Insurance for Village Halls

Where do I start?

Getting the right insurance cover for your village hall can be complex but there are some simple steps that you can take:

1. Make sure you have done a thorough risk assessment of the building and activities.
2. Make sure you have considered what can go wrong and what the consequences might be if it did.
3. Can you insure against those risks?

Think about what would need to be replaced if there was a fire:

• The building and surrounding structures – remember that sums insured should always allow for site clearance costs and professional fees incurred if the property has to be rebuilt. It should also be sufficient to include any additional costs incurred as a result of meeting modern building regulations.
• Furniture – tables, chairs, bar stools,
• Computers and Audiovisual equipment
• Sport equipment
• Artificial playing surfaces
• Office contents
• Bar stock
• Play equipment (inside and outside)
• Items in storage (bouncy castle, mats, stage equipment)
• Money
• Books
• Art

Have you listed all of the assets, valued them, and checked with other users of the hall? Have you checked that events are adequately covered?  There are usually stipulations covering the use of bouncy castles and the numbers attending events. Fireworks and bonfire events may need additional cover.

What protective measures are in place already? This includes fire extinguishers, sprinklers, alarms, cameras, fire safes, adequate lighting to outside areas, and maintenance schedules to keep the building in good repair. How much can you spend to protect all of these?

What type of insurance do I need?

Buildings and contents

This protects your village hall and its contents from a variety of risks typically including fire, flood and malicious damage among others. You have a responsibility to make sure the property is insured for its correct value and you will need to review the value regularly.

‘All Risks’

This provides a comprehensive cover for specific items such as audiovisual equipment, and often to cover property in the open or used away from the premises.

Fidelity guarantee

This provides cover against fraud or dishonesty of trustees and employees.

Public liability

This covers your legal liability to compensate people or organisations suffering loss or injury as a result of your committee’s negligence.

Hirers’ liability

This provides public liability cover for individuals and ad hoc community organisations while they are hiring your hall. Many halls choose to take out this cover as it is an economic way to provide insurance to those that would otherwise find it difficult to arrange public liability cover – avoiding the potential for uninsured losses.

Trustees indemnity

This type of cover has recently come to the fore through committee members’ concerns about being personally sued as charity trustees. If trustees act responsibly then they should not be liable to claims against them, however this insurance can give additional peace of mind by protecting them personally against legal claims (maladministration).

Employers’ liability

If your committee employs staff it is legally required to have employers’ liability insurance to protect against any claims from employees, for injury, disease, illness (including death). A committee may be an unwitting employer in law. It is important to note that committee members and volunteers come under the definition of employees and so would be covered by the Employers Liability section.

Is there insurance aimed specifically at village halls? 

A number of insurers offer Village Hall insurance which is specifically tailored to the needs of most village halls.  Many of these work with organisations such as Action for Communities in Rural England (ACRE) to ensure that they able to meet your needs.

VillageGuard

Scheme being promoted by Allied Westminster 01937 845245

http://www.villageguard.com

Zurich Municipal

This scheme is operated by some Rural Community Councils in the UK under a blanket policy. For information direct from Zurich contact 0845 47 86 3 86

http://www.villagehallinsurance.com/

Norris and Fisher Insurance

Contains a handy FAQ guide to insuring your village hall. 

http://www.norrisandfisher.com/