Temporary Cover Enhancements for charities and not-for-profit organisations - May 2021

03 June 2021
Methodist Insurance
Charity insurance

With the easing of national restrictions as we progress through the key steps of the UK Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, it’s time for us to review the temporary cover enhancements that we have provided at various stages throughout the pandemic, which expired at the end of May.

We were glad to be able to respond swiftly when needed in order to help our charity customers navigate a period of uncertainty, and we want now to provide clarity on how our cover will respond moving forward.    
 
With lockdown measures lifting, the restrictions imposed on travel and charitable activities and premises having to remain temporarily closed that merited the temporary cover enhancements have been eased to an extent that generally means they are no longer necessary. As no further extension to the temporary cover enhancements is needed, they expired on 31/5/21. 
 
A summary of what this means for your policy cover is shown below.

      Employees working from home

      As standard most of our policies extend contents cover to include cover whilst away from the premises and / or specifically at the homes of employees. Where not already insured, this extension will continue to be applied via the Letter of Intent on our website until the cover has been permanently embedded into the customer’s policy at no additional charge.
       
      Where your policy does not already include this cover, the following cover is added:

      Contents at employees’ homes
       
      Your policy is extended to provide cover for contents temporarily removed to the homes of employees up to a limit of:
       
      • £2,500 any one item;
      • A maximum of £5,000 any one employee’s home.

          Liability - health and safety

          Resources for employers are signposted by the Health and Safety Executive on their latest information and advice page. As organisations look to different working models for continuity, they also have useful guidance on homeworking and working alone.  
           
          Subject to the terms and conditions of the policy, both Employers’ and Public Liability policies provide an indemnity to the policyholder if they are held legally liable for accidental bodily injury or illness arising in connection with their business.

          Premises that remain temporarily closed / unoccupied

          Our standard policies define “unoccupied” premises as “means vacant untenanted unfurnished empty or no longer in active use for a period exceeding 30 consecutive days” and we apply standard restrictions in cover and conditions precedent to cover that need to be complied with. Normally a higher premium is charged on unoccupied premises;

          The dispensations applied to properties temporarily closed or temporarily unoccupied ceased after 31/5/21, at which point all original policy terms and conditions come into immediate effect.

          We hope that throughout the pandemic that we have provided the reassurance you need. If this action is insufficient to meet your insurance needs or if you are unsure about any other insurance issues, please contact us on 0345 606 1331.