Home sweet home. Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like home. It’s fair to say that even before the government made working in your pyjamas the law*, many freelancers were rocking the WFH lifestyle. And why wouldn’t we? There’s hot tea on tap, no office gossip to distract us and the commute is a speedy 30 seconds or so. (*NB this may be the author’s interpretation and not actual law).
While reopening may draw some people back into co-working spaces or clients’ premises, for a lot of freelancers, the home office is a place of calm, productivity and supports their work-life balance. If you’re planning on staying put, you might be wondering if you actually need business equipment insurance. Surely all my stuff is safe at home?
Business equipment isn’t covered by home insurance
If it’s in your house, it’s covered by your standard contents insurance, right? Well, maybe not. Many home insurance policies specifically exclude business equipment from their cover. Anything that’s owned by your business, as opposed to things you own for domestic and personal use, might be excluded. This does vary from provider to provider, so it may be worth checking the small print on your policy or giving your insurer a call to find out. Otherwise, if your home is broken into, and a burglar heads straight for your prized MacBook Pro, you may find your claim is refused. As a specialist business equipment cover, Dinghy insurance offers no-fuss claims and can cover all types of business equipment including computers, phones, tablets, cameras as well as more specialist objects like musical instruments.
Little helpers
It’s easy to think of accidents causing loss or damage as only happening when you’re out and about, but of course, homes can be dangerous environments for expensive electronics as well, particularly if you have little ones about. If your son or daughter decides to paint a Picasso on your LCD monitor, uses your laptop as a tray for a teddy bear’s picnic or drops your work phone down the toilet, could you afford to replace it? And we can’t always blame the kids either. Who hasn’t been guilty of balancing a mug of coffee precariously near their keyboard when pulling an all-nighter? Dinghy’s business equipment cover will insure your gear against accidental damage when you’re working from home.
Time is money
Dinghy understands that freelancers work to tight deadlines and that every hour without your laptop is an hour you’re losing money. That’s why we promise a 24-hour claim turnaround with our business equipment protection policies. This means that, from the moment you notify us of a claim, we have 24 hours to furnish you with a new-for-old replacement or put the cash straight into your bank. We’ll help you get back to doing what you do best, as soon as possible.
Free to roam
Just because home is your preferred base, doesn’t mean you’ll want to be there all the time. With business equipment insurance for freelancers from Dinghy, your top tools are covered when you’re out and about, from loss, theft and damage. The easing of lockdown rules this summer may tempt even the most devoted home birds out to work in the sunshine at a cafe while sipping an iced latte. Clients may be itching to ditch the Zoom calls and finally meet their fabulous freelancers face-to-face. We’re also one of the few insurance providers that will cover your equipment if it’s stolen from a coworking space (as long as it wasn’t left unattended). Knowing that your things are covered by business equipment insurance is your ticket to freelancing freedom.
All around the world
And, thinking a little ahead to the future, when travel opens up again your work may take you further afield. Dinghy’s business equipment insurance offers worldwide cover, 365 days a year, anywhere on the globe. So if you lose your laptop in Lisbon, your phone is pinched in Paris or your camera gets crushed in Caracas, Dinghy’s got your back, and we’ll send you the money to replace it so you can carry on working.
All your policies all in one place
If you need to protect all that precious work gear, Dinghy can give you a quick quote in minutes that covers loss, theft or damage anywhere in the world. We can cover computers, cameras and musical instruments – basically anything that you need to do your job – and guarantee a replacement or cash in 24 hours in the event of a claim. The amount you pay will depend on the value of the items you’re insuring, but all our policies are pay monthly at no extra cost. You can purchase business equipment as a standalone cover or add it to our tailored professional indemnity and public liability policies for freelancers so that all your business insurance is in one place. Visit our website today to find out more.
