Millions of Americans are working from home these days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When situations like this happen, insurance brokers point out that the number of home and renter’s insurance claims usually starts to increase for causes which are not related to bacteria or viruses (the majority of insurances don’t cover them either way). They also advise that you check with your company about who will pay for repairs if you have work equipment delivered at home and an in-home accident happens.
Working from home usually results in more time spent with pets, children or doing things around the apartment. Routines change. This, in turn, may lead to bodily injury as well as property damages (yours or your neighbor’s).
Last but not least, if we take into account that the number of home delivery orders increases when people spend more time indoors, the safety of the persons providing this service while being on your property should also be taken into account. However, if you happen to be in a business which sells things from home, keep in mind that your renter’s insurance won’t cover injury caused to business clients who come to your house.
What should you pay attention to when working from home in order to avoid unwanted accidents? These 4 basics things can provide a good start to your own list:
- Your smoke alarms: Changing routines and multitasking may lead to paying less attention when we prepare something in the kitchen, so making sure that smoke alarms function properly is one way to avoid any fire damages. Another great idea is to install a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
- Your appliances: The wear and tear of your washing machine, power outlets, dishwasher, microwave and so on increases when you spend more time at home. It’s always wise to check the cables and supply hoses to prevent water damage or electrocution.
- Home cleaning: It may sound strange but it seems that people are inclined to clean the house less often when working from home than when they don’t. Nevertheless, a wet kitchen or bathroom floor can lead to the possibility of bodily injury. Not to mention the need to keep viruses away at this point.
- Air quality: Check and/or clean your filters, AC, heating and purifying systems. Get some green plants and/or a HEPA air purifier.
If you know you’ll be working from home for an extended period of time, experts advise that this is also a good time to review your renter’s insurance coverage and cut off the unnecessary expenses.
