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Private Commercial Insurance Connundrum

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  • 19-12-2014 10:50pm
    #1
    Chippy01
    Registered Users Posts: 604 ✭✭✭


    A friend of mine (although unemployed at the moment), keeps himself busy by doing the odd gardening/painting/helping moving stuff jobs.
    As he says, ''it gets me out of the house, out of her hair, and keeps me from going stir-crazy''.
    He does what he can by utilizing his 7 seater car, with the seats folded or removed, but as you can imagine it's not doing the car much good.
    He has been offered an old Transit (for basically pennies, but the van is in good nick and has never had an issue passing it's DOE), which would save further wear and tear on his 7 seater.

    He knows, and accepted that if he takes on the Transit he will probably have to tax it privately, and the cost that involves re commercial/private tax, but he seems to have hit a stumbling block when it comes to insurance.

    He's called a couple of insurance companies, and they want a VAT number (he ain't got one of them), details of what the van will be carrying (not being a business, it could be anything and they won't accept that), and some other items which he never clearly explained to me. At the moment, it appears that he can't get insurance.

    What are his options here? Can he insure a Transit 'privately'? If so, where? Or does he have to try and wangle (legally) commercial insurance somehow? Again, if so, how?

    He wants to do this all above board, so no under-handed ideas please.


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    #2
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    So he's not unemployed, he's self-employed then?

    If he is using it only for his work, then why tax and insure it Private? He won't get Private Insurance on a van used for his work anyway , as he has found. Why would he have to "wangle" commercial insurance/ That's what he should be getting.

    Very odd way of going about it (or is it the case he is claimng benefits and is trying to stay under the radar?.


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    #3
    Chippy01
    Registered Users Posts: 604 ✭✭✭Chippy01


    He's unemployed, not self employed.
    He doesn't have enough odd bits to be self employed, but (in his mind) if he can get the van and carry on doing odd bits, he might just be able to get enough to warrant trying to go self employed.
    He's trying to get himself out and about, but feels like he's stuck between a rock and a hard place.


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    #4
    Tail Docker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,954 ✭✭✭Tail Docker


    Chippy01 wrote: »
    He's unemployed, not self employed.
    He doesn't have enough odd bits to be self employed, but (in his mind) if he can get the van and carry on doing odd bits, he might just be able to get enough to warrant trying to go self employed.
    He's trying to get himself out and about, but feels like he's stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    naah, he's just small self-employed, dodging the tag. If he want a commercial, tell him to insure it commercially, tax it commercially and register as self-employed, problem solved. For all of us. Posted as a self-employed person competing with a lot of "Unemployed" people.


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    #5
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    Tail Docker wrote: »
    naah, he's just small self-employed, dodging the tag. If he want a commercial, tell him to insure it commercially, tax it commercially and register as self-employed, problem solved. For all of us. Posted as a self-employed person competing with a lot of "Unemployed" people.

    I know how hard it is, but at least you're on the ladder. Someone unemployed who maybe wants to get a business off the ground is faced with almost insurmountable obstacles as far as senseless rules and regulations is concerned, designed for one purpose, keep upstarts and small time wannabes down and out of business.
    There are two ways of starting a business. One is to have a 5 year business plan, capital, staff, backing by a bank, a solicitor, an accountant, marketing, a sales team, an IT department and help from an army of consultants. Oh yeah and a premise and machinery. Cost: several hundred g's.
    The other way is to just get a van, fly beneath the radar and hope to get away with it long enough to go legit.
    The first way is taken by very few people and the government and the banks will do everything in their power to sink you.


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    #6
    Senecio
    Closed Accounts Posts: 971 ✭✭✭Senecio


    There are always two ways to looks at everything. I like to think those senseless rules and regulations are there to protect us consumers from dodgy operators.


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    #7
    To Elland Back
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,923 ✭✭✭To Elland Back


    The thing about commercial insurance is that cover is granted for "use in connection with the business described in the schedule". In other words, if you declare you are a plumber, shop owner, builder, carpet fitter etc, you can't use the vehicle for other business purposes. Of course you can declare an array of occupation that you have, but that's when insurers start declining to quote


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    #8
    cock robin
    Registered Users Posts: 724 ✭✭✭cock robin


    Chippy01 wrote: »
    A friend of mine (although unemployed at the moment), keeps himself busy by doing the odd gardening/painting/helping moving stuff jobs
    As he says, ''it gets me out of the house, out of her hair, and keeps me from going stir-crazy''.
    He does what he can by utilizing his 7 seater car, with the seats folded or removed, but as you can imagine it's not doing the car much good.
    He has been offered an old Transit (for basically pennies, but the van is in good nick and has never had an issue passing it's DOE), which would save further wear and tear on his 7 seater.

    He knows, and accepted that if he takes on the Transit he will probably have to tax it privately, and the cost that involves re commercial/private tax, but he seems to have hit a stumbling block when it comes to insurance.

    He's called a couple of insurance companies, and they want a VAT number (he ain't got one of them), details of what the van will be carrying (not being a business, it could be anything and they won't accept that), and some other items which he never clearly explained to me. At the moment, it appears that he can't get insurance.

    What are his options here? Can he insure a Transit 'privately'? If so, where? Or does he have to try and wangle (legally) commercial insurance somehow? Again, if so, how
    He wants to do this all above board, so no under-handed ideas please.

    He can use his PPS number. If his income exceeds a certain treshold he must declare it. AFAIK.the insurance companies have no access to any dept data,


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    #9
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    I suspect a business can check if another business is VAT compliant


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    #10
    mickdw
    Registered Users Posts: 23,260 ✭✭✭✭mickdw


    I am self employed 100 legit and not vat registered. I'm fully entitled to go out and buy a commercial jeep or van tomorrow if I require it surely?


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    #11
    GTDolanator
    Registered Users Posts: 772 ✭✭✭GTDolanator


    When your self employed you dont have to register for VAT unless you have a certain turnover,at least thats the way it was when i was out on my own

    And in anyways your VAT number is just your pps number


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