A message to all our customers
In these extremely challenging times, we want you to know that we are here to support you in any way we can.
We are here to discuss the covers you have and may continue to need.
Please take your time to read the following guide to insurance during the Covid19 outbreak and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact our office on 02920700635 during normal office house.
Temporary Closure
You maybe be considering the temporary closure of your business during the government lock down. If you fall into this category please ensure you contact us in the office to discuss. It is vitally important that in such instances that we inform the insurance company that your business is closing down as this will make your premises unoccupied. Failure to advise us that the premises is unoccupied could invalidate your insurance cover and potentially put you at risk if you need to make a claim.
Unoccupancy also applies to landlords and property owners, if your tenant decides to close down during this period you must immediately contact us to advise. We would also strongly recommend that you contact your tenants to discuss with them their plans and to instruct them that should they decide to close they must inform you straight away. Failure to advise insurers that property is unoccupied could invalidate your cover.
Changing your circumstances
If your employees are now working from home there are certain things that you need to take into account. Many business owners have taken the sensible step to allow employees to work remotely. If you have allowed your employees to take business property like laptops, phones or desktops you need to let us know so we can check you have the right cover in place. Most contents policies only cover computers whilst they are at the business premises unless previously specified. We can make a simple adjustment to your policy to add on certain equipment as ‘all risks’ allowing your employees to take things home. If you are unsure whether your policy has all risks cover please contact the office.
Cancelling Insurance Policies
During this difficult period you may be thinking of cancelling your insurance policy or possibly reducing the cover. Please think very carefully before taking this type of action. As we have already pointed out there are certain legal requirements that mean you have to keep cover in force. If you employ staff you are legally required to have Employers Liability and this is still the case even if your employees are working from home. If you any type of motor insurance whether that be a single car or a fleet it is legal requirement to insure the vehicle if you take it out on a public highway and even if you are not using the vehicle and it is parked on public highway.
Although it may seem obvious it is also worth noting that if you do cancel your policy all cover will cease immediately which will leave you uninsured in the event of a fire, flood or theft. Please think really carefully before cancelling a policy, if your business premises is left uninsured it will leave with a serious financial risk should you be unfortunate enough to suffer a serious incident. We all think it wont happen to us but I urge you not to take the chance if your business and livelihood depends on it.
You will need to call us before cancelling any direct debits. Under those agreements default charges may apply and will only increase the amount outstanding and could find yourself in breach of your finance agreement which could ultimately result in a prosecution. Finance providers can also force us to cancel cover that you may need to continue trading, driving or insuring your home which will no doubt put you at risk. If you are suffering financial difficulties the most important thing is to contact us. Most of the finance providers we deal with are being supportive but we need to engage with them before things get out of hand. Talking to the finance provider in advance means you might be able to come to an arrangement that gets you through the next few months.
This is a new situation for us all, but we are committed as a team to do anything we can to help our clients.
Ultimately, we all need to stay safe and healthy and above all do everything we can to help and support one another, whilst we all plan how to get through the next 3-6 months.
Please don’t hesitate to call if you think we may be able to help you in any way.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best in these difficult and uncertain times.
