Regardless of your ability to trade it is important to maintain insurance cover on your equipment for loss or damage like fire, water, malicious damage or theft even though you are not using it and is stored at home or in a warehouse perhaps.
Most insurers do not cover your business equipment under a home insurance policy which is usually limited to general office equipment only.
We have now secured some COVID-19 benefits from the insurer and are talking to clients to adjust their current policy to the best advantage to meet their current needs and if paying by monthly premium funding, help suspend their monthly instalments temporarily.
Contact Steve Nelson on 0419049456 to discuss the best solution for your particular circumstance.
The advent of COVIS-19 has impacted everyone with some businesses more so than others. As insurance brokers with thousands of clients and in particular, managers of the Boothcover Insurance Scheme, we see the effect this has caused for Phot Booth operators in the Australian market.
Like most businesses we have suppliers of the services we provide and our clients who use them. For Booth operators it is a Business Insurance policy and a premium funding facility for those who choose to pay in instalments.
We look to these providers to assist us and our clients in these very difficult times. Consequently, we have received the following advice and information to inform and assist where possible. We have also included information to provide guidance and direction with this pandemic.
At this point a ‘freeze of cover’ or ‘freeze of monthly instalment payment’ option has not been made available in the format we requested. Alternatively, the following has been advised:
Statement received from Hollard Commercial Insurance, the scheme insurer:
Hollard Commercial Insurance (HCi) recognises that the months ahead are going to be a trying time for our mutual clients, the insurance industry and the broader economy. Unfortunately, many small to medium size businesses will experience severe financial headwinds during this time.
In light of this, we have put together a number of initiatives to assist you and your clients, with current HCi policies, where we can. These include:
- Extension of credit terms
- Short term renewal option
These initiatives take immediate effect and will apply to business effective up until 30 June 2020. We will continue to review developments in the coming months and may announce an extension to these offers or further changes as needed.
Extension of Credit Terms
HCi has decided to extend our credit terms to 90 days to assist with clients experiencing financial hardship. We are providing this option to you to use on a case by case basis to assist those clients during this period. This means that your clients have up to 90 days to pay their full premiums for their policy.
Where a client has a claim during this period and the premium has not been paid, HCi’s current procedures will remain in place and either the premium can be paid, or we can deduct the amount from the claim’s payment.
Short Term Renewal Option
To assist in retaining your clients who are experiencing financial hardship, we are offering the ability to reduce the renewal periods to a minimum of 6 months. This option will be available to you in our quote and bind systems.
Statement received from ATTVEST Finance, the scheme premium funder:
Government Support Measures for Small Business Impacted by COVID-19
In my previous communique I explained the consequential marginalised position all non-banking funders are in as a result of Government’s decision to channel most ($90bn) of the crisis support via banks in the hope that clients will access needed funds through their banks.
This made it possible for banks to provide payment holidays to their clients.
Subsequently, the expectation was created for Insurance Premium Funders to provide similar arrangements which, without Government support, is not possible.
Currently, we still only have limited scope to assist our borrowers with existing loan repayments as we are bound by strict restrictions from our Credit Insurer and Bank Covenants.
We are reliant on our borrowers to access the existing government support measures to make their repayments on their premium funding loans.
Please find attached a comprehensive summary prepared by ANZ detailing both Federal Government and State/Territory Support measures.
This was updated as at 8 April 2020.
Please share this with your clients to assist them to access support available to them.
Attvest continues to work closely with the Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA), Government, Treasury and the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM) to find a way to access Government’s stimulus and ‘safety net’ measures to support our industry. If successful, we can then provide more extensive assistance to our borrowers.
We have been inundated with client questions, request for advice and changes to policies so apologise for the time lag in responding to your emails and requests. And endeavour to bring our responses up to date by next week.
We are here to assist and support you and if you choose to cancel your cover will action as soon as possible.
Variation of Cover
If you would like to discuss varying/reducing your current cover to reduce your premium, please send us your request which we will action as quickly as possible.
If you are paying monthly instalments, these will be varied/reduced accordingly.
Cancelation
If you wish to cancel your policy, please send us your request along with your bank details.
Annual Paid Premium
Where you chose to pay the premium yearly, the applicable return premium will be credited to your account.
Monthly Paid Premium
Where you chose to pay the premium using Attvest premium funding, the applicable return premium will be credited to the balance of your funding loan account and any balance debited or credited to your account.
Reinstating your policy
When you wish to take up your cover again just send us your instructions and will reinstate your policy either as before or varied according to your requirements.
Dear Steve,We hope that you, your families and your clients are keeping safe and well.We have received a number of queries regarding the approach that HCi is taking in response to the current COVID-19 situation and we would like to reassure you that we are currently working through this as a high priority.Our focus is on pressing situations such as the occupancy of premises, timing of premium payments, and to ensure that we have a consistent approach that will help you, our brokers, service your clients and that we come to the best possible solution for everyone.Early next week, we will be in a position to let you know what these initiatives are and the approach we will be taking during this time.In the meantime if you have any queries or concerns, please reach out to your Account Manager.
With kind regards
Booth Cover Covid19 Impact Statement (23 Mar)
Dear clients, we, as Boothcover insurance scheme operators and as Oracle Group national insurance brokers, have adopted a remote and flexible working approach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and are always contactable by email or phone as below.
We are very conscious of the impact of this event to everyone and especially to event-reliant businesses and accordingly we have contacted both the insurers of the Boothcover scheme and Attvest Finance who provide instalment payment options to our clients.
We have asked for a temporary stoppage of cover consideration, to be able to be restarted as the business regains operations, so the policy would still have the remaining unused period of cover available at no additional cost.
We have also asked Attvest Finance what assistance they can provide in respect to the financial burden such as temporary relief as above or any other measures they are able to provide.
We will advise further once we have a response from both parties.
If any of you wish to reach out directly in regards to your photo booth insurance please contact our head broker: Steve Nelson at our Perth, WA office :
Steve.Nelson@oraclegroup.com.auT: (08) 6500 1418
M: 0419 049 456
Stay safe and we will get through this together.