A fire, flood or storm can put a business building out of use overnight, and a standard home insurance policy was never built to cover a shop, office or workshop premise. Commercial building and contents insurance protects the physical structure a business operates from and everything inside it, from stock and equipment to fixtures and fittings, so a single incident doesn't threaten the business itself.
Chris Knott Insurance arranges commercial building and contents insurance, sometimes called business insurance for a premise or business buildings insurance, for owner-occupied sites, businesses renting a unit fitted out with their own equipment, and commercial landlords letting property to a tenant business. As a broker we compare business buildings insurance across a panel of specialist insurers rather than selling one insurer's product, which matters when the right cover for a workshop looks nothing like the right cover for a shop or an office.
Excellent service from start to finish. The team took time to understand exactly what I needed and found me a great policy at a competitive price. Couldn't be happier with the whole experience.
Been with Chris Knott for over 5 years now. Easy renewal process and the team are always a pleasure to speak with. Proper UK-based advice you can actually trust.
After being let down by my previous insurer, Chris Knott made the whole process painless. Honest, straightforward, and friendly from the very first call. Highly recommend them.
Andy was brilliant - talked me through all the options clearly, no pressure, and found me a much better deal than the comparison sites. This is how insurance should be done.
I needed specialist cover for my classic Jaguar and Chris Knott sorted it quickly and at a great price. Really impressed with the level of knowledge and personal service.
Switched my home insurance after a recommendation from a friend. Very competitive premium and the whole thing was done in under 20 minutes. Very pleased with everything.
First-class service. I dealt with Emma who was patient, helpful and knew exactly what I needed for my thatched cottage. Got proper specialist cover, not a standard policy.
Genuinely good old-fashioned customer service. A real person who actually listens and helps you find the right cover. Wouldn't go anywhere else for my insurance now.
Had a claim last year and Chris Knott supported me throughout. Made a stressful situation much easier. Fair, fast, and professional - exactly what you want from a broker.
Renewed my multi-car policy today. Still the best value I've found anywhere and the team remembered me from last year. That personal touch really makes a difference.
Very helpful team, especially when I needed to add a modified vehicle to my policy. Talked me through everything and made sure I was properly covered. Excellent all round.
Chris Knott have been brilliant for my listed property - most insurers wouldn't touch it but they found me comprehensive cover at a sensible price. Grateful for their expertise.
Efficient, clear, and competitive. I ran through three comparison sites before calling Chris Knott and they beat them all. UK-based team made the whole thing painless.
Outstanding from start to finish. I've recommended Chris Knott to everyone I know - my parents, my sister, and even my colleagues. They never let anyone down.
The service is what sets Chris Knott apart. You get proper advice from people who understand insurance, not a script. Worth every penny and more.
Commercial property insurance, also known as business buildings insurance, is covered for the premises a business operates from and the things inside it. It protects the physical building against events like fire, flood and storm, and it can extend to the contents, stock and equipment kept there. Whether you own, rent or let the premises change which parts you need, but the aim is the same: to stop a single incident at the property from becoming a threat to the business itself.
Buildings insurance covers the structure itself, along with permanent fixtures like wiring and plumbing, against a range of named perils. Cover typically responds to:
Contents cover protects what's inside: stock, equipment, furniture and fittings, valued at what it would cost to replace rather than what it's currently worth. Public liability insurance is usually included or available alongside, protecting the business if a visitor is injured or their property is damaged on the premises, and business interruption insurance can extend the policy to replace lost income if the business can't trade while repairs are carried out. If you employ staff, employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement and often arranged as part of the same commercial package.
Cover generally excludes normal wear and tear, which is treated as a maintenance cost rather than an insurable event, along with gradual damage like rot or mould that develops over time rather than from a single incident. Inherent defects in how the building was originally constructed aren't covered either, and most policies exclude loss of income from causes unrelated to physical damage to the premises. As with any commercial insurance policies, it's worth checking the exact exclusions in the policy wording rather than assuming a claim will be accepted.
Who needs which part of this cover depends on the arrangement, whatever your business premises look like, whether that's a single premise or several units. A business that owns its building outright typically needs both buildings and contents cover, since there's no landlord to insure the structure. A tenant business in a rented unit usually needs contents cover for what it brings in, such as stock and equipment, since the landlord's own policy should cover the structure, though it's worth confirming that with the insurer directly rather than assuming it. A commercial landlord letting a unit to a tenant business generally needs buildings cover for the structure and public liability for common areas, with contents remaining the tenant's own responsibility to insure, rather than a residential landlord insurance policy which works differently again.
This is one to watch, because most standard policies restrict cover once a building is left empty beyond a set period, often around 30 to 45 days. That doesn't mean an empty commercial property can't be insured: cover for unoccupied business buildings is available, but it's usually subject to conditions, such as regular inspections, keeping services drained or maintained, and securing the premises.
If a unit is going to sit empty between tenants, or while a business relocates, it's important to tell us rather than assume the existing policy carries on unchanged, since an undeclared empty period is a common reason a later claim is refused.
For a commercial landlord, the building isn't just an asset, it's a source of income. If an insured event like a fire or flood makes a let property unusable, loss of rent cover can replace the rental income you'd otherwise lose while the building is repaired and the tenant can't occupy it. It's closely tied to business interruption cover, which does the same job for a trading business's own income, and it's worth setting the sum insured against a realistic repair period rather than a best-case one.
There's no flat rate, because the premium is built around the specific property and business. The main factors are the rebuild value of the building and the value of the contents, the location, the trade carried out on site, the security in place, and your claims history. A shop insurance policy for a small retail unit sits at a very different level from cover on a large industrial premises, so the most useful thing you can do before comparing prices is be clear on exactly what needs insuring and for how much.
Because Chris Knott works across a panel of specialist insurers rather than one, cover can reflect whether you own, rent, or let the premises, rather than a single template applied regardless of the arrangement. It's one part of the wider commercial insurance we arrange, so buildings, contents, liability and business interruption can be brought together rather than juggled across separate providers. We're an independent, UK-based broker that's been arranging cover since 1983, with a 4.9-star Trustpilot rating from over 2,200 reviews you can check yourself, and we're not on the comparison sites. We're authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 304452), and you can verify that on the Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk.
The most common questions we're asked about commercial building & contents insurance. Can't find what you're looking for? Speak to our UK-based team on 0800 917 2274.
There's no standard price, because the premium is built around the factors above rather than a flat rate, and any figure quoted without knowing your rebuild value, contents and trade would only be a guess. The quickest route to an accurate number is a quote based on your actual property and business, which our team can put together with you.
It should reflect the full cost to rebuild the property from scratch, including materials, labour and professional fees, not the property's market value. Underinsuring against the wrong figure is one of the more common reasons a claim ends up disputed or reduced, so a proper rebuild valuation matters more than guessing based on what the property might sell for.
Even a small business benefits from cover matched to its actual premises and contents, since a fire or flood doesn't discriminate by company size and a small business often has less financial buffer to absorb the loss itself. The right level of cover scales with the business rather than being unnecessary below a certain size.
You can make a claim by contacting our team directly, and we'll talk you through what's needed. Having photos of the damage, an inventory of affected contents, and your policy details ready speeds things up considerably.
Whatever your trade or business, we arrange tailored commercial insurance from a panel of leading UK insurers. Browse our full range below.
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ExploreEvery page is written and fact-checked by our UK-based insurance specialists. Chris Knott Insurance has been arranging cover since 1983.
Call our UK-based team on 0800 917 2274 or email enquiries@chrisknott.co.uk to get a quote that matches how your business actually occupies its premises. We're open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
*Chris Knott Insurance is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 304452). You can check this on the Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk.*
