Most policies will provide the usual  range of perils such as storm, flood, fire, theft, burst pipes etc. But, properties that have flat roofs are usually more susceptible to certain types of loss than a traditional roof.

Concrete roofs are not so bad. You do not see many of them nowadays (in new builds) but throughout the 70’s and 80’s this was a popular form of construction because it was quick and sturdy. What insurers are concerned about is flat roofs that can, over time, deteriorate in condition. We are particularly talking about felt or asphalt on top of timber. In the main, this type of construction was used on extensions as opposed to the whole roof on a new build. There are many properties though where the whole property is roofed with felt on timber.

If you are receiving rental income on the property, or you occupy the property yourself (for your trade) then you will have arranged a policy through a business insurance broker. 9 times out of 10, the policy will have been sold based on price. The cheaper the policy though, the more careful you need to look at the conditions and/or warranties.

For example, you may have a standard business insurance policy which has a nice, low, £100 excess. But, if you look carefully, any losses attributable to the flat roof may be subject to a significantly higher excess. £500 is the norm and this can rise to £750. This means that for every loss relating to the flat roof, you will pay a huge chunk of any claim, if not all of it. Also, the policy may state that you need to have the roof inspected every year, or bi-annually, by a competent contractor (ie not yourself) and any defects remedied.

This covers three points. Firstly, the increased excess may make the cheaper policy youhave bought not such a good deal. Secondly, the cost of getting a contractor even to look at a roof can be a few hundred pounds and thirdly, you will need to provide written evidence that you have had the roof inspected within the last twelve months. So you cannot get away from the additional costs.

All in all, it may seem like a good deal to get a cheaper premium, but as we always point out, the devil is in the detail.

Insurers will either charge a higher premium, to reflect the increased risk, or apply terms (such as having all dirt and grease removed from takeaway ducting every month).

When a tenant leaves a property there is usually going to be a gap between when one business is trading and the next one starts. This can either be whilst you are awaiting new tenants or whilst there is a shop re-fit undertaken. You could be faced with months and months when the building is empty, given the tough economic times. There are estimates that 15% of the existing Woolworths store premises are still empty, nearly two years after the companies demise.

Your policy wording, as with all business insurance, will have certain terms, conditions and excesses. One of the conditions will relate to what happens to the cover when a building is empty for 30 days or more. Usually, if aa building is empty, un-tenanted or vacant for more than a month, there are fairly onerous cover restrictions.

You will find that your glass, storm, burst pipes or theft cover is excluded. The reason is that insurers, from experience, suffer more losses on unoccupied properties than they do tenanted ones.

You need to check your policy wording to see what terms apply if your building is going to be empty for any length of time.

No-one will forget the Met Office announcing with great fanfare that 2009 was going to be a “barbecue summer”, only to state 5 months later that this was only a 60% prediction, which of course was wrong.

As a result of this, the business insurance companies, that insure buildings and properties, have seen a marked dip in claims for subsidence over the past four or five years.

We have had cracking weather in 2010 so far, a few blips of course, but the “phew what a scorcher” headlines have been justified. Whilst we have had a good summer, we have also had a very dry winter. A lot of snow of course, but this has not soaked through to the soil under our houses and businesses.

We are starting to see an increase in claims under business building insurance for cracks in the actual structure. The causes of subsidence are many, the main ones being a simple draining of soil, which results in shrinkage which cracks the structure and tree roots, in search of moisture, drying out surrounding soil.

With the advent of websites that “offer” to compare business insurance, as they are price driven, there is an increase in quotes being provided at a very basic level. What this means is that people are getting quotes without subsidence, because it can be 10 or 20% cheaper.

This will start to be a problem as people start to have claims and then realise that there is no cover in place. The first thing you should do is speak to a business insurance broker and get them to review all of your insurance requirements, one of them being the cover you have. Secondly, if you do not have subsidence, heave or landslip (the 3 main covers) either get this added to your policy or take out a new one with this, vital, cover.

The same applies to property owners, there are not many people out there who wake up one day and go and purchase a dozen or so buildings. What normally happens is that a single building is purchased and the yield from that property is used to secure additional funding for property number 2 and so on and so on. This is how empires grow. The best business empires have grown organically. Yes, there are successful businesses that have grown through a combination of organic and purchase, but the more stable, viable, long term businesses have grown slowly and carefully.

Commercial property owners insurance policies need to be able to adapt to the growing property empire. If you are seeking buy to let or landlord insurance you need to ensure that your policy can cover more than one property if you are looking to grow and add to your portfolio. Potentially, you may be happy to work with individual policies, but this can become cumbersome and difficult to manage, depending on the size of your estate.

If you now have a number of properties and are looking for cover, the best thing to do is to speak to a specialist business insurance broker. Your properties are your business, you receive income from them and therefore, you need a broker that understands your needs, wants and requirements.

One thing to make certain is that your broker and the insurer that they offer you cover through are both UK based and authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.