What Insurance Is Required By Law For Photographers?
Public Liability
If you are a member of the British Institute of Professional Photography or Master Photographers Association, obtaining public liability insurance is compulsory. When you are working out on location or at a client’s premises, if someone is injured, or their property is damaged, you could be held responsible. These unexpected circumstances can be caused in all sorts of ways such as someone tripping over a tripod or slipping on a wet floor. Public Liability insurance will cover your legal costs in defending a claim and any compensation or costs that may subsequently be awarded following injury and damage caused to third party/third party property during your business activities.
Employers Liability Insurance
If you always work alone, and are effectively the only employee of your business, you will not need employer’s liability insurance. However, as soon as you employ just one person – even if they are working for you as an assistant or volunteer to gain experience – the law demands that you have employer’s liability insurance in place. This ensures that everybody you employ is covered in the event that they are injured or become ill in the course of their work; protecting you against claims for everything from illness right through to injuries – such as an assistant carrying your equipment or perhaps simply moving furniture at your request.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
If you are a member of the British Institute of Professional Photography or Master Photographers Association, obtaining professional indemnity insurance is compulsory. Professional indemnity insurance provides essential cover, so that in the event that a photographer finds themselves in a dispute with a client, the cost of defending any allegations or claims made against them are paid, or compensation is paid to the client.
Which Types Of Insurance Are Recommended?
Buildings and Contents Insurance
In most cases, where you simply rent a studio space, the owner’s Buildings Insurance will cover the building itself (although you may wish to check your tenancy agreement to make sure). However, contents insurance is a must-have for photographers, as even a small studio is likely to contain thousands of pounds worth of lighting and equipment, which, added to the cost of your cameras, lenses, computers and printers would prove to be extremely expensive to replace in the event of a fire, flood or burglary.
Equipment Insurance
Equipment insurance will cover all equipment for loss or damage due to a variety of events – eg fire, theft, accidental damage etc. We recommend that photographers arrange quipment insurance to cover their camera(s), lenses, accessories, lighting, computers etc.. It is especially important to not assume that your home insurance covers business equipment as many policies exempt equipment used for income purposes.
Business Interruption Insurance
In the event of a fire or flood at your business premises, whilst a good contents insurance policy will cover the cost of replacing or repairing damaged items, you could still lose money whilst your premises is being made fit for use again. This is due to the fact that it can often take months before severely flooded premises have dried out enough for repairs to even begin, whilst fire damage can sometimes mean that a building has to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. It’s these scenarios where business interruption insurance provides a lifeline. It can cover income losses you might suffer whilst you were unable to use your studio, or alternatively, it would pay for temporary premises to help you keep working whilst your own studio was being made fit for use again.
If you would like any advice in regards to what type of insurance is suitable for your photography business, please contact a member of our team who will be more than happy to assist.