentially covered following referral to our underwriting team.
Most insurance policies exclude property that is used for business. This is why we have developed our policy for people who run a business at home, specifically for you. The policy includes the cover you need for business equipment, public liability cover and in some cases a certain amount of insurance for your business stock. Find out more about our home business insurance.
New Customer?
If you’re deciding on whether to buy home insurance with us, you can use our latest policy booklets as a guide.
Existing Customer?
Find answers to some of your questions here. Your latest policy documents are also available to view and download.
Additional Cover Options
Accidental Damage
The Homeprotect policy includes the option of Basic Accidental Damage, which covers electrical home entertainment equipment (such as desktop computers and monitors, DVD and Blu-Ray players, gaming consoles, home cinema systems, sound systems and TVs) up to £1,500 per claim. An upgrade …
Legal expenses cover
The insurance policy includes Basic Legal Expenses cover which provides up to £25,000 for legal fees you may face for disputes associated with your home; such as ownership of the insured property; and the sale or purchase of the insured property. You can upgrade to Full Legal Expenses cover.
Home emergency cover
The insurance policy includes Basic Home Emergency cover which provides cover for common home emergencies including burst pipes; failure of the domestic power supply (gas or electricity); and removal of pests or vermin. You can upgrade to Full Home Emergency to include cover for roof …
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