Home business insurance

Expert home-based business insurance tailored to you from £5 a month*.

  • Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

  • Interest free direct debit

  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

We provide specialist home business insurance to for a wide range of industries, tailored to your requirements.

It’s a common mistake for self-employed people who work from home to think that they don’t need business insurance. The fact is, if you’re running a business from your home, the services you provide and the equipment and materials you rely on probably aren’t covered by your home insurance policy. This means that if something goes wrong, you could be left counting the cost.

At Markel, we provide specialist home business insurance that can protect your finances and give you peace of mind. We offer excellent value cover for a wide range of industries, tailored to your precise requirements.

What is home business insurance?

Home business insurance (also known as home-based business insurance) is designed to protect those who run a business from home. There are different types of protection available for home-based businesses, covering everything from specialist policies for business equipment to public liability should you interact with clients or members of the public. These policies are designed to provide protection where standard home or business policies may be insufficient.

Our home business insurance is available with a wide range of cover options so you can purchase the right policy for you.

What does home business insurance cover?

With different levels of coverage available, you can fit your home-based business insurance to your situation. Here are some examples of scenarios in which the right insurance policies can protect your business against significant financial loss:

Theft of or damage to equipment

Whether you use standard technology like a laptop or have thousands of pounds worth of specialist equipment, our business equipment insurance can protect your vital tech.

Injury or illness suffered by employees

Our home business cover can be tailored to include employers’ liability insurance, which is essential if you hire employees for your home-based business. It covers costs arising due to injury or illness suffered by your employees as a result of working for your business.

Injury caused to third parties

If you regularly interact with members of the public as part of your business, public liability insurance can protect you against allegations of injury (or damage to third-party property).

Allegations of negligence

If you provide professional services to clients, you may benefit from having professional indemnity insurance in place. This type of cover protects you against claims of professional negligence, such as giving wrongful or incorrect advice.

Cyber attacks

If you store sensitive data about your clients or employees on laptops, desktops, tablets and other internet connected devices, a data breach could have disastrous consequences for your business. Cyber insurance is there to help cover the costs you face in a situation like this.

Why choose Markel for home business insurance?

At Markel, we’re committed to offering tailored home business insurance that suits the specific needs of our clients. Here are just some of the reasons to buy this financial protection from us:

✔ Quick and easy online quotes

Getting a home business insurance quote from us really couldn’t be easier. Simply complete our online form and we’ll provide you with a quote in 90 seconds.

✔ Highly rated on Feefo.com

You don’t have to take our word for the quality of our insurance products. You can check out our customer ratings at Feefo.com.

✔ More than 30 years’ experience

With over a quarter of a century of experience in providing small businesses, contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals with insurance, we know exactly what our customers are looking for.

✔ Tailored policies

We know a one-size-fits-all approach simply won’t cut it when it comes to home business insurance. That’s why we offered tailored policies designed to meet the individual needs of our customers.

✔ Cover you can rely on

We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer that wrote gross premiums totalling £1.09 billion in 2020.

Do I need insurance for my home business?

Certain types of insurance may be crucial if you run a business from home, while others may be

nice to have for added financial security. For example, if you employ anyone as part of your business (and unless you meet specific exemption criteria), you will be legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. Also, depending on the industry you operate in, you might be required by a client or regulatory body to have professional indemnity insurance in place.

Other types of cover, such as business equipment insurance, may not be mandatory but might be highly beneficial when it comes to protecting your finances.

How much does home business insurance cost?

The cost of home business insurance depends on a range of factors, including the size and nature of your business and the specific types of financial protection you are looking for. At Markel, we offer profession-based cover starting at £5 a month.

*The £5 a month price referenced is based on a public liability insurance policy with a £1 million level of cover.

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Tailor your home business insurance to your needs with these covers

  • Professional indemnity insurance

    Professional indemnity insurance covers the cost of defending your business against claims of professional negligence, such as providing incorrect or wrongful advice to a client. This includes the cost of defending your business and any compensation awarded against you, protecting you financially should something go wrong. Cover is available with limits ranging from £50,000 to £5m – an essential consideration for all home businesses owners.

  • Public and product liability insurance

    Public and product liability insurance is an important consideration if you regularly deal with clients or customers. It covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured or their property damaged, arising from you going about your business or supplying products. Limits range between £1m to £5m.

  • Employers' liability insurance

    A legal requirement for any business that hires employees, employers' liability insurance from Markel offers cover for £10m. This will protect your business against claims for employee injury or illness arising from their employment.

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Legal expenses insurance covers the cost of legal expenses in the case of employment contract disputes, tax enquires, personal injury, jury duty and debt recovery. Limit of £100,000.

  • Directors and officers insurance

    With limits ranging from £100,000 to £5m, directors and officers insurance covers the cost of defending directors or officers against allegations of wrongful acts and subsequent damages awarded against you. Also applies to defending actions for disqualification, investigations and extradition proceedings.  

  • Home office insurance

    Home office insurance is essential for working from home. It covers the contents of your office from accidental damage and theft. You can choose to extend the cover on a worldwide basis should you need to travel and bring equipment with you.

  • Occupational personal accident insurance

    Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14-day deferment period). In the event of loss of limbs, damage to sight, speech or hearing, permanent total disablement or death, a lump sum would be paid out. Having this cover can help ease the financial burden if you would struggle to maintain an income following an accident.

    Limits range from £100 per week to £500 per week for temporary total disablement or a £25k lump sum to £100k lump sum for permanent total disablement.

  • Cyber and data risks insurance

    Keeping your business safe against the effects of a cyber attack is essential. Cyber and data risks insurance covers the cost of restoring equipment, ransom demands and any financial damages caused by cyber-attacks. This is a particularly important type of cover should your business handle confidential information in its day-to-day activity.

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Frequently asked questions

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • I already have household insurance. Do I need separate insurance for my home business?

    If you have a standard home insurance policy in place, the chances are you will need separate cover for your business. We recommend checking the details of your existing policy to see exactly what you are covered for and what types of financial protection you may be lacking.

  • Do I have to tell my insurer I work from home?

    Yes, you should inform your cover provider that you work from home in case this invalidates your policy. Also, bear in mind that if your work situation changes part way through a policy, you will need to update your cover provider of the new circumstances.

  • Do I need public liability insurance for my home business?

    Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement, but it is highly recommended for businesses that regularly interact with clients or other members of the public.

  • What level of cover should I choose?

    If you haven’t arranged cover before, or are unsure what the costs might be, think about a hypothetical worst-case scenario and the cost of putting your mistake right. Also, bear in mind that professional bodies and prospective clients may need you to have a minimum level of cover before you can start work with them. It is always worth checking this before you arrange cover.

    We’re more than happy to talk you through the options - please get in touch on 0800 640 6600 or email customerservice@markeldirect.co.uk.

  • Do I have to pay business rates for working from home?

    If you use a small part of your home (e.g., a spare bedroom or home office) to run your business or sell goods by post, you don’t usually have to pay business rates.

    However, running a business under any of the following circumstances may require you to pay business rates:

    • your property is part business and part domestic
    • you sell goods to people visiting the property
    • you have employees working from your home
    • you’ve made changes to your home specifically for your business.

  • I need to arrange home business insurance to start work. Do you provide proof of cover?

    Yes. We immediately provide a dedicated ‘Confirmation of Liability Insurance’ document that details the cover you have with us. This will be included as part of the documents that are emailed to you if you purchase your policy with us and can be presented to agencies and clients as proof that you’re insured.

  • How are Markel Direct regulated?

    Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.

Expect more from your home business insurer.

When you take out cover with Markel, you receive these exclusive services as standard:

24 hour legal helpline 24/7 legal advice helpline manned by qualified solicitors

Legal hub access Legal templates and resources with the Markel Business Hub

Access to our fee dispute service to assist with unpaid invoices

Discounted IR35 contract reviews with your policy

Expert management of public relations crises with The Counsel House

A specialist cyber response helpline for help in the event of a cyber attack

Discover more about our support services.

Cover starting at £5 a month

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