As a business owner, it is essential to be aware of the potential risks that your company may face. Cyber-attacks, theft, and other criminal activities can all result in significant losses, both financially and in terms of reputation. While you may have taken measures to prevent such incidents, it’s important to consider whether you need security insurance to protect your business against the impact of such risks. (more…)
Thatched pubs are a staple of British culture, evoking a sense of tradition and history. However, owning a thatched pub comes with its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to insurance. Due to the increased risk of fire and other damages associated with thatched roofs, finding adequate insurance coverage can be a daunting task. In this article, we’ll explore why it’s so difficult to find thatched pub insurance and how Just Quote Me can help.
In a year that saw turbulent weather, including storms and heat waves, the average price paid for home insurance in the UK fell to its lowest since the Association of British Insurers (ABI) began collecting data in 2012. According to the ABI’s latest Household Insurance Premium Tracker, the average price paid for combined buildings and contents home insurance was £300 in 2022, down 6% from the previous year. The average price paid for separate buildings and contents policies were also at all-time lows, at £228 and £116, respectively. (more…)
In the insurance world, choice is essential to ensuring that both individuals and businesses alike have the coverage they need.
For example, security insurance would not cover the same types of policies as people who run an architecture consultancy or an online media resource.
With a cost of living crisis and an economic recession looming large in the minds of many business owners regardless of size and industry, many financial officers, accountants and CEOs are looking at ways they can reduce their outgoings.
As each company is different, the types of cost reductions vary as well, particularly with many industries facing a somewhat uncertain future, and some companies are looking through every expense with a fine tooth comb to see what they can function without.
During particularly bitter and brutal winter weather, one of the UK’s most prominent workplace hazards becomes even more dangerous, and the need for working at height insurance is more pronounced.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, one of the biggest causes of major life-changing injuries and fatalities in UK workplaces is due to the inherent risks of working at height.
However, it took until 2005 for workers outside of the construction sector to receive the same level of legal protection via the current active legislation, the Work At Height Regulations 2005.
To understand the importance of this legal instrument and why a major industry body is campaigning to protect it from repeal, we need to explore the regulations and why they were needed in the first place.
Companies hoping to see the year out without any disasters might want to prioritise protecting their data, as online crime continues to be a growing problem among businesses.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently revealed there were as many as 6.4 million reports received by the Suspicious Email Reporting Services (SERS) in 2022, resulting in 67,300 bogus URLS being removed.
Since its launch in 2020, it has dealt with 15.8 million reports and taken down nearly 200,000 sites.
NCSC deputy director for economy and society resilience Sarah Lyons said cyber criminals are becoming better at making their scams more convincing.
“By shining a light on these scams we want to help people more easily spot the common tricks fraudsters use, so that ultimately they can stay safer online,” she stated.
It has advised companies to protect their data as much as possible by implementing a two-step verification procedure. Staff should also use ‘three random words’ for their passwords, as this makes it harder for cyber criminals to hack into their accounts.
NCSC also suggested employees avoid creating passwords that can be easily cracked, such as from significant dates, favourite sports team or book, or family or pet names.
‘Three random words’, however, makes passwords “that are ‘long enough’ and ‘strong enough’ for most purposes but which can also be remembered much more easily”.
It is also important to protect yourself by taking out the right cover. Speak to our business insurance experts in Staffordshire for more advice on what protection you need for your enterprise.
This might be the year you launch your own business, in which case it is essential you take all the necessary protections first. For some companies, this might include getting professional indemnity (PI) insurance. To find out if that includes you, read on.
Professional indemnity insurance protects businesses having to pay for legal defence or compensation if there is a claim made for a bad piece of advice, negligence at work, or a dodgy service that has resulted in financial loss for the client.
Unbiased.co.uk explains: “In the event of being sued, these professionals need to pay a lawyer to defend them in court, as well as the costs associated with rectifying and reprinting.”
Therefore, businesses that might need it include those that provide a consultancy service, in case there is a mistake in the advice given; handle data, in the event of a data breach; or offer expertise and there is an error in the calculations or plans.
If you are still uncertain whether you need PI, Lloyds Bank has published a long list of professionals that should take it out.
These include business or IT consultants, accountants, architects and surveyors, engineers, interior designers, town planners, and those involved in education or risk management.
There are some things PI does not protect against, so you might need to take out other policies for better protection.
For instance, PI does not cover damage to a client’s reputation; employer liability and public liability.
For a chat about professional indemnity protection or other business insurance policies in Stafford, get in touch with us today.
For many people, the festive season is a time to relax and enjoy the company of friends, family and loved ones, but for the security industry, it is a time to prepare for the unexpected.
In the world of security insurance, one day is prioritised above all others around Christmas, as it has become somewhat infamous for a spike in claims, personal injuries and crimes, particularly those taking place in nightclubs and other entertainment venues.
That day is the last Friday before Christmas Eve (In 2022 this is the 23rd December), often known as Mad Friday, Black Friday, Frantic Friday, Nasty Friday or Black Eye Friday.
Originally a term used by the NHS and the Police, the term was quickly picked up by private security staff and was a common term in the industry because of the spike in incidents that would seemingly happen just before Christmas.
There is a spike in fights, violent crime, drunken incidents of disorderly behaviour and other anti-social behaviour in December in general and on Mad Friday in particular. Why is this the case?
There are a few reasons why Mad Friday has developed the reputation that it has, and a lot of it has to do with the freedom associated with the holiday period.
Traditionally, Mad Friday was the last workday of the year, and many offices and workplaces would close early. This meant that more people would go out to pubs and clubs for longer, potentially drink more, and more work Christmas parties would take place in the same place.
All of this would, in turn, translate to more opportunities for potentially disruptive and dysfunctional behaviour, particularly in the form of fights in pubs, clubs and bars.
This ends up putting a strain on public services, particularly the NHS, which has more 999 ambulance calls to respond to that have been caused directly by drunken behaviour.
The answer was a two-pronged response that would prepare for the worst whilst raising greater awareness
The solution was twofold, and the first step was preparation.
Over December in general and Mad Friday in particular, there are far more police and security staff near pubs, clubs and known areas of potential trouble.
Many ambulance services set up portable “drunk tanks” where people can be treated for injuries, alcohol poisoning, and be securely locked away until they settle down or the police can arrive.
In certain places where violence with weapons is a significant problem, temporary metal detectors are placed at the doors of popular venues to stop people from bringing knives into venues to help protect people further, with a zero-tolerance approach to violent behaviour.
The other weapon they had at their disposal was the ability to call people out.
Whilst it had been reported on in news stories for decades, 2013 was the first time police services would publicly address the disproportionate callouts seen on Mad Friday.
Greater Manchester promoted “Mad Manc Friday” across their social media profiles to reveal the embarrassing behaviours of people who got caught up in the spirit and spirits of the moment.
Scarborough’s Police went further and tweeted every 999 call they received to raise awareness of the scale of the work they do.
One of the most unique and wonderful parts of the insurance industry is how diverse every individual and their needs truly are, and attempting to accommodate these needs as closely as possible is one of the reasons why there are so many diverse policies.
This is why nightclub insurance has different policy details to a restaurant or public house insurance policy, and is also why certain celebrities have unusual policies taken out via marketplaces such as Lloyd’s of London and why unusual events often have specialist policies.
With that in mind, it is perhaps not too surprising that some insurance firms create tailored Christmas insurance policies that are designed to be short-term and provide cover that a business or individual would not typically need during the rest of the year.
A good example of this is dedicated Christmas party insurance, which is designed to help cover businesses during an event that is often somewhat unusual.
Christmas parties often feature public liability insurance as standard, to protect the party organiser (ie the company in charge) from any legal claims that come as the result of property damage or injury to a member of the public.
As well as this, the policy often also covers hired equipment, such as PA systems, speakers, amplifiers, musical instruments, karaoke machines, lighting systems and other hired or purchased equipment against potential damage or theft.
It often also covers against accidental fires, which can be caused by a range of popular Christmas staples such as crackers, party hats, candles and string lights if sufficient care is not taken.
Many of these policies will also include employer’s liability insurance, as is a legal requirement, as well as having the potential to have other policies added to it such as insurance for security staff or insurance to protect any fleet vehicles used to transport staff members around.
The biggest difference is that this coverage applies to a one-off event as opposed to a rolling policy.
