Commercial property insurance for landlords is essential for anyone who owns a building and lets it out to a business. It could be a shop, café, office, restaurant, pub, mixed residential and commercial or vacant or partially vacant, no matter the occupancy, it needs to be insured.

The needs for each business may be different, which means that the risks and premiums can vary, but it’s your responsibility as a property owner to insure your property.

You may be currently carrying out repairs or renovating a property that has been empty or closed for some time, but as businesses start to reopen in Ireland, it’s an important time to review your insurance policies and make sure any reports are carried out to a good standard.

If you’re also planning on carrying out any maintenance or renovation work on buildings you are letting to other businesses, there are a few safety tips you can follow to make sure that you don’t put yourself or others at risk.

Give notice to tenants

If you have tenants currently working in your building (or planning on returning to work), make sure you let them know what work will be carried out and when. They can make sure that a) any of their contents are out of harm’s way, and b) that they are not in the building when work is being carried out (if there is more disruptive building or maintenance work in progress).

Consider any dust

If repairs will create any dust particles, you should firstly make sure you cover any items or surfaces that could be covered with dust, in order to protect them. But you also need to think about how far dust could travel.

Anyone carrying out repairs and anyone in the building should avoid breathing in dust, therefore suitable face coverings should be worn.

Larger dust particles on the floor could also be slippery, so make sure to regularly vacuum and clean areas where people could be walking.

Avoid trip and fall hazards

There are several causes of slips, trips and falls that can be avoided by careful working and planning. Look out for any debris on the floor and clear it as soon as possible, clean up any spills as soon as you notice them, keep wires and cables out of the way and carry out regular safety risk assessments.

You can also use proper signs to warn others of hazards and make sure areas are well lit.

It’s more than likely that repair work will require a ladder, stepladder or scaffolding. It’s always important to follow safety guidelines when climbing any of these. Use them correctly and don’t carry anything else in one hand whilst alighting. Use tool belts to carry items where possible.

Minimise risk of sprains and strains

Lifting and carrying can be a high risk activity when carrying out maintenance on a building. You, and others working with you, should be trained in lifting heavy objects properly and you should know how to use the right tools for moving objects that are too heavy to carry.

Be careful of any movements that require your body to bend or twist, especially your back or joints such as knees and wrists.

Clean as you go

In order to avoid accidents or inconveniences, the best course of action is to work clean and work tidy. Have heavy duty bags, buckets, a vacuum cleaner towels, cleaning products and mops handy.

Don’t just focus on the work area either, keeping tools and equipment clean can make them last longer and will mean they are fit for purpose.

Remember that if you have multiple buildings or locations where you are carrying out repair work, each may require a separate insurance policy depending on their use. Make sure that you, your equipment and building are well insured to do all the jobs you wish to carry out before reponing shops, offices or cafes.

If you’re not sure exactly what you need, call Britton insurance for a free quotation on business insurance.