Workshop Insurance

[Mike.C]

:?:

I do not know if anyone can point me in the right direction, but since i moved to Scotland and set up my new workshop i have been looking for an insurance company who will sell me a policy to cover my machinery/tools etc. But it seems that most companies have a limit of between £1,500 and £2,000 to cover the contents of a garage/outbuildings, which may seem alot, but if you add up the cost of a average table saw, a couple of drills, a router, router bits, compound mitre saw, bench/floor standing drill, a small planer/thicknesser etc you will see that £2,000 is not really much. And this is not including the other non woodworking stuff that most of us have in our garage such a trolly jack, compressor or foot pump, tool box etc. And what about the stack of nice hardwood you have got saved for that special prodject, because god forfid if you ever have a fire you will want to replace it all.

I did find one agent who said that he could get me cover but it would cost me £100 a month or £1,200 a year. I told him that it was my hobby not a business but he just told me to take it or leave it.

The thing that gets me is that if my workshop was 8 feet nearer my house and attached to it (like an attached garage) my insuers would have covered me for the full replacement cost under my normal contents policy and i would'nt have had to pay a penny more. But because of this 8 feet they could not even sell me a seperate policy.

What really made me take my business else where was after i spoke to another woodworker who's insurance company Eagle Star are covering him for up to £5,000, yet they too usually have a limit of £2,000, but because he has been with them for 7 years they treated him as a special case.
Yet i was with Norwich Union Direct for 11 years and had 3 policys with them (contents, buildings, and car) and i have never made one claim. But would they help me?, would they hell.

So if anyone knows of a company who can help please let me know.

Sorry for such a serious message as my first post.

Mike.C

 

[Anonymous]

in the past i've had similar problems to you as i have well over £5000 in tools that i use for work.
it took me ages to find an insurer to cover them.
i ended up getting the best service from a local insurance broker who took quite a while going around the insurance companies to get me a good deal.

so my suggestion is that you try a couple of local brokers who should be able to fix you up.

most direct insurers only want to do the bog standard stuff take it or leave it ( as you have found out)

good luck

aleks

 

[Anonymous]

i forgot to log in for the past post

aleks

 

[Mike.C]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I have tried a few brokers in this area but there is only a few and they are not any good. What insurer do you use or would you rather not say?

Has anyone come upon this problem? Or can you recommend an insurer or even a broker?

Mike.C

 

[Scrit]

I'd suggest avoiding Royal and Sun Alliance. They made me jump through hoops on the last renewal and my wallet is still hurting! Their assessor came and did a site survey and whilst the figure for insurance wasn't too bad, the "extras" they required added up to over £1,000 of extra security - despite the existing high quality alarm, security doors and locks, etc. I'm not in Beirut, not even in the inner city - I'm in a small semi-rural district with a below average crime rate!

 

[Anonymous]

the broker i got my renewal though is


CIC Insurance Services Ltd
The Old Bank, Station Hill Cookham
Maidenhead Berkshire
SL6 9BT

Tel: 01628 531411

the chap there was very helpful and spent quite a while calling the underwriyters to make sure the policy he was suggesting was going to give me the cover i needed.

aleks

 

[Mike.C]

Thanks to you both. I will avoid the Royal and Sun Alliance and i'll contact your broker.

Cheers

Mike.C

 

[Anonymous]

Hill House Hammond.