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UKFT associate member Langton London has outlined a range of things to consider when looking at your business insurance policy in relation to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Homeworking
Does your policy cover working from home?
Are staff taking home laptops and other IT equipment? What about sewing machines or any other items of small machinery?
Check with your provider if your policy covers this or if it needs to be extended.

Unoccupied premises
Insurance policies in the UK normally only allow cover for an unoccupied premises for 14 to 30 days maximum.
If you are going to be out of your premises for longer than that, check with your provider whether your policy covers this or can be extended.

Changing/adapting business activity
Are you changing what you are making or adapting your business?
Check with your provider whether your policy covers this or can be extended to cover your new activities.

Insurance Cover via Langton London

Langton London is the appointed insurance broker for the UK Fashion & Textile Association and members can benefit from discounted rates for insurance as part of the UKFT Business Insurance scheme.
Langton has been working with RSA to agree extensions on its scheme for the UK fashion and textile industry to allow the following extensions to existing insurance policies during the current Covid-19 Lockdown.

Homeworking

Working from home is not automatically provided by your insurer if not already agreed to extend Employers’ Liability.

Under the UKFT Business Insurance scheme, companies must take all reasonable precautions to ensure that staff are working within their capability at home and their working environment has been “assessed” as far as it can be, accepting that this is likely to be a remote assessment.

All Risks

As more staff are working from home and taking laptops and other IT equipment under all risk items. The UKFT Business Insurance scheme policy will be extended to cover All Risks items up to £2,500 per employee (£5,000 per household). These should include laptops, sewing machines and any other items of small machinery.

Unoccupancy

Insurance policies in the UK normally only allow cover for an unoccupied premises for 14 to 30 days maximum. Under the UKFT Business Insurance scheme, the policy can be extended when required, subject to companies taking all reasonable precautions to ensure that premises are as protected as they can be during this time. Guidelines can be given on request.

Changing/adapting business activities

Due to the Covid-19 situation, many fashion and textile businesses are changing what they are making, for example to shift production to scrubs or PPE. Langton London can provide cover, as long as companies inform the insurer exactly what new activities entail and who they are being produced/manufactured for.

For further information please contact Tony Gutteridge by either by email – info@langtonlondon.co.uk or phone 01737 305666.

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