Going back twenty years, if you were a hairdresser looking for a quote you really only had one option, a simple, basic salon insurance. This covers the usual things such as contents, stock, glass and liabilities. If you were a barber or gents hairdressers then you would take the same type of policy.

Nowadays though, you don’t tend to get a hairdresser that just does hair. Time has moved on and most salon owners know that they have to offer more than just hairdressing. You can now get beauty treatments, sun tans, fake tans and nails from many salons.

So what does this mean when looking for a business insurance quote? Thankfully, not a lot. Insurers have also recognised the need for policies that cover the whole range of treatments and many offer policies where you can include the “treatment risk”.

Yes, you can get a policy that will cover all that you do but it is absolutely vital that you declare all of this to your broker. You cannot, and should not, assume that because you have declared that you are, for example, a beauty salon, that all of your treatments are covered. Some insurers do not like invasive treatments or those that involve the application of creams and lotions that you have created yourself. There are options available for this cover but the best thing to do is to advise your broker via email (so you have written proof) of your treatments and ask them to confirm that this is acceptable.

You can get policies that cover hairdressing or beauty on their own, or a combination of hair and beauty but you need to get a broker to decide what is the most suitable type of policy for you.

If you have a hairdressers or salon insurance policy, now is the time for you to review your cover.

Why are we saying this? Only because we know, from speaking to salon owners day in, day out that when you actually review your sums insured, you can find yourself with a few gaps.

The best way to understand what cover you have and what you need is to speak to a professional, a business insurance broker. The reason for speaking to a broker is that they know and understand what you are looking for, and also the penalties if you do not have the right sums insured.

Stock insurance is one area where, most businesses at some point are under-insured. What this means is, if you have £20,000 of stock and only have a policy covering £10,000 then any claim, whatever the amount, is reduced by 50%.

So, you need to refer to your policy, usually in the first few sections of cover, and look for the amount that your stock is covered for. Then, compare this to your average stock levels over the past 6 weeks and compare the two. If there is a difference of more than a few percent, you need to speak to your broker.