As the nights draw in and we move into autumn we are, once again, seeing further Government restrictions introduced for many parts of the UK and indeed certain business sectors.

Businesses that can work from home, have been asked to do exactly that.

To help contain the virus, the Government have asked office workers who can work effectively from home, to do so during the winter period.

This means that many offices and other commercial premises may once again be left unoccupied. Most commercial buildings insurance policies cease to offer full cover once the building has been unoccupied for 30 days. You should refer to your policy wording for the exact requirements defined by your insurer.

Conditions may also include amongst other things weekly visits, removal of waste, switching off gas, water and electricity and letterboxes sealed.

All policies are different and if you now find yourself with an insured ‘unoccupied commercial property’ GPS clients should let us know so that we can inform your insurer.

Our top tips to ensure your business premises are best protected whilst unoccupied are:

1. Ensure that for intruder alarms are set in accordance with policy requirements and the building and windows are all secured.
2. Ensure fire alarms are working correctly.
3. Turn off any non-essential water supplies at the mains.
4. Visit the premises often to check on the premises.

If your insurance policy has unoccupied / security conditions and the property was unoccupied prior to this period, then the usual security conditions required by your insurer are the same as before.

The latest UK Government guidance can be found by clicking here.

Now that many organisations have embraced remote working, we are advising businesses to ensure they have the correct cyber insurance cover in place. Please contact us if you would like a quotation for this cover designed to best suit the needs of your business.

It’s business as usual at GPS and all of the team are contactable directly should you need to contact us:

Gary Philip 020 3907 7866   gp@gpsib.com
Jean Somers 020 3907 7867   js@gpsib.com
Steven Barron 020 3907 7868   sb@gpsib.com