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.
More information
Home Insurance with business use
Home insurance cover that takes the impact of your business into account
Home business insurance provides protection for your home and its contents when you run a business from your property. Whether you’re a childminder, designer, consultant, or craftsperson, it’s important to make sure your policy reflects how you use your home.
With Homeprotect, you can tailor your contents insurance to include cover for Business Equipment — and with underwriter approval, we may also cover Business Tools and Business Stock. If your work involves meeting clients at home, you’ll also benefit from Public Liability cover.
Home and contents insurance with business use: 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, where approved, stock and tools.
- 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.
Home Insurance with business use Reviews
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What’s covered by HOME insurance with business use?
What we offer
Emergency help when you need it most
If you have a home emergency — such as a power outage, uncontrollable leak or a broken lock — our 24/7 Home Emergency cover is included as standard.
- We aim to get an engineer to you within four hours
- For serious water leaks, we’ll try to have a plumber with you in two hours
Response times may vary during extreme weather. Policy terms and claim limits apply.
5 star rated cover
Our insurance has received the highest rating from independent financial researchers, Moneyfacts.
Repair guarantee
We guarantee any buildings work we arrange after a claim for two years. Contents repairs are guaranteed for one year.
New for old
Where we replace a damaged or stolen item, we’ll do our best to match the original — on a ‘new for old’ basis. If that’s not possible, we’ll offer a suitable alternative or a full cash settlement.
Legal support when you need it
Family Legal Protection is included as standard. You’ll have access to expert telephone legal advice on personal matters under the laws of the UK and most of Europe.
What isn’t covered?
There are some things we can’t cover, including:
Gradual damage, wear and tear, or issues you knew about but didn’t fix
Faulty design, construction, or workmanship.
Damage caused by poor maintenance or neglect
Items you don’t own or aren’t legally responsible for
Items stolen from unoccupied vehicles
Damage caused by pets.
Mechanical or electrical breakdown
Keeping your home and belongings in good condition is essential. If damage happens because of neglect or poor maintenance, your claim may be declined, and your policy could be cancelled.
Recommended by our customers
72% Saved money when they switched to Homeprotect*
*Survey data of 1,089 buying customers from 30th October – 12th November 2024
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
Protects the main structure of your home, including attached garages and conservatories, and permanent outdoor features such as patios, driveways and boundary walls.
up to £1 million
(more cover available if you need it)
Contents cover
Protects your household contents — including furniture, clothing, appliances, gadgets and valuables — against events like fire, flood and theft. Cover is provided on a new for old basis. There is a standard limit of £10,000 for business equipment (although this can be increased by our underwriters).
from £25,000
Alternative accommodation
We’ll help cover the cost of temporary accommodation for you and your pets if your home becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event. If you stay with friends or family instead, we’ll cover your extra living costs.
up to £75,000 (Buildings)
up to £10,000 (Contents)
Home emergency
Covers sudden, unexpected emergencies — like an uncontrollable leak — that require immediate action to prevent damage or make your home secure. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.
up to £500
Family legal protection
Covers legal costs for certain insured events. There must be a reasonable chance of success, and the incident must happen during your policy term. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.
up to £25,000
Trace and access
We’ll pay to detect the source of a water or oil leak, and cover the cost of reinstating floors, walls or paths that were disturbed in the process.
up to £10,000
Outbuildings cover
Covers detached garages, greenhouses, sheds, summerhouses and other outbuildings within your boundary or any communal area you’re legally responsible for.
from £20,000
Liability cover
Covers your legal liability for accidental death, injury or illness to someone else, or damage to their property.
up to £5 million
Personal possessions
Covers items you wear, carry or use outside the home (e.g. clothing, bags and sports equipment).
Optional
Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home
Optional cover for mobile phones, laptops, tablets, watches, jewellery, hearing aids and other high-risk items you take out of your home.
Optional
Accidental damage
Optional cover for unexpected mishaps around the home — such as breakages, spillages or damage caused by you, your guests or wild animals. Two levels of cover are available.
Optional
important exclusions
- No cover for business tools or stock unless agreed by underwriters
- No cover for business money
Business Definitions
Business Equipment: Equipment used to run your business, such as computers, printers, monitors, routers, office furniture, and electronic gadgets, such as mobile phones and laptops.
Business Tools: Items used directly to perform a trade, craft, or service — such as scissors, clippers, kilns, or power tools. Not covered unless agreed by underwriters.
Business Stock: Items intended for sale — like bought-in products (e.g. clothing, cosmetics) or materials used to make goods (e.g. clay, fabric, paint). Completed handmade items are not covered.
Business Money: Cash used in the course of business — such as float money or takings. Not covered under this policy.
We may be able to extend cover for Business Tools and Business Stock following a referral to our underwriting team. We can also increase the Business Equipment claim limit beyond £10,000, if approved.
Your Questions Answered
Yes — business equipment is covered under our Contents insurance, up to a standard limit of £10,000 per claim. This includes items like computers, monitors, printers, routers, and office furniture used to run your business.
If you need a higher limit, we may be able to increase this following a referral to our underwriting team.
Please note: Business Equipment is separate from Business Tools, Business Stock and Business Money — which are not covered unless specifically agreed by our underwriters.
Yes, if you employ staff. This is a legal requirement and is not included in your Homeprotect policy. Sole traders without employees are exempt.
Yes — if clients or business contacts visit your home. Public Liability is included as standard and can, depending on your business use, cover legal liability for injury or property damage to third parties (excluding employees).
Not as standard — but we may be able to include cover for Business Tools (e.g. kilns, power tools) or Business Stock (e.g. materials used to make goods for sale) following a review by our underwriting team. Business Money is not covered.
If you’re running a business from home, you’ll need specialist cover. Homeprotect provides business use cover for many home-based professions. If you’re just doing occasional admin or employed remote work, specialist cover may not be required.
Yes. If your renovation is valued over £20,000, you must notify us before work begins. If you don’t, your policy could be invalid.
In most cases, they are covered up to a certain maximum per claim if you make sure the value of these items are included in the value of contents to be insured. You can find out more about our garage insurance here, and our shed insurance. Please note that there are some items that we can’t insure such as boats and water skis, please refer to the policy booklets for full details. Some business equipment stored in outbuildings is covered, but not high-risk items or stock without underwriter approval.
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.
Not with Homeprotect. Our policy includes cover for business equipment. We can also tailor your policy to include other business-related items, subject to approval.
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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