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Personalise your office insurance policy

Create a bespoke insurance policy for your small business, so you only pay for what you need.

Get a quote Retrieve a quote

or call us on 0345 878 5622

Call us on 0345 878 5622

Join over 500,000 businesses who trust us with their insurance.

  • Get 10% off business insurance if you’re already a Direct Line customer.

    Discount applies to your new business insurance policy. Subject to minimum premiums.

  • If your business changes, you can amend your policy and we won't charge you admin fees.
  • 0% APR on your monthly direct debit payments in the first year.

    New customers only, over 18s, subject to eligibility.

  • We won't be beaten on price. We'll beat your new business insurance quote or renewal premium from any other insurer.

    New customers only. Cover on an equivalent basis to ours. Qualifying criteria apply. Terms & Conditions.

An office insurance policy that you design yourself

We understand that every business is different and the risks associated with your business are not going to be the same as everyone else's. If you're a one-person enterprise running your business from home, you're not going to be looking for the same type of insurance as someone managing 20 employees in a rented office.

That's why Direct Line for Business provides flexible cover that can be tailored to suit your unique business needs. So, whether you're an accountant, a designer or estate agent, you can get insurance that is just right for your business.

Only you know what's right for your company, so rather than dictate what should or should not go into your policy, we put you in charge. Using our online quote tool you can select the different aspects of your business that you want to insure. This could include insuring your business against cyber security threats, damage to your equipment or claims made by clients you are giving advice to. See what different cover types you can include in your policy below.

A policy that allows your business to grow

Businesses evolve and change over time, and the type of insurance you take out while you're getting started might not reflect what your business looks like in a few years.

We don't want you to be stuck with a policy that no longer works for you. So, if you move to bigger offices, add new members to your team, buy expensive new equipment or expand your services, we'll let you amend your insurance without having to pay admin fees or take out a new policy. Your policy can grow with your business so that you can keep looking to the future.

Get a quote
or call us on 0345 878 5622
Get a quote call us on 0345 878 5622

Your cover options

You can include any of the following cover options in your insurance policy to get the precise cover your business needs. These covers are subject to policy conditions and limits.

  • Professional indemnity

    If a client claims that you've given negligent advice, causing them to lose money or suffer reputational damage, they could sue you. Professional indemnity insurance covers your legal expenses and any compensation costs you are liable to pay.

    Some examples of behaviour that could be deemed as negligent include:

    • a consultant who advises a client to make a decision that results in the client losing business
    • an architect who produces and provides incorrect plans
    • an illustrator who makes errors in their drawings, delaying the publication of a book

    In all these cases, professional indemnity would cover the costs of legal action, should the client decide to make a claim against you. Even if you haven’t done anything wrong, you could still incur costs to defend yourself.

    There are some businesses that we cannot cover for professional indemnity. Learn more about which occupations we can and cannot insure.

  • Public liability

    Public liability covers you if you accidentally damage a client's property or someone injures themselves on your premises. An example of this could be a member of the public using your office bathroom and slipping on a wet floor. If they became injured and took you to court, public liability would cover the costs you have to pay. We can offer cover from £1 million to £10 million.

  • Employers' liability

    Employers’ liability insurance is legally required if your business employs anyone, even on a casual basis. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which you can read about here.

    If an employee sues you because they become ill or suffer an injury as a consequence of the work they do for you, employers’ liability insurance will cover the costs you are required to pay.

  • Buildings cover

    If there is an insured event such as a flood or fire in your office and the building is damaged, our cover will pay the costs of reinstatement or repairs; this includes paying for debris removal and architect fees.

    This cover is also applicable if you rent and have installed fixed shelving, a kitchen or bathroom.

    The cover also includes boiler and fire/burglar alarm repair as standard (for items forming part of the buildings), although the damage must not be due to wear and tear.

  • Contents and stock

    If your office equipment get stolen or damaged, business activities may temporarily draw to a halt. Insuring your contents, stock and equipment will mean that if an insured event occurs, you would be in a position to replace your goods and get your business back up and running.

    Our contents and stock insurance covers your electrical items, business furniture, artwork, and documents.

    You can also choose to have important items, like your laptop or smart phone, insured on the go, with our property away cover. This is especially useful if you travel a lot for work, or work at different locations.

  • Business interruption

    You can chose business interruption cover if you've insured your premises, contents, or business property away with us. So whether you run your business from your own office or a shared office space, if your working premises become unusable due to an insured event such as fire or flood, business interruption will cover the costs of relocating and any lost turnover during this time.

    If you regularly work at your client's site, and their office is damaged and has to close, you'll need to find somewhere else to work. Even worse than this, they might not be able to trade, meaning you've lost business until they can set up elsewhere. All of this costs you valuable earnings, something our business interruption cover will take care of.

    If your equipment is stolen or damaged, for example if you break your laptop and can't work, business interruption can cover the loss of turnover.

    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

    If your business handles money, this policy will cover you in case of theft from your premises or while in transit. This insurance also covers your business if money is stolen from anyone working for you.

  • Cyber cover

    As businesses become increasingly reliant on technology they also face a host of cyber security risks. Our cyber cover pays for the costs you might incur as a result of cyber crime. If there’s a data breach or unintentional transmission of a virus, this cover will pay for compensating injured parties, defence costs and system restoration. It also covers loss of income in the aftermath of a cyber attack and the cost of investigating a ransom demand.

    Under our data breach cover we provide access to IT forensics and data recovery experts. We also provide access to public relations and crisis management support, identity theft assistance and specialist advice that will help you prevent future incidents.

  • Legal expenses

    This pays the legal costs of providing specialist lawyers and taking action against many common legal problems, for instance disputes with suppliers or clients.

Get a quote
or call us on 0345 878 5622
Get a quote call us on 0345 878 5622

Policy documents

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.

We're on it

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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.