Insurance for a Pottery Studio (UK)

Part of Open Your Studio, our guide series for opening a pottery studio in the UK.

Insurance is the part of opening a pottery studio that most founders leave until the week before the doors open, partly because it's dull and partly because it's unnerving. You're about to invite strangers into a room with wet floors, sharp tools and a box that runs at well over a thousand degrees. The worst outcome isn't being uninsured, it's thinking you're covered and finding out at claim time that your policy didn't know about the kiln. Getting it right is mostly a matter of knowing which covers exist, what the insurer will ask, and being completely open in your answers.

To be clear about where we stand: we design and sell pottery equipment, we're not insurance brokers, and nothing here is advice on a particular policy. What we can do is explain what studio owners tell us they needed and the questions that catch people out. Then talk to a broker or insurer. To make sure the premium is in your plan from the start, add it as a line in the Studio Setup Cost Calculator.

The covers, in one table

Most small-business policies are built from a set of standard sections. Not every studio needs all of them, but you should know what each one is so you can decide rather than guess.

Public liability: the one you can't open without

A member slips on a wet floor. A student's coat is ruined by glaze. A child at a party burns a hand on something that should have been out of reach. Public liability is what responds to claims like these. Insurers offer different limits of cover, and schools, councils and venues you partner with sometimes require a stated minimum, so ask them before you buy rather than after.

Two things to check specifically for a pottery studio. First, that the policy covers members working unsupervised during open-access hours, not just taught classes. Second, that it covers every activity you actually run: classes, children's sessions, private parties, off-site workshops at a school or festival. Describe your timetable to the insurer in full. A policy written for "pottery classes" may not stretch to a hen party with a bar.

Employers' liability: compulsory from your first hire

If you employ anyone, even one part-time tutor, the law requires employers' liability insurance. According to GOV.UK, it must be with an authorised insurer and cover you for at least £5 million, and you can be fined £2,500 for every day you aren't properly insured. You also need to make the certificate available where staff can see it. There are limited exemptions, such as employing only close family members, so check the GOV.UK guidance if you think one applies.

Whether someone counts as an employee isn't always obvious. Casual staff, students on placement and some volunteers can count. If in doubt, describe the arrangement to your insurer and let them tell you.

Tutors, members and volunteers

Many studios use self-employed tutors to run some or all of their classes. A tutor who is genuinely self-employed should carry their own public liability cover, and it's sensible to ask for a copy of their certificate each year and keep it on file. That doesn't mean your own policy can ignore them: you're still the one providing the room, the equipment and the kiln, so tell your insurer that external tutors teach on site and ask how that's treated.

Ask too about members' own property. Work in progress on shelves, members' tools and the occasional member's wheel stored on site may or may not fall under your contents cover, and your membership terms should say clearly what you are and aren't responsible for.

Tell your insurer about the kiln

This is the question that matters most, and the one people are tempted to skate over. An electric kiln is a significant fire risk in an insurer's eyes, and failing to mention it could give them grounds to refuse a claim. Expect to be asked:

• How many kilns, what size and power rating, and where they sit in the building.
• Whether the circuit was installed by a qualified electrician, with a certificate to prove it.
• Clearances to walls and combustible materials, and what the floor is made of.
• Who loads and fires the kiln, and whether firings run unattended or overnight.
• How the room is ventilated.

Having good answers ready makes the conversation short. Our guides to kiln ventilation and safety and electrical requirements cover what a sensible setup looks like, and your risk assessment will show the insurer you've thought it through. The landlord's insurer may need to know about the kiln too, which brings us to the building.

Buildings, equipment and business interruption

In most commercial leases the landlord insures the building itself and recharges some or all of the premium to you. You insure what's yours: equipment, stock and usually the improvements you pay for, like a new sink with a clay trap, a kiln circuit or new flooring. Leases vary, so read the insurance clause and ask your solicitor who covers what. Gaps tend to appear exactly at the line between "the building" and "the fit-out".

Insure equipment for what it would cost to replace now, not what you paid or what it's worth second-hand. Then think about time. Larger kilns are mostly built to order, and lead times of 8–12 weeks are normal for some makers. If a fire or flood took out your kiln room, could your studio carry rent and wages for three months with no firings? Business interruption cover exists for exactly that gap. When you choose the indemnity period, think about how long it would realistically take to get the room, the electrics and the equipment back, not just the equipment.

Product liability if you sell work

If you sell pots, whether your own, your tutors' or members' work on commission, or you send paint-your-own customers home with plates and mugs, you're putting products into the world. Product liability covers claims arising from them, and it's often bundled with public liability, but check. Food safety is the obvious risk with tableware: use glazes the manufacturer states are food-safe at your firing temperature, and fire them properly.

Finding the right policy

There are specialist insurers and brokers who understand craft and arts businesses, and they're usually a better starting point than a generic online quote, because they already know what a kiln is. We don't recommend particular insurers. Whoever you use, get quotes before you sign the lease, compare policies section by section rather than on price alone, and read the exclusions. Then put the annual premium into your running costs and your pricing, because it comes round every year.

Setting up at home rather than opening to the public? Our home kiln buying guide is the better place to start, and it's still worth telling your home insurer about the kiln.

Keep reading

• Health & Safety: Silica Dust & COSHH — risk assessments and habits insurers expect to see.
• How Much It Costs — setup and running costs, line by line.
• Finding & Fitting Out a Space — leases, landlords and what to check before signing.