A company's assets don't always stay at home: the demo unit at an exhibition, the instrument at a customer's site, the tool in the service van. That's where on-site cover ends – the off-site element takes the baton from there. If it exists. And if it's set up correctly.
- Off-site cover protects the company's assets away from the premises up to a set limit and within a defined territorial scope.
- Typical rules: supervision or locked storage – equipment left unattended is a common source of disputes.
- For exhibitions and events, you can also request a temporary, time-limited solution – the right route for a high-value off-site appearance.
How does off-site cover work?
Off-site (portable-equipment) cover protects the company's assets away from the premises up to the limit set out in the policy – typically within a defined territorial scope (within the country, or perhaps within Europe), and typically for the classic perils plus theft, with storage rules attached. The limit is the key point: it isn't the whole sum insured that travels, but a separately set cap – and that needs to be matched to the value that genuinely moves around. On the basic rule: place of risk.
Exhibitions and trade fairs: concentrated risk
An off-site appearance brings every risk together in one place: transport there and back (the cargo question), overnight storage at an unfamiliar location, heavy footfall at the stand. For high-value exhibition stock, it's worth requesting a temporary, individually named solution – tailored to the timing and route of the event. A practical routine: an off-site list (what went out, at what value), photos of the stand, lockable storage overnight – this is the basis for proof if there's a claim.
Everyday movement: service work, customers, the car
Regularly moving equipment – a tool case, a measuring instrument, a laptop – is the everyday territory of off-site cover. The classic disputed case is equipment left in a car: the terms typically require locked storage out of sight, and overnight storage in a car is often excluded or restricted. Here too, an internal rule (what goes where, for how long) and a log of equipment issued are worth their weight in gold – the related question of home-office equipment is carried further in the home-office article.
Have a question specific to your premises? Book a free 20-minute site survey consultation →
