Working From Home? Your Homeowners Policy Has Business Gaps
Half the South Shore seems to run something from a spare bedroom — consulting, crafting, baking, bookkeeping, reselling. Almost none of them know their homeowners policy caps business property around $2,500 and excludes business liability completely.
What your homeowners policy actually does
Business personal property at home is typically limited to $2,500 — a laptop, camera gear, and inventory blow through that instantly. Property away from home gets even less.
Worse: liability arising from business activity is excluded. A client slips on your porch for a meeting, a product you made hurts someone, a shipment you packed causes damage — none of it is covered.
Three levels of fixes
Smallest: an in-home business endorsement on your homeowners policy raises property limits and adds basic liability — fine for very small operations.
Middle: an in-home business policy — a mini business owner's policy with real liability and property limits, usually a few hundred dollars a year. Largest: a full BOP for established businesses with revenue, inventory, or employees.
Do not hide it — that is the expensive option
Running an undisclosed business from home can jeopardize the homeowners policy itself. Carriers deny claims and rescind policies over material misrepresentation.
The fix is genuinely cheap. Tell me what you are doing from home and I will match the right level of coverage — usually for less than a streaming subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does homeowners insurance cover my home business?
- Barely — business property is capped around $2,500 and business liability is excluded entirely. You need an endorsement or a separate business policy.
- I sell crafts online part-time. Do I need business insurance?
- Yes. Product liability alone — someone hurt by something you made — justifies coverage, and in-home business policies start at very affordable rates.
- Will telling my insurer about my business raise my home premium a lot?
- Usually very little. In-home business endorsements and policies are inexpensive; hiding the business is what creates catastrophic cost later.
Let's make sure your coverage matches your life
I'm Chaz Toomey, right here in Ruskin. Send me a few details and I'll review your policy or build a quote — no pressure.