UPDATED: JULY 06, 2023 | 3 MIN READ
Looking to your homeowners insurance to help you when problems arise in your home business seems natural. After all, you’re at your house, right?
In specific situations, homeowners insurance will protect your home business, but it’s not automatically included in a standard policy.
Like any other business, a home-based operation requires insurance to protect its owner and employees from liability claims.
In the past decade, the number of individuals who work from home has grown dramatically. This includes remote employees, freelancers, and entrepreneurs who run businesses out of their homes. Unfortunately, many home businesses don’t consider liability insurance until after something bad happens.
Why do I need to think about insurance for my home business?
Running a business from your home means that you’re engaging in activities that you otherwise wouldn’t. This is true if you’re a self-employed accountant or running a manufacturing operation from your garage.
What this means for insurance companies is that there is more risk originating from your home.
A typical homeowners insurance policy may not even offer the amount of coverage you need to protect you in case of a lawsuit or injury resulting from your business.
In addition, your business’s components could violate your homeowners insurance policy. For example, you may have an employee in your home who is welding or using dangerous power tools. You could put yourself at risk of cancellation if you have not taken the right coverage.
What are my home insurance options for my home business?
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), home-based businesses have three main insurance options.
Homeowners insurance policy rider or endorsement
With a home business policy rider, homeowners insurance will protect your business–if your business is small.
This option is most appropriate for self-employed individuals with very little equipment and no inventory (e.g., writers and web developers). This plan covers damage or theft of equipment, usually up to $10,000. A policy rider may also have liability coverage for occasional visitors like delivery personnel.
In-home business policy
An in-home business policy is appropriate for businesses with fewer than four employees.
This type of policy is offered by well-known home insurance carriers and companies focusing specifically on this type of insurance. An in-home business policy covers equipment and liability up to a higher than a homeowners insurance endorsement.
In addition, it covers damage to records and inventory and may cover lost income if your home is damaged to a point where you can’t work out of it.
Businessowners policy (BOP)
A BOP is intended for a business that operates in multiple places but is headquartered at a home.
It’s similar to an in-home business policy but designed to cover more equipment, employees, and liability. These plans can be customized to include auto and umbrella coverage. This is important if you or an employee needs to do a significant amount of driving to operate the business successfully.
How do I determine which insurance policy is best for my home business?
So, can you get by with a homeowners insurance policy rider? Do you need insurance at all? Here are some important factors to consider.
Your primary place of work
You don’t need any additional coverage if you run your business in a separate location and occasionally work out of a home office. Your homeowners insurance covers your home office, and your business policy (presuming you have one) covers everything else.
Your primary source of income
If your home-based business is your family’s primary source of income, you should not scrimp on insurance. Consider taking out policies with very high coverage limits so you can easily resolve liability issues without eating into your bottom line.
The number of business visitors to your home
The more people who visit your home, the more you put yourself at risk of being held liable for an injury. Suppose you receive multiple business-related daily deliveries or are a music teacher with several students. In that case, you may need more than a policy rider even if you don’t have employees.
Storing data and confidential information
Theft or damage to confidential business or customer information could result in huge financial losses. Customers could also sue you for losing their confidential data–a basic home business rider will not cover that.
Your current home insurance policy
When setting up a small operation, you should research what home business options your insurance company offers. Fill out our online form to compare rates from top providers in your area.
