Introduction -
We specialise in commercial building insurance uk and have
pleasure in detailing some of the different types of commercial building, we can
offer insurance facilities in respect of. When providing quotations for
commercial property insurance, the insurance company will take a number of
factors in to consideration when calculating their premium. Firstly they will
want to know the construction of the building. If it is made from bricks or
stone and roofed with metal or slates or tiles then that is generally considered
to be standard construction. If the property is not purpose built and has a flat
felt on timber roof then loadings may apply. The insurer will also want to know
if the floors are concrete or made of wood. Secondly, the use of the building
has an effect on the insurance, in simple the terms to higher the chance of
their being a fire, the higher the commercial building insurance premium. Other factors are
also taken in to consideration such as the age of the building, the postcode (
which helps determine the susceptibility to flooding or subsidence claims) and
previous claims experience.
Office Buildings - Commercial buildings used as offices are generally
considered to be the safest risk when it comes to insurance. There are almost no
trade processes carried out in an office and their primary design is to provide
a workplace and a working environment for administrative workers. Although
some are made from converted houses or former factor premises, the bulk of
office space in the united kingdom is purpose built and of several floors in
construction. Often a company will buy an office block and occupy one or more of
the floors then rent the remaining portion of the building to a tenant. Office
blocks are popular with companies and they often contain reception areas and
catering units. As well as insurance for the bricks and mortar of an office
block, insurance can be arranged to cover the lifts and and boilers for
engineering inspection cover. Because office space is mainly used for clerical
purposes, often insurers do not make the distinction between buildings that are
owner occupied or rented out. Attention should always be paid to the loss of
rent section of the building though, it is sometimes possible for tenants to
obtain increase cost of working cover under their own business contents
insurance policy which will help them find temporary alternative accommodation
in the event of a serious claim.
Warehouse - A warehouse is a form of commercial building that is used for
storing goods. Many have an area that is set aside for use as an office.
Warehouses are used by a variety of trades including; manufacturers, importers,
exporters wholesalers, transport companies and customs ( bonded warehouses).
Usually they are not constructed to the same high standards as other types of
commercial buildings and are mainly found away from town centres where access is
easier and land prices are cheaper. Warehouses are frequently constructed
of concrete block with a corrugated roof. Standard building insurance perils can
be obtained in most cases although the insurer will certainly want to know the
type of items being stored at the premises. Good access to this type of building
is of paramount importance, goods are usually stored on pallet racks to facility
easy lifting by fork lift truck on to road or rail transport. Although a
good deal of warehouses still exist in the United Kingdom, they have been in
decline for over a decade. Nowadays it is not considered economical to stock
pile goods and delivery direct from the factory is considered the most
economically viable option. One type of warehouse that has seen a large increase
in numbers in recent years is the out of town retail warehouse often selling
goods located on tall metal shelving, several well known companies have cornered
the market selling DIY products on this basis and a visit to one on a Sunday
morning to buy anything from a new kitchen to painting & decorating items is a
very popular event. Located out of town and where land prices are cheaper,
stores are able to buy land at cheaper prices and thus combine a warehouse and
retail outlet in one. Consumers have shown that for the right prices and access
to free easy parking they are quite willing to shop further field.
Retail Shop - The most popular form of
commercial building in the United Kingdom is
the good old shop, we are after all a nation of shopkeepers and every high
street in the country is lined with shops of all sizes and descriptions selling
every kind of goods or merchandise. Shops vary from the small purpose built
kiosk that you often see sighted at railway stations, airports or in the
pedestrianised areas of shopping malls or arcades. These are usually catering or
gift vendors or newspaper sellers. Your traditional shop is located on most high
streets and will often be converted from a former domestic dwelling house. Often
a portion of the roof will be flat as invariably the property will have been
extended over the course of its life. Upstairs you will often find self
continued flats, these are usually rented out on an assured short hold tenancy
agreement or sometimes used for storage of the shops goods. Larger department
stores occupy purpose built buildings in towns and cities although in smaller
towns, the tendency now is to relocate to an out of location where land is
cheaper and larger buildings can be constructed using modern building techniques
and perhaps not having to be quite so sympathetic to other properties in the
area. Planning considerations are also somewhat more relaxed at out of town
sites. e for shops is very easy to obtain, a full range of perils is available
for either landlords or owner occupiers. This type of insurance does need a
little explaining as a modern retailers insurance policy wording comes with a
number of different sections and discussions need to take place to make sure
that the correct cover is provided.
Factory - Previously known as a manufactory, these properties with their
demand for large amounts of labour were often constructed in urban areas or
indeed as is the case with the Cadbury factory at Bournville in Birmingham, they
became their own " urbanization". Nowadays , these building differ little
from warehouses in their construction and again are usually sighted away from
towns on industrial parks or on cheaper brown fill land. One aspect where they
do differ is that although goods are often stored at the premises, they are also
made at the premises so any insurer will want to know exactly the type of trade
processes that are being carried. Again a full range of insurance peril will be
required and it is possible to combine the insurance of the building with cover
for the trade contents and goods. Often an insurer will insist on a stillage
warranty being applied to the insurance of goods and insisting that they are
stored on either 6 inch or 12 inch pallets is not unusual. This can help keep
the cost of claims down which in turn helps to keep premiums at a realistic
level. Many factories and in fact warehouses are now fitted with modern
sprinkler leakage systems . These are excellent at minimising the damage caused
by fire. Most insurance polices will allow you to insure against accidental
sprinkler leakage although you will have to carry our regular checks to make
sure that the system is in working order and an annual maintenance check is
usually also required. Today the output of factories is controlled by
legislation and some of the worst excess of the industrial age have been curbed,
insurers have developed policy wordings over the years to ensure that pollution
exclusions are written in to most contracts.
Surgeries - The word surgery comes the Greek word for hand work and is
usually related to medical practice work. However buildings used as surgeries
can range from a doctors or a dentists through to all manner of complimentary
therapies and even veterinary surgeries. Most of the buildings are of standard
construction and a full range of building perils is available. If the occupant
of the building wants his or her practice insured then this is usually arranged
under a separate policy which depending on their trade may be able to include
the necessary liability insurance over.
Hotels & Guest Houses - Although it can be argued that guest houses could in
theory be insured on a standard building insurance policy (subject to warranties
and restrictions, most are now insured under bespoke policy wordings. Large
hotel chains tend to go for purpose built buildings , many have facilities for
guests including swimming pools and tennis courts. However your traditional
family rum hotel or guesthouse tends to be formed from a converted large house.
Buildings can be insured on their own or as part of a business package as the
vast majority of these business are owner run establishments.
Restaurants & Takeaways - As with shops, no high street in Britain is
complete without a restaurant and Take away establishment. Again, these are
seldom purpose built buildings and in some cases ( mainly fish & chip shops)
part of a house is used for the catering business. The preparation and sale of
food is very diverse especially today in multicultural Britain. Even buildings
used as fish & chip shops can be insured with a standard set of perils although
all policies come with various warranties which detail the usage and maintenance
of extraction equipment. The rating of building insurance for this sector of
the commercial property insurance market relies to a great extent on the actual
type of catering that is being carried out on the premises, tea rooms or cafes
with no basket fryers or deep fat fryers are the cheapest to insure with fish &
chip shops at the other end of the scale. As there is a tendency for this class
of commercial property insurance to produce fire claims, special attention
should be paid to the business interruption section of the policy to make sure
that adequate insurance protection is in force.
Gymnasiums & Leisure Centres - Although mainly operated by local
authorities, there are a large number of health and fitness centres springing up
all over the country . As well as standard commercial building insurance cover,
many of these establishments will need some engineering inspection cover for
much of the equipment that is provided. Swimming pool pumps etc may also need to
be inspected.
There are of course other types
of risk that can be included as commercial buildings including schools,
colleges, hospitals, religious establishments, petrol stations garages,
showrooms, airports, the list is almost endless. What ever you are using your
commercial building for, we at Assetsure are confident of being able to provide
you with an insurance quotation from a reputable product provider.
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Commercial Business Insurance for Shops, Factories, Offices and many more
trades.
