You may well be proud of your studio as a source of revenue and or inspiration but it could also be a source of financial catastrophe unless you have studio insurance.

Studios and people tend to go together and wherever you have people you have the risk of accidents and problems of many different sorts. Unfortunately somebody that trips over a chair or cuts themselves badly on a projection from a wall may not be inclined to just shrug their shoulders and get on with life – they may look to you to ‘pay up’ in terms of compensation.

Then you have your studio and its contents. Perhaps you have expensive equipment or the results of your labours around – whichever is the case you probably won’t be amused if it goes up in smoke due to fire or is written-off due to a flood etc. Natural disasters can happen anywhere at any time – including to your studio.

If you are producing things in your studio for your customers to purchase, remember that if it is considered to be a ‘product’ you may equally be liable if it is faulty or causes customer injury post-sale.

All things considered, your studio creates risks for you that may involve you in very significant cost – and that is where studio insurance may be able to help.

This form of protection comes from a range of individual policy cover providing:

Employers’ liability insurance (if required);

contents cover;

product liability insurance;

public liability insurance;

professional indemnity insurance.

If your premises is your own, then you will need to consider what type of commercial buildings insurance you will need, too. These type of policies are often bought independently from a business insurance policy.

It may be useful to remember that your liability for people working on your behalf is not limited to formal ‘employees’ with a contract of employment. Under some circumstances if you are using temporary or contract staff, or even friends acting as unpaid helpers, you may be liable for any injuries they sustain while progressing work on your behalf.

So, if you don’t like taking huge risks, studio insurance may be for you. If can’t stop an accident or other problem from happening but it may protect you from the worst of the financial consequences.

Jason Hulott is editor of Studio Insurance, a new and exciting website offering pertinent studio insurance information to those who run a small business, whether they are a one man band, a husband and wife team (like us!), or a small to medium business enterprise with a number of staff.

Insurance for your salon is one of the many considerations you will have to bear in mind if you run a hair or beauty business. It may seem like another bill to pay, but there can often be distinct advantages to salon cover. Here are few of them.

Proper insurance gives you peace of mind

Knowing that certain risks are covered will enable you to get on with running your business, safe in the knowledge that the fruits of your hard work are protected from claims or damage/repair bills.

Financial security

The types of claims that can keep salon owners awake at night are public liability claims, and claims from employees. Public liability claims typically relate to actions by third parties that you might come across in the course of your business. For example, claimants may include customers and visitors to your premises, such as someone who is injured when tripping over an electrical wire. They may claim for personal injury.

Would you be able to find this amount from your business’s financial reserves? If a salon is uninsured, the owner has to come up with the money from his own pocket. It’s a sad fact that many salon owners cannot meet such claims in their own right, and face losing the business they have worked so hard to build in the event of a successful claim. In this case, public liability insurance, which is not compulsory by law, may help.

Employees may also claim for accidents and injuries sustained at work, which can run to tens, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds. On top of the damages claimed, the salon owner may typically have to pay the legal fees of the successful claimant, which will be several thousand pounds in themselves. In this case, employers’ liability insurance may help towards these costs. It is, in many cases, a legal requirement too.

When you are getting quotes, consider whether the types of cover discussed above are included in the salon insurance being offered. Some providers will offer public liability insurance as part of a standard business insurance policy, for example.

Professional help

When you are looking for an insurance provider, choose one with professional staff who can assist you with your requirements. This makes the whole process of arranging cover easier, not to mention the fact that the stress is reduced if you have to make a claim if the insurer has helpful people at the end of the phone.

Where do I look for salon insurance?

Visiting a specialist insurance website, which deals specifically with Small to Medium Enterprises, may help you find a suitable salon insurance deal.

Fiona Kent is the Marketing Manager at yourinsurance.co.uk, specialist insurance brokers providing public liability cover for small and medium sized businesses. Catering for over 500 professions, to complex public house and multi-location retail businesses, We are experts in ensuring you have the right business insurance in place.

As owner of the property is essential to protect against potential legal claims that may be made by tenants, contractors and members of the public who are injured while living in or visiting your property. All owners are at risk of being sued if deemed to be negligent or in violation of its duty of care. For example, if a tenant were to trip and fall on a broken step, to be able to sue the landlord for damages and in the era of 'no-win cases of non-legal tender, this type of action is becoming more popular. minimize the risk of the best way to avoid legal action to try to minimize risk. Essentially, it is up to the owner to ensure that property is as safe as possible. This includes fixing broken steps, shelving and cabinets, electrical testing and reducing fire risks. However, this does not eliminate the risk entirely and the last line of defense should be the liability insurance. Owners' liability insurance liability insurance allows the owner to meet expenses or compensation awarded to an audience member if injury resulted from an accident or the owner's property. How insured insurance providers often provide specialist owner liability insurance as part of the main package, but it's a good idea to check their policy to ensure that you are covered. If you are not covered, you may want to consider adopting liability coverage or switch to a new policy that includes this coverage. Don Suter is Managing Editor of Property Portal in the UK (http:// www.ukpropertyportal.co.uk), an online directory and magazine sales of UK properties, rental, surveyors, mortgages, transfers property, property insurance, removals, news, investment and development More information on homeowners insurance and get a quote online.