For many, balconies provide the perfect setting to make the most of long summer nights – eating, drinking and socialising with friends. However, in recent years there have been a number of serious fires on balconies in private rental and social housing properties. While tenants, once educated on the matter, should take their share of responsibility, there is much that landlords and managing agents can and should do to minimise fire risk. Understanding the risks One of the biggest risks comes from barbecues. An estimated 1,800 people a year visit A&E in the UK having had an accident involving a barbecue, with burns and scalding the most common injuries suffered. Barbecues should not be used on balconies under any circumstances. A number of recent fires in private rental and social housing properties have demonstrated the potential hazards, for example: Falling embers burning items on the ground below Close proximity to other flammable objects, including the external face of a building…

Since the global financial crisis, tougher legal and regulatory environments have meant Directors face greater scrutiny of their actions. Whether it’s health and safety, bribery laws, mergers and acquisitions, insolvency, wrongful trading, corporate manslaughter or equality in the workplace, directors are working in ever more complex environments – and they need to be fully aware of their duties and obligations. Changing landscape The European Union is currently overhauling its data protection laws, which means directors in the UK will increasingly be held to account over any failures of a company’s privacy and data protection policies. There are also two pieces of UK legislation, which highlight some of the complex liabilities faced by company directors and officers: Firstly, the Bribery Act, which came into force in 2011, means that companies (and individuals) can be prosecuted for failing to prevent bribery being carried out on their behalf, inside or outside the UK, by any “associated person”, which could include an employee or…

One of the difficulties in establishing a sum insured is that the definition of ‘gross profit’ in an insurance policy is different from accountants and other business people. Turnover, work in progress and opening and closing stock are easily determined in accordance with normal accountancy methods. But Uninsured Working Expenses is an insurance term you might not be aware of. It actually refers to costs, sometimes called ‘specified working expenses’, which vary in direct proportion to turnover. So, if turnover is reduced by 30%, the costs will also reduce by 30%. An accountant’s gross profit calculation will subtract any cost that varies in proportion to production; but for insurance purposes they must vary in direct proportion. This is a key distinction and the source of much underinsurance. For example, a cheese maker, who regularly contracts with a local milk co-operative to take regular supplies at a fixed price over a period of time, will eliminate the risk of variable market…

Safeguarding their IT network is already a challenge for many companies. Add to this the trend for employees to use their own tablets and smartphones at work, and keeping your corporate network safe becomes a serious headache. But, as long as employers follow careful steps, staff using their own devices at work could help boost efficiency and effectiveness and be something businesses should embrace, rather than fear. Bring your own device to work An industry analysis on the risks around Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD), by YouGov showed employees often lack a sense of responsibility for protecting locally-stored corporate data. Companies also worry that employees could be accessing sensitive corporate data while on unsecured networks, or find their personal passwords compromised. Yet introducing strict anti-BYOD polices isn’t the answer, as many employees want the flexibility and familiarity of using their own devices. A recent survey by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) reveals that 47% of employees now use their personal…

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“My needs within the field we operate are very specific and it’s encouraging to deal with a broker who works with our ever changing business model throughout the year “ “ Well, they say you never know the value of insurance until you’ve made a claim. The process couldn’t have been made simpler and I cannot thank Ashleigh Mackay enough for essentially getting our business back on its feet. “ “ I hadn’t changed broker for many years and I am so pleased I took up your offer of a free review. Honestly I can’t say thank you enough – a) for getting the covers right but b) for reducing my premium over the course of the past year. “ “ Thank you! I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Ashleigh Mackay to any of the businesses we work with.” “ The reason I deal with Ashleigh Mackay is because when I need an answer to something I can just pick up…