insurance cover for workshop and loco

[ron61630]

Just been shafted by Sainsburys

Apparently whilst they have been taking my money for cover for the above under the home ins policy, they now tell me  that i am not covered, due to being over the limit on specified items

and even if i were to take the items off the list, and get them insured elsewhere hence to question, they would not cover my ordinasry home insurance as the items asre still on the premises

I did point out that my car is also on the premises and insured elsewhere and they are ok with that..  

So any resonable companies out there that would cover the workshop?

TIA

[jackrae]

Walker Midgley are/were the 'go-to' insurance broker for locos and workshops

Marks & Spencer do 'unlimited' domestic insurance on house and contents - though you do have to declare high-value items

[jo479]

Many years ago I asked a major insurance firm could they add on my workshop contents to my policy, they said yes but we'll send someone round to check, the insurance man arrived and refused to insure the workshop because there was that much tooling in there I was obviously running a business (it was a 6ft x 8ft workshop) no amount of arguing with them would change their mind, various other firms said the same, so no joy at all, I thought the one you mentioned was rather dear, but you pay your money etc

[jon38r80]

I looked at insuring my workshop and contents when I went abroad for a while (family still at home) I found a 'specialist' insurance company through I think it was the Model Engineer website. The premium was absolutely ridiculous , over £1000 a year, Im not joking. S I gave up the idea and bought a big brother video set up instead for a couple of hundred pounds with enough cameras to cover inside and out of the workshop . It sends me an email I get visitors to the house and the garden. Its deterred a couple of would be nighttime unwanted geusts in the few years Ive had it.
Like Jo 479 any other insurance company will only consider insuring it as a business with insane premiums to boot. Fit some decent locks to doors and windows and an alarm of some sort , it would ptrobably cost less than the anual premium anyway..

[millman]

I had exactly the same problem trying to insure the workshop, £1000.00 plus and a complete inventory along with photographs of every item, or the comment that you are running a business so welcome to our package of insurance with employers liability, public liability, product liability and goods in transit liability, the cost was eye watering. I installed CCTV around the house and workshop and also had a proper alarm system installed.

[Jo]

You really have to decide what you are looking to insure. I decided to "self insure" due to the premiums and poor insurance coverage. Having "new for old" insurance on ex-industrial machines will always be un affordable and cost more than buying the machines second hand. My house insurance only covers £4K outside the main building which won't even cover the Lawn Tractor.

What's the risk? Theft? Most kids nick mobile phones. The big machines took a fair time to get into the workshop and unless someone turns up with a crane and lifts the roof of your garage off (not unknown in years gone by) it will take the same again to take them out again. So the chances are they are going to pinch smaller stuff so put your DIY tools in easy reach for any potential thieves. - Easier for the thieves to walk away with and easier to get through on a house insurance claim. Finished models are always very nick-able even large Locomotives and traction engines. The best insurance against theft is for no one to know what you have so I have blinds at my windows so no one can look in to see


The only concerning risk for most of us is a fire. So best check your "professionally" installed wiring regularly and best not park an EV in the same garage .

Jo

[JonL]

The self insurance model is probably a good idea, combined with robust security. It's what I try to do, but I keep spending the savings!

I won't divert the thread too much, maybe we can continue the EV chat on the EV thread, but the NHTSA did a study in 2017 which said conventional cars are four times more likely to catch fire than an EV (Page 2-2 of the 2017 NHTSA report). A later study carried out in 2020 (admittedly by an EV biased organisation, the EVAAP) came to the same conclusion. Maybe just don't park any car in there?

[JonL]

As well as secure locks I use CCTV and pay the princely sum of £1.50 a month to have all three cameras backed up to the cloud, so the recordings are stored virtually forever.