There are lots of things to take into consideration when you start a business from your home. Insurance might be one of the last things on your mind, but it’s something important that you should be considering.
If you figure you can just rely on your homeowners insurance policy, then you might be unpleasantly surprised that it won’t cover all of your business equipment. And if you are going to be having clients or business partners in your home, then you might need liability insurance. You also might want to have lost income insurance so you’re protected if you are unable to work for whatever reason.
If you run a business from your home, then you basically have three choices for insuring your home business. What you choose will depend on the type of business you have and the insurance company you buy it from.
1. Homeowners Policy Endorsement
It’s possible you might be able to simply add an endorsement to your already existing homeowners insurance policy. You might be able to increase your limits to include the cost of value of your business equipment such as computers. You also will want to double check to make sure your liability coverage is enough to protect you if clients or delivery people for your business come to your property and get injured.
If you don’t get a lot of visitors for your home business, then this will probably be a good option for you to explore. Be honest with your insurance provider and see if they will offer you something like this.
2. In-Home Business Policy
These types of policies will allow you to have higher coverages for business equipment than a homeowners policy endorsement might allow. The bonus with these is it’s possible that they could also reimburse you for the loss of important papers, accounts receivable, and perhaps even any off-site business property.
If your home is damaged by fire or natural disaster, it’s possible the policy will pay for lost income while your business was interrupted. If you have employees in your home business, then some policies might allow for coverages for them as well.
3. Business Owners Policy
The final type of policy that you might consider purchasing was created specifically with the small business in mind. The policy will cover both business equipment and property, loss of income, and provides you with liability insurance. This is a great option if your business operates in more than one place. If you have employees, you’ll need to get separate coverages for workers compensation and health or disability insurance.
When you work for someone else, he or she is responsible for providing the insurance. When you work for yourself, though, you get control over a lot of different things, and this will include protecting yourself and your equipment so you can successfully run your business and continue providing for your family.
Make sure you shop around to find the right policy for your particular circumstances. And don’t forget, insurance is a business expense if it’s purchased for your business.