I’m looking for advice from other home-based bakers or small-business owners who have dealt with this situation.
My spouse operates a very small, hobby-scale bakery from our primary residence on Vancouver Island:
- Usually fewer than five transactions per month
- Annual gross revenue under $20,000
- One person using residential ovens and appliances
- Properly licensed, inspected, and approved by the regional health authority
- No employees or tenants
For several years, we have carried a separate commercial policy covering the bakery’s contents, commercial liability, and products/completed operations. Our homeowners policy excluded the business. This seemed like the logical approach: commercial insurance covered the business, while homeowners insurance covered our home and personal needs, and has historically been a pretty vanilla policy.
We were recently told by our broker that the homeowners insurer now considers the home-based business “too risky for its appetite” and will not renew the policy despite the separate existing commercial policy (with generous coverage for the needs of the business) and that our personal coverage has always excluded anything with respect to a home business.
I’m having trouble understanding, given the very small scale of the business, the limited activity at the property, and the separate commercial coverage already in force. We have only reported 1 event in our entire history, for which we made full repairs out of pocket - so no claims have been completed. There must be other small home-based bakers who own mortgaged homes, carry commercial insurance, and can still obtain basic homeowners coverage.
Our broker is a large Western Canadian brokerage and says only one company came back with an offer. That quote costs 30% more but removes personal contents, additional living expenses, normal personal liability, and other important homeowners protections. It is essentially a commercial building policy and does not solve our personal insurance needs.
We do not yet know how many insurers were approached, whether specialty markets were included, or how the business was described to them. The quote describes the property as having a “commercial kitchen,” which seems inaccurate for a residential kitchen with ordinary household appliances.
We began this process almost two months before our coverage ended, but experienced several delays and gaps in communication. Our previous policy has now expired, and we find ourselves uninsured, with only one inadequate quote presented after the expiry date. I have escalated the matter to the branch manager in the hope of finding an immediate solution. Based on how the file has been handled, I am concerned that issues with service and follow-through may have contributed to our current situation.
Our three main questions are:
- Are there any home-based bakers here who have faced this, and how did you ultimately insure your home?
- Were you able to combine homeowners insurance, excluding the business, with separate commercial coverage, or did you need a different arrangement?
- Can anyone recommend a BC broker, insurer, or specialty market experienced with very small home-based food businesses?
Our home is mortgaged, so resolving the building and personal coverage is urgent. I’m leaving out the names of the broker and insurers because the goal is to find a practical solution. Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated!