Home Based Business Insurance

Insurance for home based business professionals

Millions of self-employed professionals operate their businesses from home and rely on their homeowner’s insurance policies to provide protection for their home based businesses. While your house is protected, your important business files, equipment and operations may not be. To properly secure your home business, you should seriously consider home based business insurance.

In fact, using your home for activities your insurer isn't aware of (like operating a home based business) may invalidate your homeowner’s policy, leaving both your home and business at risk.

What type of home based business insurance do you need?

We offer professional liability insurance and general liability insurance. Because you work from home, we’ll customize your coverage and offer reduced rates in some areas to reflect the lower level of risk you face.

General liability insurance for home based businesses

This coverage is important for several reasons. First, your home based business protects you from claims due to injury of a third-party. For example, if you visit a client’s office, and someone trips over your bag, they can sue you.

A general liability policy protects you against claims of personal injury (libel and slander claims). We also protect you against damage to other people’s property or premises rented to you (that aren’t your home) such as a temporary office space or training/conference facilities.

Since you’re home based, less people will be visiting your place of work, which means you have a lower risk of accidents occurring. We reward this by lowering our general liability premiums. We think that’s only fair.

Visit our general liability insurance page for more information.

Professional liability insurance for home based businesses

Professional liability insurance (errors and omissions insurance) is an important part of your home based business insurance. If your business is sued for negligence, even if you haven’t made a mistake, this policy has you covered. We’ll even appoint a lawyer if necessary and cover the legal fees, up to the policy limit.

Your home based business insurance customizes coverage to your specific professional needs. For example, we add $200,000 of software copyright infringement to all policies for IT consultants who work from home, ensuring protection against common risks.

Visit our professional liability insurance page for more information.

Business owner insurance for home based businesses

Also known as a business owner's policy or BOP insurance, this combines general liability coverage with protection for your business equipment, such as computers, printers, copiers and office furniture.

Visit our business owner insurance pages to learn more.

Workers’ compensation for home based businesses

To maximize the benefits of your coverage, Hiscox has joined forces with EMPLOYERS®, America’s small business insurance specialist®, to offer outstanding workers’ compensation insurance. This covers businesses' statutory and legal obligations for employee expenses that are resulting from on-the-job injuries and/or illnesses.

Visit our workers’ compensation insurance pages to learn more.