Warehouse insurance

Property damage insurance

In case something happens to your warehouse premises.

What’s typically covered by warehouse property damage insurance?

• the cost of repairing damage to the structure of your building (or rebuilding it from scratch)
• damage to insured contents, fixtures, and fittings
• damage to underground pipes and cables you’re responsible for

For example:

• you need to repair your warehouse’s resin flooring, following fire damage
• your warehouse’s office and reception windows are damaged in a storm, and need replacing

What isn’t covered?

• weather damage to moveable property in the open, fences, gates, vegetation, lawns, and shrubs
• theft, attempted theft, or malicious damage to property in a garden, yard, open space, or any open-fronted or open-sided building

Other exclusions apply – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.

Loss of licence insurance

In case your warehouse premises licence is removed.

What’s typically covered by loss of licence insurance?

• forfeiture, suspension, or withdrawal of the premises licence
• resulting loss of gross income
• costs incurred by you (within reason), while trying to maintain your gross income
• depreciation in value of the premises, if you can’t get a licence

What isn’t covered?

Loss of licence resulting from:

• any alterations to the premises made without the appropriate authority’s consent
• failure to comply with any direction or requirement of the licensing or other authority
• any town or country planning scheme
• your own misconduct, connivance, neglect or omission, or failure to take necessary steps to keep the licence in force

Money and assault insurance

In case of theft and/or assault to you or an employee.

What’s typically covered by money and assault insurance?

• cover while your property is in transit by road, rail, or freight
• anywhere in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and the Republic of Ireland
• includes sea or air transit between these territories

For example:

• you’re transporting money to the bank and someone breaks into your vehicle, stealing the cash
• an employee is assaulted while cashing up on your warehouse premises

What isn’t covered?

• clerical or accounting errors, or shortages due to error or omission
• loss from any unattended vehicle
• loss from coin-operated vending, gaming, or amusement machine, or payphone, unless specifically agreed in your policy

Other exclusions apply – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.

Employee theft insurance

In case an employee steals from your business.

What’s typically covered by employee theft insurance?

• money or property theft arising from employee fraud or dishonesty
• auditor fees incurred while substantiating the amount of loss
• costs for rewriting or amending computer software programs or security codes, to prevent recurrent theft

For example:

• an employee steals money from the business during their final shift, and you incur further costs while working out how much has been stolen
• you need to hire an IT contractor to make your systems are watertight after an employee accesses and uses your security codes

What isn’t covered?

• unexplained shortages
• loss of interest or consequential loss
• loss caused by employees before your cover started

Other exclusions apply – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.

Employers’ liability insurance

In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your business.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an injury or illness that happens as a result of working for you (including temps and casual workers)

For example:

• your warehouse manager claims her chronic lower back pain was caused as a result of her working conditions with you, and sues for damages
• a temporary Christmas employee falls from a height while working in your warehouse, breaking both legs

Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.

Public liability insurance

In case your business causes an injury, illness, or property damage.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property, caused by your warehouse
• an injury or illness caused by your business activities or products
• accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees

For example:

• a client is injured by a forklift operator while touring your warehouse, and makes a claim against you
• a maintenance professional slips on your warehouse floor following a spillage, fracturing their knee

If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.

Product liability insurance

In case your products cause an injury or damage.

What’s typically covered by product liability insurance?

• your legal liability for injuries or damage caused by your products, up to the agreed limit
• associated costs and expenses

Exclusions and limitations apply to this cover – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.

Commercial legal expenses insurance

In case you’re faced with legal costs in connection with your warehouse.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs that you’re responsible for, within your business
• property damage, nuisance, or trespass – specifically, the associated legal claims and compensation payouts
• tax and compliance disputes and investigations you need help with
• access to expert advice – including a tax advice phone line, confidential 24/7 legal phone line, and crisis support to help you protect your professional reputation

For example:

• you need to recover costs incurred, following a randomised tax investigation
• vandals break into your warehouse premises and cause extensive damage – you incur legal costs while bringing a case against them

Cyber liability insurance

In case a cyber risk could damage your business and reputation.

What’s typically covered by cyber liability insurance?

• claims against you for data breach, virus transmission, loss of reputation, or breach of intellectual property rights
• data-breach expense, including professional legal, forensic, IT, PR, and crisis management services
• computer system damage costs and lost income
• cyber crime committed against you, such as telephone hacking or data and money theft

Your insurer may require you to:

• back up original data at least every seven days
• protect your computer system with a virus protection software package which is licensed to you, paid for and updated every seven days
• put appropriate procedures in place for disposing of and destroying hardware and hard copy files in order to protect data

Other exclusions apply – read the policy documents carefully to be clear on what is and isn’t covered.