Reply to: Personal Car Damaged at Work

[malvolio]

Still don't see the relevance of where and why and what the vehicle was doing when the damage was done to a personal vehicle insured personally...

It's really very simple. If it's your car you pay for it or use your insurance to do so, if it's the company's car then the company pays for it. It's one or the other, not both.

[Lance]

What if you commute to your local train station each day and travel from there to your client(s)?

This is not a clear-cut as you're trying to make out. Each individual should check with their own insurer.

yes it is clear cut. If you claim any business miles you should have business travel on your insurance.
You don't need business insurance for a commute, but a commute is not business travel. It's a commute.

[northernladuk]

What if you commute to your local train station each day and travel from there to your client?

This is not a clear-cut as you're trying to make out. Each individual should check with their own insurer.

For ****s sake. Think about it man. YOU ARE NOT COMMUTING. It's not hard. Why are we now bringing the type of location we travel to in to this. How does that make a difference? You claim the train ticket through the company as it is a business trip so why not the car journey? This is getting ridiculous.

The only slight grey area in all this is the term 'your normal place of work' which ties in with the same phrase used by the 24 month rule. The 24 month rule does agree it will be so after 24 months but I am absolutely sure the insurance companies aren't of the same thinking. Stick to the facts of the case and get the correct insurance.

[Paralytic]

And if you switch clients mid year then you've worked at two and you've invalidated your insurance.. And it's not a damn commute. Do it propery.

What if you commute to your local train station each day and travel from there to your client(s)?

This is not a clear-cut as you're trying to make out. Each individual should check with their own insurer.

[northernladuk]

My insurers told me that if I was working on more than 1 client, then the commute would not be covered, but if it was just one, then I could continue with Social, Domestic, Commuting & Pleasure.

And if you switch clients mid year then you've worked at two and you've invalidated your insurance.. And it's not a damn commute. Do it propery.

[northernladuk]

I'll defer that question to the previous respondents who told the OP that their commute to the client location was not covered under their car insurance, without querying whether this was their normal place of work.

My insurers told me that if I was working on more than 1 client, then the commute would not be covered, but if it was just one, then I could continue with Social, Domestic, Commuting & Pleasure.

This is all very simple and black and white. I don't know why people are buggering about with less.

You claim business mileage because you are doing a business trip. You are travelling from your place of work, which is your home on which you claim rent for, to your client. It's as simple as that. You claim money for your home office and you claim business mileage for a trip. It is not a commute and you are a fool if you think it is. Your house is your office so your commute is downstairs. Anything else is business. You use the tax advantages of this so why now muddy that by trying to call the trip something else?

An come on, this is insurance. They will attempt to not pay out for the slightest thing. They check tyres in an accident to try get out so you think they are going let you off a business trip on a commute only policy? You must be nuts.

Get the proper insurance, in which some instances costs you nothing, and do it properly.

[Scruff]

A "normal" place of work is covered under commuting for insurance purposes.
What else could it be?

My insurers told me that if I was working on more than 1 client, then the commute would not be covered, but if it was just one, then I could continue with Social, Domestic, Commuting & Pleasure.

[Paralytic]

A "normal" place of work is covered under commuting for insurance purposes.
What else could it be?

I'll defer that question to the previous respondents who told the OP that their commute to the client location was not covered under their car insurance, without querying whether this was their normal place of work.

[Lance]

Slight tangent, but from an insurance perspective, does it make any difference if the client location where the damage took place is the OP's normal place of work (although not legally "employed" there) as opposed to a client he may drive to as part of his company's engagement with that client?

Would the former be covered under a personal "Domestic and commute" policy?

bbp: Did you speak to the client about the damage? Does the parking location have cameras? Are you inside IR35 and see if you can (mis)use that to get them to pay for it

A "normal" place of work is covered under commuting for insurance purposes.
What else could it be?

[Paralytic]

Slight tangent, but from an insurance perspective, does it make any difference if the client location where the damage took place is the OP's normal place of work (although not legally "employed" there) as opposed to a client he may drive to as part of his company's engagement with that client?

Would the former be covered under a personal "Domestic and commute" policy?

bbp: Did you speak to the client about the damage? Does the parking location have cameras? Are you inside IR35 and see if you can (mis)use that to get them to pay for it

[Lance]

Couple of points.

If the OP isn’t claiming expenses on his mileage to the client, then it could very well be considered a commute as it’s not a temporary place of work.

There’s no way the repair can be claimed from the business. Immaterial of insurance, expenses or commuting. And immaterial of 44p per mile. They are not relevant factors as the only factor is who owns the vehicle.
It’s a personal vehicle and therefore a personal cost.

[Crossroads]

You sure about that? Insurance and expenses are two totally different things. I'm not so sure the insurance company will take 'I claim 45p/mile' as defense when cancelling your insurance when you had a crash on the way to a client with a server in the boot.

You are on company business travelling to a client. Domestic and commute does not cover business.

You're both right.

The expenses (including wear and tear) are covered by the 45p/mile the OP is presumably claiming, regardless of the insurance position. There is no claim for the OP here.

A decent employer would insist on sight of the correct documents including suitable insurance cover before paying such an expense however.

A generous employer might make a (taxable) goodwill payment to help the poor employee towards the damage but most wouldn't. It wouldn't help the OP of course, unless he is also going to confuse employer with client...

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[cojak]

You sure about that? Insurance and expenses are two totally different things. I'm not so sure the insurance company will take 'I claim 45p/mile' as defense when cancelling your insurance when you had a crash on the way to a client with a server in the boot.

You are on company business travelling to a client. Domestic and commute does not cover business.

Yep, I have business cover - and don't forget the same is needed for RAC/AA/Green Shield cover as well...

[northernladuk]

It makes not a jot of difference how it is insured...

Use of your personal car is is covered by the 45p/mile charge you can claim. Swings and roundabouts.

You sure about that? Insurance and expenses are two totally different things. I'm not so sure the insurance company will take 'I claim 45p/mile' as defense when cancelling your insurance when you had a crash on the way to a client with a server in the boot.

You are on company business travelling to a client. Domestic and commute does not cover business.

[TestMangler]

That would be 'I call it f***ing w**k f***king bulltulip f**k.

Something along these f**king lines, yes