We won't be beaten on price. We'll beat your new business insurance quote or renewal premium from any other insurer.
New policies only. Cover on an equivalent basis to ours. Qualifying criteria apply. Terms & Conditions.
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New customers only, introductory discount. Unless specified, discount can't be used in conjunction with any other offer.
New customers only, over 18s, subject to eligibility.
Every business is different, that's why we provide flexible insurance that can be tailored to suit your specific requirements.
Include all the covers your business needs in one policy, with just one renewal date.
You can include any of the following cover options in your commercial insurance policy. These covers are subject to policy conditions and limits.
Public liability insurance covers you if you cause injury to a member of the public or accidentally damage someone's property. An example of this could include a customer slipping on a wet floor in your shop or office and hurting themselves, or causing damage while carrying out building works on a client's house.
This insurance also covers you if a customer or member of the public becomes ill or suffers an injury because of a product you have supplied. For example, if the heel snaps off a shoe someone has bought from you, causing them to fall over, or if a cupcake you sell at an event makes someone sick.
If the people in question pursued legal action against you, public and product liability insurance would cover the costs you are liable to pay. We can offer cover from £1 million to £10 million.
Read more about public liabilityProfessional indemnity is useful if your business offers a service or requires you to give advice to clients. If you make a professional error or give advice that is deemed negligent, you could be taken to court.
Professional indemnity insurance covers any legal and compensation costs you are required to pay. Clients will often ask to see proof of professional indemnity insurance before agreeing to work with a new contractor.
Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement if you have employees. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, which you can read more about here.
We cover you for £10 million, as standard. This covers the legal and compensation costs you are required to pay if an employee gets injured or becomes ill because of the work they do for you.
If there is an insured event such as flood or fire at your work premises, buildings insurance will cover the costs of repairing the damage, helping you get back up and running.
Equipment breakdown cover (for items forming part of the building) is included as standard. This would cover the costs of replacing or repairing things like your broken boiler and fire/burglar alarms, as long as the damage is not due to wear and tear.
Contents and stock cover is essential for businesses that supply goods or rely on specific equipment to run their business.
A seamstress would not be able to work without a sewing machine, a web designer would not be able to code without a computer and you may not be able to run your business without your trusty tablet.
Meanwhile, there will be other more general items that you might rely on for your business, like your office furniture or your shop tills. Insure your business contents so that if they're damaged by an insured event, such as fire or theft, your business keeps going.
If you sell goods, you'll want to insure your stock, whether that's raw materials or the finished article. If your goods are damaged or stolen, what have you got to sell?
Our different cover options allow you to insure your business equipment and stock at your premises, when you're on the move, or both. Whether you work at home, at fairs, in shared workspaces or visit a lot of clients, we've got you covered. And when you insure stock at your premises or home, you'll also get an extra 25% of stock covered for two months of your choice as standard, ideal for your busiest periods.
And now with Business Tech Essentials, if your essential tech is stolen or damaged, we'll replace it within 24 hours from claim approval.
When you cover your electrical items and tech you get Business Tech Essentials. Which means if your essential tech - like laptops, mobiles, or tablets - are stolen or damaged we'll replace them within 24 hours of claim approval.
Cover & claim limits apply. Mon - Fri 8am - 6pm, except Bank holidays.
Depending on the type of business you run, you might work from home, in an office, at your shop, a client's premises or a shared working space. If your working premises became unusable due to an insured event like a fire or flood, business interruption will cover the costs of relocating until it's fixed. It can also cover you for any lost turnover during this time if you've insured your premises or business property with us.
If your main supplier or customer suffers damage to their premises and can't trade, we'll cover you for the loss of business you'll suffer. Equally, if a market or fair that you regularly attend suffers a fire, we'll cover the lost turnover for the time you can't trade there. Business interruption will also cover you if key equipment that you use to run your business, like a laptop, is damaged or stolen, meaning you can't trade.
Our business interruption cover can insure you if you or one of your key employees becomes seriously disabled and is unable to continue work. We will cover the incurred costs, up to £25,000, to minimise any interruption to the business.
Theft of Takings covers cash or cheques stolen from you in transit, from a safe or on you while you're working at other premises, such as your clients' homes. Maximum limits apply.
If you hold sensitive customer data, process payments online or just want peace of mind, Cyber cover should be considered. Because cyber criminals can be clever. Catching you off-guard and tricking you in to doing something you shouldn't, like opening an attachment in a fake email, or finding a way through your cyber-security. If this happens and they get their hands on your data or access to your bank account, the impact on your business could be devastating.
But, with our Cyber cover, you can call the experts, 24/7. They'll be on it, helping you to stay in business and recover in three ways following a cyber incident:
Read more on Cyber cover here.
Available on new and renewal policies only. For Retail and Office & Professional customers only.
This covers the legal costs of providing specialist lawyers and taking action against many common legal problems, for instance disputes with suppliers or clients. Legal expenses cover can only be used if there is at least a 51% chance that the claim will succeed.
We know how important tools and equipment are for tradespeople. So, when it comes to tools insurance, we've nailed it.
And now, you'll get a fast-upfront payment of up to £1,500 (after a few checks) to help you replace your essential tools or business equipment if they're stolen or damaged, with Tools Essentials.
Tools and Business Equipment cover
With this you're covered if they're damaged or stolen from:
Policy limits and excesses apply.
With the Overnight Tools optional add-on (for an extra premium)
You're covered for theft of tools when they're locked in your vehicle overnight that's parked on your drive, the street or if you're working away.
Available on new policies only. Tools removed when the vehicle is not being used for business purposes for more than five consecutive days. Cover excludes electrical items such as laptops, cameras, mobile phones, removable satellite navigation systems, and handheld survey equipment. Cover limits and variable claim excesses apply.
And you get Tools Essentials with both
To help you replace your essential tools or equipment quickly, if they're stolen or damaged, so you can get back to work. You contact us as soon as you can between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holiday) and after a few checks, we transfer up to £1,500 to you.
Claims and policy limits apply. Crime reference or proof of damage and proof of ownership needed.
What we cover
We cover power tools such as drills, hammers, screwdrivers, chisels, spanners, saws, pliers, trowels and blow torches. And equipment like ladders, steps, cleaning supplies, lawnmowers, paint trays, brushes, workbenches, and spirit levels.
Read more about Tools and Business Equipment, Overnight Tools and Tools Essentials.
Own plant covers larger items of machinery owned by the business, such as cement mixers, diggers, mini-diggers, dumpers, excavators, generators, trailers and temporary site huts and caravans. This does not include regular items in your toolkit, like a hammer.
We can cover this machinery for theft and damage due to an insured event e.g. fire. We do not cover machinery that has been damaged due to wear and tear.
Cover limits:
There is a single article limit of £50,000.
Excess per claim - £250
Hired in plant refers to machinery that you have hired from a third party, either for a short period of time or on permanent hire. The types of machinery we cover include cement mixers, diggers, mini-diggers, dumpers, excavators, generators, trailers and temporary site huts and caravans.
If something happens to the machinery while it is on hire and being used by your business, and the incident is covered by an insured event, e.g., a fire or theft, we can cover the cost of replacing it.
Cover limits:
There is a single article limit of £50,000.
Excess per claim - £250
This covers work that is in progress that is damaged by an insured event, such as a fire, flood, vandalism, or theft. We can cover the costs required to repair or redo the work.
For example, if you're a builder working on a house and a fire destroys part of the house five months into a six-month contract, we can help you to complete the contract by:
Cover limits:
Contract value (based on the maximum value for any one contract anywhere within the UK)
Turnover limit - £1,500,000
Excess per claim - £500
If you have an existing quote or policy with us, you can view and download your policy documents from the My Account page.
We tailor all our policies, so your documents only show what you've chosen to cover.
Below is a summary of a generic policy, from 30 May 2022 onwards, which shows the main covers and exclusions in our policies.
It doesn't matter if you work from home, in a busy office, sell products online or offer your services face-to-face, there are risks associated with every type of business. Mistakes can happen, equipment might get damaged or break down and clients can accuse you of negligence.
Small businesses often aren't prepared for large and unexpected expenses, so it's important to have the right insurance in place.
Similarly, if you're self-employed and something goes wrong, you'll be the one responsible for footing the bill. So insurance for the self-employed is crucial.
At Direct Line for Business, we can cover the majority of risks associated with your business. So, instead of worrying about what might go wrong, you can concentrate on building your empire.
Different businesses require different types of insurance, that's why we let you pick and choose the covers that go into your policy. So, whether you're a retailer or a dog groomer, an IT consultant or a photographer, you can choose the cover that's just right for your business.
You can include any of the following cover types in your small business insurance policy:
From accountants to caterers, estate agents to market traders, we cover over 700 different trades. Get a quote online to see if we can insure your business.
If you can't find your trade using our online quote tool, please chat to us on Live Chat or call us on 0345 301 5066, as we may be able to cover you.
Different businesses will require different levels of cover, so the cost of insuring a business will differ. We let you customise your business insurance policy, so you only pay for the insurance you need, not the insurance you don't.
The cost of your business insurance quotes will be affected by:
Whatever covers you choose to include in your policy, you'll only have one renewal date to remember. You can pay annually or monthly, with 0% APR to pay in the first year.
In most cases, business insurance is optional, but some clients and companies may require proof of insurance before agreeing to work with you.
Event organisers, for example, may need to see proof of public liability insurance before letting you trade at their craft fair. A business professional may require you to show proof of professional indemnity insurance before hiring you as a consultant.
If you hire employees, you are legally required to take out at least £5 million in employers' liability insurance. To understand your legal responsibilities and what the exceptions are, read more about employers' liability here.
Our online quote tool gives you the option to enter all your trades so that we have a clear idea of what type of cover you might need. It's important that we know everything that you do.
If you don't include something you do as a trade, then we might not be able to cover any claims. You have a duty to make a fair presentation of your business at all times, so if you are in any doubt about what information or changes you need to disclose then chat to us online or call us on 0345 301 5066.
Your quote is valid for up to 30 days from the day you receive it.
