Quantcast
Menu

Insurance

Should you tell your home insurer if you’re working from home?

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
16/04/2020

Many are now working from home, but will you breach your policy and what exactly is covered?

The Government has asked people to work from home ‘where possible’ in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but how does that affect your home insurance?

Home insurance provider Admiral has addressed two of the most common concerns around cover below:

Should I tell my insurer if I am working from home due to coronavirus?

Insurers usually need to be told if certain things change after you buy your policy so check your policy book to see if business use is one of them.

Any Admiral home insurance customers doing clerical work at home due to the Coronavirus restrictions, for example using a PC or doing paperwork, don’t need to contact us.

Who’s responsible for protecting equipment if working from home?

If you are using company property, for example, a laptop or mobile, you must check with your employer whether they have the correct insurance policy in place to cover these items outside of the usual place of work should any damage, loss or theft occur.

This would not usually be covered by an employee’s standard household insurance, but if in doubt it’s best to check your policy documents.

Noel Summerfield, head of Admiral Home Insurance says: “It’s important that people get everything in order when they swap their office desk for the kitchen table and start using their home as a regular place of work – even if it’s an sudden change. Any Admiral customers doing clerical work at home won’t need to contact us about the change, but this may not be the case for other insurers so it’s always worth checking your policy.

“Having the wrong insurance in place could prove costly for everyone involved so making sure that the right policy is in place is crucial and means that people can safely work from home with the peace of mind that their property and contents – or those of their employees – are sufficiently covered.”