Home business insurance
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Business from home insurance
Whether it’s a side hustle or your full-time job, every business faces specific day-to-day risks. If someone was to get injured on your property, or you made a professional mistake, is there a possibility you’d receive a claim for compensation? Your business set-up brings these risks closer to home, so a tailored insurance policy can provide a backstop.
Remember, home and business insurance are two different things. Our policies can provide cover for your business activities, but you’ll usually need separate home insurance for your personal property and activities.
- home business insurance, UK-based customer service and claims team
- rated 4.8/5 based on 39K+ public liability customer reviews
- cover for what you need, like your products, stock, and equipment
Home-based business insurance – what’s covered?
Typically, we start with public and product liability insurance for home businesses, covering you against accidents and damage to third parties and their property – for example, if a client has an appointment at your home and slips on your wet hallway floor. From there, you can add stock and equipment insurance, professional indemnity cover, plus employers’ liability cover for anyone working for you.
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Public liability insurance for home businesses
In case your home business and products cause injuries or property damage.
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Employers’ liability insurance
In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your home business.
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Professional indemnity insurance for home businesses
In case there’s a claim for loss-causing errors or issues with your work.
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Tools insurance
In case something happens to your home business kit.
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Stock insurance
In case something happens to the products and materials you rely on.
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Legal expenses insurance
In case you face legal costs in connection with your home business.
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Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or elsewhere.
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
How much does home business insurance cost?
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
Prices start from £4.74 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Example home business insurance quotes, real prices
£11.52 /month
£95.20 /year
A start-up graphic designer who has just completed their degree
- Less than 1 years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Sale
Professional indemnity
£50,000
Contents & business equipment
£2,500
£7.00 /month
£49.99 /year
A part time masseuse working with clients at her own home
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 3 employees
- Based in Southend-on-Sea
Public liability
£2,000,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 17/08/2021). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
What kind of excess should I expect?
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
|---|---|---|
Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
Employers’ liability | No excess | No excess |
Tools | £60 | £500 |
Stock | £100 | £500 |
Business and office equipment | £50 | £750 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
How it works
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How do I choose insurance?
Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
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Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
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Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
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Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
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Does home business insurance cover my work correctly?
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Do I need cover for other types of work?
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Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Talk to an expert
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am – 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am – 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am – 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am – 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am – 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am – 02.00pm
Call our team
How do claims work?
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive. The figure below is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.
£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
83% of claims were settled in 2023.
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Chosen by nearly 1 million small businesses and landlords
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then, with nearly 1 million customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
Business from home insurance FAQ
Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about home business insurance in the UK. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
There’s no legal requirement in the UK to have specific home business insurance in place. However, even if it’s a side hustle and you’re only working with a few clients or orders, your home business carries risks – to you and your customers, as well as suppliers and employees, if you have any, and anyone visiting you at home.
Public liability insurance, as well as product liability, can cover you if someone makes a claim against you for injury or damage. For example, a client might slip on your wet hallway floor, causing a back injury. Or maybe you’re running a small catering service and someone gets ill after eating your products.
You can also add professional indemnity insurance for loss-causing errors in your work, stock and tools insurance for your essential kit and supplies, plus employers’ liability cover, which is usually a legal requirement if anyone is directly working for you.
We’ve put a bit more detail in the first FAQ, but like most home businesses, cake decorators may find insurance handy. It can cover you for risks like a product causing injury, or something happening to your stock and equipment.
Remember, if you employ anyone, even from home, employers’ liability insurance is usually a legal requirement.
Yes. It’s important to make sure you have the right type and level of insurance for the different types of work you do. For example, if you’re a plumber, you may also do building work on certain jobs – you’ll need additional cover for this, but you can have it all on the one policy. When you start your quote, you’ll have the option to add another trade or profession to your policy. If you need to add a third trade, give us a call on 0333 043 8527 and one of our insurance experts will help you set up your policy in minutes.
You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:
- one-off credit or debit card payment
- BACS payment
- Direct Debit
If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly instalments.
If you change your business legal structure from sole trader to limited company mid-way through your policy, give us a call straight away on 0333 043 8527. It’ll only take us a few minutes to cancel your existing policy and replace it with one that correctly covers your new legal structure. It’s worth bearing in mind that your insurer and premium amount may need to change.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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