gazman Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Hi all, I'm getting set up in sound hire and I need to know what legal issues lie before me. I know I need public liability insurance and obviously gear insurance is a good idea but is there anything I'm missing? Also, if anyone knows where to get a really good deal on insurance please let me know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Most insurers run a mile when you want insurance for gear hired, that it out of your control. I certainly can't afford to offer it at all. I pass on all repair/replacement costs to the end user as part of the conditions of hire - anyone who doesn't appear legit get asked to either pay a returnable deposit, or prove they have there own insurance (they never do!) Depends on what you hire out, but I've never had a problem with my regular clients - the occasional unknown client who wants kit and seems a problem before delivery worries me more. The only problem I get is the odd college who hire radio systems, mistreat them and get miffed at how much an MKE-2 actually costs. Not their fault it looks like they ran a truck over it! I don't, as policy, make any profit on damaged items - I invoice at cost + carriage - but they still moan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted March 27, 2005 Author Share Posted March 27, 2005 I'm not doing dry hire, only full system with engineer blah blah etc. so I'll be on hand all the time. Could I just use a musicians insurance policy to cover equipment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 No - if it's the same as mine, there is a clever line in the small print that excludes equipment being hired. ok to use for yourself, but not if you are charging for it. AND you have to be there, and have everything locked behind graded locks if you're not. I think they've thought this one out before we got there........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Production Midget Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 If you're employing people full time, you'll need to sort out Employers Liability Insurance as well. I know you can get around this if employing contractors tho by just ensuring that the contractor is ultimately employed by the client...so it's their responsbility to ensure they're covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 I'm getting set up in sound hire and I need to know what legal issues lie before me. The simple answer is that just about every bit of sole trader business law and safety legislation now applies to you;-) You should have risk assessments and method statements to cover your work, portable appliance testing of your equipment, any work equipment used in your job must be suitable for purpose etc., etc. It's worth looking at the Health & Safety Executive's web page (HSE.gov.uk) as they have some very useable advice. Also, there are some good enetrtainment safety books on the ETnow.com site. Top marks for asking the question first though!! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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