If you provide a professional service to clients, either as a contractor or freelancer, it's important to have the right insurance in place. Read on to find out more.
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Life moves fast for contractors and freelancers, jobs crop up suddenly and you've got to have the flexibility to take on new work quickly. Whether you're moving from one company to another in a short space of time or handling a variety of projects for different clients, the last thing you want to deal with is any extra admin.
At Direct Line for Business, we offer flexible insurance that can be personalised to reflect the ever-changing needs of your business, so you don't need to take out a new policy every time your job changes.
We can cover you whether you work from home, a co-working space, at an office or a client's premises.
Whether you're a journalist or party planner, the freelance and contracting life offers a lot of freedom. However, being self-employed also means you're solely responsible for sorting out any disruptions to your business.
If your equipment gets stolen, the office you usually work in becomes unusable due to a fire, or someone makes a claim against your work, you will need to deal with the financial implications. Luckily, you can cover yourself for these potential disruptions with our business insurance for contractors and freelancers.
Using our unique online quote tool, you can select the different types of cover you need and create a personalised insurance policy that suits your line of work. This could include professional indemnity, which covers you if you're accused of making a mistake that costs a client money or causes them reputational damage, or public liability, which covers the costs you are required to pay if you accidentally damage someone's property or someone is injured by you or your staff.
There are many different things to consider when creating your insurance package: the type of services you offer, your premises and your equipment. Don't worry, if your circumstances change, or your business grows, you can amend your policy without having to pay any admin fees.
It's important to make sure all your documentation is in order as clients often ask for proof of insurance before a contract begins. When you insure with us, you can download proof of your policy the moment you set it up. Everything's online, so you can access your documents whenever and wherever you need them. Our documents only include the information that is relevant to you, so gone are the days of wading through pages of policy wording to find the bits you're covered for.
These covers are subject to policy conditions and limits.
This type of insurance covers you if you make a mistake or give incorrect advice that costs your client business or money. Even if you don't think you have done anything wrong, you'll still have to pay legal costs if your client decides to take you to court.
Evidence of professional indemnity insurance is sometimes required by clients before they will agree to work with you, particularly if they're a local authority, so it makes sense to have cover in place if you are self-employed.
We cannot offer professional indemnity insurance to all trades. Visit our professional indemnity insurance to find out if we can cover your business.
With public liability you're covered for the legal fees and costs you're required to pay if anyone becomes injured on your premises or you damage their property. For example, if a client were to trip over your projector lead when you're giving a presentation, or if you spill coffee on their laptop and it breaks, public liability insurance would cover this. We can offer cover from £1 million to £10 million.
If you employ one or more people, you are required by law to have employers' liability insurance. Employers' liability covers you if an employee becomes ill or is injured at work.
Visit our employers' liability page to learn about exemptions to this rule.
All freelancers know that insuring your professional equipment is important. Electronics, phones, laptops and specialist equipment can be expensive to replace, especially at short notice. Not having this equipment when you need it might also prevent you from completing work or meeting deadlines, which could cause you to lose income. This insurance covers the tools that help you run your business against theft, loss or damage.
At Direct Line for Business, you have the opportunity to insure your business contents at your work premises and/or away from the premises, when you're on the go.
If the place you're working in - whether it's your office, a client's site or hot desk - becomes unusable due to an insured event like a fire or flood, business interruption will cover the extra costs of setting up somewhere else until you can return to your normal place of work.
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.
We can also cover you if your main client can't trade because their building is damaged, which results in a loss of business for you.
With the evolving risks that come with the use of online technology, cyber cover is particularly important if key aspects of your business are run online or you handle customer data. Our cyber insurance will cover you for:
You will also get specialist support for PR and crisis management, identity theft assistance and specialist advice to prevent viruses or hacking attacks after an incident.
This pays the legal costs of providing specialist lawyers and taking action against many common legal problems, for instance disputes with suppliers or clients.
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 15 July 2018 until 31 March 2019, which shows the main covers and exclusions in our policies.
Below is a summary of a generic policy, from 1 April 2019 onwards, which shows the main covers and exclusions in our policies.
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Direct Line insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, registration number 202810. The Financial Services Register can be accessed through www.fca.org.uk. Calls may be recorded.
