The North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce is urging all businesses to review their insurance policies and in particular talk to their insurer about cover for unoccupied premises.
Many businesses will have temporarily closed as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and health experts are predicting that this could be for a period of months rather than weeks. This increases the risk of losses to your business and we strongly advise that you inform your insurers if your business is likely to be unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days. Several factors can increase the vulnerability of an unoccupied building being targeted including the locality, premises security and fire protection measures in place.
It is important to ensure that robust management procedures and controls are in place for unoccupied premises, including regular internal and external inspections, a scheduled maintenance programme and good security to prevent unauthorised access. Businesses are advised to keep a log of all inspections carried out.
Given the live nature of Covid-19, we have been updating guidance as much as possible to respond to the questions and concerns businesses have raised.
A newly launched FAQ section is on the business support website, which can be found here: https://bit.ly/FAQsStayHome
