I’m a straight-talking plain-English megafan. You won’t get fluff or jargon here.

Rubber Ring Author Ruth Sedar

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Living in shared houses or halls at university is a rite of passage for many students in the UK. Moving in with your friends is all part of the experience and the chance to feel properly independent. And with rent being the biggest outgoing on any student’s monthly budget, it’s independence at a price.

And speaking of high prices, university life comes with quite a lot of valuable stuff. Portable tech like laptops, smartphones, tablets, headphones, even your bike…the list goes on. Whether you’re renting privately or living in university accommodation, your tech isn’t guaranteed to be safe at home or on campus. We found some shocking stats that revealed 7% of students have been burgled at university. But how can you protect your pocket against the cost of replacing your tech if it’s stolen?

Do I need contents insurance as a student?

We’d always recommend students to get contents insurance when living at university. Contents insurance really does what it says on the tin — it insures your personal contents, or belongings. Some students are covered on their parent’s home or contents insurance, but that’s not always the case and definitely not something you should take for granted. With valuable tech taking pride of place in student’s homes, contents insurance is certainly an investment worth thinking about. Because contents insurance can bring peace of mind and confidence that your tech is going to be covered whatever university life throws your way.

Did you know that on average in the UK, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds? And it happens on university campuses too. The contents of your backpack could be worth as much as £2,750, if you’re carrying a mid-range MacBook, iPad, new iPhone and AirPods. With contents insurance that includes Out of Home cover, you can rest easy knowing your stuff is safe on campus.

Do student halls have contents insurance?

Some student halls will have contents insurance as part of the tenancy agreement, but that isn’t always the case. Landlords are responsible for general wear and tear on the building and its contents, but that doesn’t apply to your stuff. Even the tenancy agreement on shared houses and flats may not cover your belongings — although you’ll still be responsible for stuff that belongs to your landlord, and their fixtures and fittings, by the way. So make sure your less-than-careful friends stay away from the expensive furniture… unless you’re covered by Rubber Ring. That’s when our Tenants Liability comes into its own.

Tenants Liability covers everything that belongs to your landlord, and even covers things like the glass in doors and windows in the property. So if something that belongs to the landlord gets damaged, it won’t be down to you to foot the bill.



at home for your belongings up to £5,000,

at home for your landlord’s belongings for up to £5,000,

on campus with Out of Home cover for up to £3,000,

…and even your pedal bike is covered on campus for up to £500.

PS. We even cover you if you lose your keys to your university halls or shared rental house.

How much is students’ contents insurance?

Students can get contents insurance with Rubber Ring from as little as £3.75 per month. That’s less than the price of an average pint, or the price of a steak bake and a drink from a well-known bakery beginning with “G”. And when you compare the price for how much we can cover, it’s a bargain you can’t afford to miss.

Find out more about our insurance policies and get a free quote today to see how much peace of mind costs. Spoiler: it’s super affordable.

Students — insure your stuff! 

At the beginning of your freelancing career, you find yourself saying “yes” to just about any client and opportunity that comes your way, because let’s be realistic, you have bills to pay. However, further down the line in your freelancing career, when you aren’t desperate for work and you have your regular clients in place, you are often still left guilt-tripped into doing more work than you can handle due to not being able to say the dreaded word; “no”. 

Well, I’m here to tell you its ok to say no from time to time, under one condition.

If it doesn’t help you reach your end goal – you can say no. 

It could be that a golden opportunity that you’re presented with, and who am I to tell you that you should turn that down?! Instead, remember what your focus is, will saying ‘yes’ now get you a step closer to where you want to be in 5 years? If so, brilliant! If not, don’t be afraid to say no.

You don’t have to accept every project that comes your way.

You have enough on your plate already without someone asking for you to do extra work that’s out of scope. If excepting to do that extra bit of work is going to mean that you have to work late every night of the week for little to no reward, then just say no (it sounds scarier than it is – and you’ll feel super empowered!).

There is a difference between having a choice in what work you take on and being responsible. You may have people at home that are dependable on your income so being picky about who you work with isn’t always an option especially if you have had a slow month.

Being responsible means you may have to work with a client you don’t particularly like and do work that you aren’t over the moon about but at the end of the day if you aren’t in a strong financial situation it would be irresponsible to say no, wouldn’t it? 

Whereas having a choice is for those freelancers who have the financial freedom to pick and choose, it may seem counterintuitive to decline a project but when times aren’t desperate, there is no harm in being picky about who gets your time and who doesn’t.

There is nothing worse than over-promising and underdelivering a project for a client so before you say “yes” ask yourself:

If you can say yes to any of these then you don’t have time to say yes to that extra work you have been offered, it can wait till a later date.

The pay doesn’t meet your expectations 

Not everything is about money but, as a freelancer, we need to pay the bills and we can’t just be negotiating a lower day rate for any old client! Stick to your guns and try not to waver too far below your fixed day rate, and if someone only offers less, you know you aren’t the best fit for each other.

There’s nothing worse than working on something that isn’t interesting to you. It’ll feel like it drags on forever, and you won’t produce your best. We all have our certain interests and our strengths when it comes to client work, although there will be times where we have to do work that we aren’t thrilled about. If you can afford to be picky about what you choose to work on, then no-one is stopping you from saying no.

Be appreciative that they thought of you for their project 

Give a brief reason as to why you said no 

“I can’t give you an answer right now, could u check back with me later?”

“No sorry, I can’t do that but I can do this…”

“I appreciate you thinking of me for this project however I have a lot on my plate right now, sorry”

“I’m afraid I can’t commit to that right now, but I can recommend someone who might be able to…”

“This sounds great, thank you for thinking of me, however, I could only start this project in the new year”

Being a freelancer can be hard but sometimes learning to say no can be even harder and we understand that so hopefully now you can feel confident to say no to work that simply isn’t doable for you.

Learning when to say no as a freelancer

As working from home is particularly prevalent in a Covid-19 world, many of our customers have been asking us about home-working and how that may affect their insurances. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and their answers: –

I have home contents insurance, does that cover my work equipment too?

The short answer is probably not, although there are a few things to consider here. Firstly, who owns and who paid for the equipment? If you purchased the equipment personally then your home insurance may provide some cover. However, it is important to check as sometimes equipment used for business purposes is excluded. In most cases, your business equipment will have been a business expense and it is therefore very unlikely that your home insurance will cover it, even if that is where you work from. You should therefore ensure that your business insurance includes cover for your equipment. When choosing a policy, you need to consider where you may take your equipment and whether that policy will cover you. Here at ipro, our business equipment section provides worldwide cover, so you can even take it on holiday with you!

Do I need to tell my home insurer I am working from home?

It depends what you are doing. Most home insurance policies allow ‘clerical work’ to be undertaken at home. This essentially means that any computer-based work will be acceptable, however, you should check with your individual home insurer to ensure that you are meeting any requirements they may have. If, however, you are having business visitors to your home or doing any form of manual work then you must tell your home insurer, failure to do so could invalidate your policy in the event of a claim.

I have clients coming to my home for meetings from time to time, what insurance cover do I need?

If you have clients coming to your home, it is important that you ensure that your business insurance has public liability cover attached to it. Just remember that compensation payments for slips, trips and falls can get into seriously eye-watering figures, so it’s important to make certain that you have the right insurance in place for protecting yourself and your business.

Most home insurance policies do not allow or provide protection for business visitors. Even if your business has a public liability insurance in place, it’s important that you advise your home insurer. This would be considered a material fact to which you have a duty to advise them.

Will my home insurance cover me for a mistake I have made in the course of my work if I work from home?

No – if you are offering a service or advice in any form to your clients then you must have a professional indemnity policy in place. A professional indemnity policy can cover you for the cost of defending a claim and any award that may be made against you. It can even provide protection in a situation whereby you have been accused of making a mistake but have not actually done anything wrong.

Working from home and your insurance

When you’re hitting the road, unexpected bumps can quickly turn your journey from adventure to disaster. With debris in the road, poor surfaces, potholes and carriageway defects (AKA smaller potholes) your tyres can easily be damaged. And we get it - they’re your pride and joy so the last thing you want is to shell out on paying for a replacement or even a whole new set.

Car insurance covers the whole vehicle, but might not always specifically pay out to replace damaged tyres when people submit a claim.

With Rubber Ring tyre insurance, you can get covered and carry on. We’ve got affordable coverage with policies that start from just £12 per tyre. Our smart AI technology is powered by customer insights, giving you the best prices and best cover possible.

But best of all, Rubber Ring tyre insurance gives you the peace of mind you need to get cover for your tyres and carry on.


Be prepared with tyre insurance

Let’s face it: sh*t happens. The road isn’t always as forgiving as you want it to be.
You’ll be grateful you took out Rubber Ring tyre insurance...

...in winter. Untreated roads, black ice and extra bumpy potholes can all cause damage.

...in bad weather. Dry and dusty roads can be just as dangerous as icy roads. Dry conditions can cause your tyres to lose grip and skid on the surface.

...on a staycation. The last thing you want is to get a flat or take damage to your tyres en route to a much-needed holiday.

...over long journeys. If you do a lot of mileage, you’ll want to have peace of mind that your rubber is safe.

...on tour. Road trips can mean coming up against uneven surfaces on country roads and scenic routes.


Make sure taking out tyre insurance is on your list of jobs when it comes to getting your car ready to hit the road. We can insure your new tyres within 72 hours of having them fitted, so if you have tyres fitted on a Friday, we can still cover you if you apply for a tyre insurance policy after the weekend on Monday. It’s one of the many ways Rubber Ring makes sure to keep you happy: we call it our Customer Contentment policy. If you’re happy, we’re happy. And if you’re not, then we make it right. Promise.

All about potholes

In the UK, the Department for Transport has set aside a whopping £500m for pothole repairs in 2022. With major roads littered with gaping holes just waiting to gobble up your valuable tyres, it pays to have extra protection. And as for carriageway defects, the smaller siblings of potholes, there’s plenty of those too. Including damaged surfaces, crazing, shallow and small potholes and subsidence, there are many different ways to damage your tyres on the road. In 2021, authorities in Manchester topped the UK’s payout list and spent the most on settling damage claims caused by potholes: an impressive £1,165,279 in compensation.

You can’t rely on traditional car insurance to cover every possible outcome. For example, it doesn’t always cover punctures or damage to tyres. So why take the risk of not being covered for replacement tyres if you need them? That’s where tyre insurance comes into its own as a helpful and specific insurance covering just the parts that need to be covered.

Find out more about Rubber Ring tyre insurance and get your free quote.

Why you need tyre insurance

When starting up your own business it can be hard to attract customers. They need to know what you offer and why they should buy from you, but to do both of those, they need to find you first. 

Well, it all depends on your audience. Different audiences hang out in different places online. Think about how you use the internet. If you’re looking for a plumber, you go straight to google. If you’re looking for something techy, you’d probably go to Amazon. If you’re chilling out for five minutes, you probably go to a social network. 

Now think about what your audience would do to find your product or service. Do they know it exists? Or are you appealing to an audience that knows what you do already? When you have an idea of what journey they would go through online when buying your product, you can maximise your visibility at the time they go looking.

While you’re thinking about how to get in front of your customers, here are a few ideas on how to get started:

Register your business with Google My Business 

This should be your first point of action into being found online by potential customers. By registering your business with Google My Business, this allows you to be found more easily on Google and will show up on google maps for customers in your local area. 

Startup your own social media channels for your business

Social media is an amazing platform to take advantage of because after all, it is free! However, due to their being many social media platforms today you will find very different audiences on each platform. To establish which accounts you should activate, think; what is your business? Who are your target audiences? Where can you find your audience?

For example, if you have your own bakery/cake shop you are best using Instagram and Facebook to connect with your audience, due to Instagram being predominantly Millenials and Facebook being a slightly older audience you are therefore maximising your reach and engaging with those who will be interested in ordering from your bakery. 

Influencers are very effective in promoting businesses and brands. Using influencers will sure to instantly create exposure for your business to become visible to a wide audience across social media.  However, make sure you are selecting the right influencers to help spread the message and promote your business online, soon enough you should see your growth in customers.

 One of the best ways to get your business name out there and create awareness is through hosting a giveaway or contest on your social media channels. People love a good freebie, by giving away a free product or service will sure to increase your followers and reach. Whatever you offer, make sure that you are securing the customer’s contact details so that you can get in touch with them later.

If you are friendly and authentic online, it’s likely your expertise will shine through when you create content for your website or engage with people on social media. Being someone who people can easily approach will benefit you massively.  

By creating online content that is both unique and sharable, you will entice and intrigue your target audience. By offering authoritative content that helps your audience, you establish your brand’s voice and makes you seem trustworthy.

If you’re not entirely sure what SEO is, it stands for ‘Search engine optimisation’ and helps your business rank higher in Google.It can be a complicated process, but essentially it helps your services be seen by people searching for what you do. 

YouTube offers a great resource for helping market your business online. By offering online tutorials or helpful tips that aren’t profit lead will help to reach and engage with your target audience. Make sure the videos you upload are of high quality and that you are including a link back to your website – you never know, your videos could prompt a sale!

This site is a great resource for finding any online business, giving you the opportunity for customers to leave reviews and star ratings of their experience with your business, meaning your business will be more trusted by people looking online for what you do.

Join a relevant online community and contribute 

Joining an online community that is related to your field of work will really help get the word out about your business. By contributing and helping your network of people they will do the same for you.

Not only are Facebook ads relatively cheap, but you can target your audience incredibly specifically, meaning online social media scrollers will see your ad and with correct targeting, you are more likely to have a lot of click-throughs onto your website and perhaps more conversions.

Hopefully, by taking these steps, you will be able to conquer the online world and attract your target audience. Good luck!

A guide to being found online

Professional Indemnity Insurance and PR Consultants – Our Top 5 FAQ’s

As PR Consultants, you need to be mindful of claims that could be brought against you for work that you carry out on behalf of your clients. We have put together our top 5 FAQs and answers which should help make navigating the world of professional indemnity insurance that bit easier.

Do PR Consultants need Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Absolutely. Professional Indemnity Insurance can protect you in respect of claims or actions that are brought against you for a breach of your professional duty. This could be for a mistake that you have made or for advice that has caused financial loss to your client. A professional indemnity policy can cover your legal defence costs, as well as any award that may be made against you. The policy can even step in and pay for your legal defence costs if you are falsely accused of wrongdoing in the course of your work. We all know that legal fees can rack up to some seriously eye watering figures, so its important that you ensure you have the right insurance.

What type of Professional Indemnity claims could be made against a PR Consultant?

When a client comes to a PR Consultant, they do so for the specialist knowledge and advice that, that person will be able to provide. Being a professional comes with significant responsibilities which means you could be liable for any financial loss that a client may suffer as a result of a breach of that duty. There are lot of different things that could happen. For example, let’s say you were involved with a campaign for a new lady’s online fashion retailer. You came up with an amazing name that the client was happy with and the campaign was launched on that basis. Unfortunately, it subsequently came to light that the name you had suggested was in use and a breach of copywrite claim was brought against your client. The claim cost your client significant sums of money and they would then look to recover their losses from you.

How much Professional Indemnity Insurance should a PR Consultant buy?

This is always a difficult question to answer as there is no one size fits all and it largely comes down to what you are comfortable with. However, there are a few things that you should consider when deciding how much insurance to buy.

Do you have any contractual requirements with any of your clients that require a minimum level of cover?

Remember your liability could stretch far beyond the contract value. So, you need to consider what sort of things could happen and how much they could cost to rectify. – If you consider the example used in the question above, it is likely that the cost of the claim was well in excess of what the PR Consultant was paid for the job.

Think about the size of your clients and the type of work that you do. If you are doing leaflet campaigns for small local businesses, then the risks are probably going to be a lot less than digital projects for large multinational companies.

If I work for an agency but do a bit of freelance work do, I need my own Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Yes, you do. Traditionally, your employer’s insurance will cover you for work that is done in the course of your employment for them. However, it will not normally extend to work that you do on a freelance basis. You therefore need to take out your own Professional Indemnity Insurance policy which can protect you in the event of a claim being made against you. It is important to remember that without insurance any personal assets that you have could be at risk in the event of a claim or action.

I have temporarily stopped working due to Covid-19, do I still need to renew my Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Yes, it is important that you do. Professional Indemnity Insurance is a little different to most other insurances in that it is offered on what is known as a ‘claims made basis’. This means that the policy will only respond to incidents or claims that you become aware of and report during the policy period. So, if you let your insurance lapse and a claim comes to light for some work you have done in the past you essentially have no cover, despite being insured at the time. It is therefore important that you ensure you maintain suitable cover.

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Ruth Sedar

Rubber Ring Author

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