Homeworking out of hours is risky says Shropshire insurance broker

Working at home on your own computer could affect your household insurance policy, and you may find the insurers refuse to pay out if you ever need to claim.

That’s the message from Dave Williams, from Henshalls Insurance Brokers in Newport and Shrewsbury, who said office workers must check the small print on their household policies.

“Some home insurance policies allow you to use personal assets such as computers and printers for limited business reasons without you needing to declare this when you apply for cover.

“But many insurance companies will refuse to pay out if you leave out any details on your policy application – even if they don’t relate directly to your claim.”

Dave said anyone who was unclear on whether their policy included this kind of cover should speak directly to their insurers to check their position on using personal equipment for business purposes.

“You should review your policies regularly as some may exclude laptops and other mobile equipment like iPads whether you’ve used them for work or not, so you could even now be uninsured without realising it.”

Dave said separate gadget insurance could be the answer, which had the added advantage of including fast replacement of lost or broken equipment.

“And if you use your company laptop at home, your household policy is unlikely to cover any loss or damage of company equipment outside the workplace.

“But don’t be tempted to arrange double insurance cover, as your company’s equipment will probably be covered by its own insurance policy even if you’re working from home – just make sure you check the details carefully.”

Dave said companies should also make it clear to employees that using their own equipment for work while they were in their own home was at their own risk to avoid any claims for the cost of stolen, lost or damaged equipment from the business.