If you have ever been self-employed you have at some time considered the need for insurance of some form or another. I once believed that my home insurance was adequate cover, when working from home as a freelancer. The policy would have proved me wrong, so it was fortunate that I never had to depend on it in a real situation.

Office insurance cover is an absolute must, if you want to stay in business indefinitely. You can gain credibility with customers, as it gives the impression that everyone is on the same level. It won’t be a case of one rule for one person and one for another. In the eyes of the law, you are no different to a large company who employs a vast number of staff.

Most contractors in my sector, the IT industry, are required by law to have the correct insurance in place. Indeed, all one-man-bands had to set up limited companies, if only to support one person. With this limited status, comes a need for special limited liability insurance, which has two clearly distinct areas to consider:

1. General liability: covering any damages that you may cause whilst working on the premises of your employer, also extending to any damage or injury to a member of the public.

2. Professional liablility: covers omissions and errors that may surface during the length of the contract. Using my business as an example, cover may help me in the event that i made a mistake using an online library without a licence.

If you rely on a van to make a living, then a different insurance cover is needed. Specific business vans insurance is available and is tailored towards the insurance of the precious cargo contained within. Some of the benefits that you should expect are:

1. 24 hour breakdown recovery: covers the breakdown and recovery of your vehicle over a twenty four hour period.

2.Vehicle replacement: this cover ensures that if your vehicle is damaged in an accident, it will be replaced.