Security in home based studio

Daniel_OB · Jun 27, 2006

I am about to start accommodating a part of my house to photo studio for portrait, small products, and close-up. People will come in and around and see the expensive stuff inside, like cameras, flashes, lenses, ...
My problem this time is security.
I would try to avoid insurance for I have not nice memories on that business with insurance companies, and they employ the best lawyers not without reasons...
I would like to prevent break-in, and my actual problem is how other photographers fight this problem in home studio.
As I know when thief is on the job he goes to the very end, and is for my brain too difficult to figure out how to stop it.
Do they still also and view and medium format film cameras.

I live in Canada around Toronto, area with a lot of bad people around. But nothing better is in other areas too, even in wilderness.

SteveH · Jun 27, 2006

Daniel,
Just have photos of you holding various wepons hanging on the walls around your house. Sawed-Off shotguns and massive knives would probably work best.
Also, perhaps some body targets with a couple of head shots in them would add some flavor.

Paul Sorensen · Jun 27, 2006

Well, I would disagree with you about getting insurance. If someone breaks in to your house and steals your equipment the insurance company will have a very hard time denying any claim, they will probably only attempt to limit what they pay by getting the lowest possible value for the replacement of your equipment. You need to be sure that you have business insurance. If a client is hurt by accident, say a light falls over on them, if you don't have business liability insurance you could be in trouble. In fact, your exposure to loss for liability is far higher than the value of your equipment. It is not likely to happen, but possible, and liability insurance of that type should not be expensive.

As for break in protection, I would suggest that you keep the best things out of sight from the outside, assuming that your clients are not the ones who wish to rob you, and make sure that you have decent locks and keep the place locked appropriately. If there are windows that folks could creep up to, a motion detecting light would also be good, if someone comes up to a window and a light suddenly turns on, they are far less likely to stay there. Also, look for good hiding places and keep shrubs and the like trimmed back so that someone can't hide easily in them.

Good luck,

Paul.

resummerfield · Jun 27, 2006

I would have a large, friendly dog on-site at all times. Something like a well trained and docile Lab or Sheppard. But I would still get the insurance policy.

blansky · Jun 27, 2006

I haven't had any special insurance since I shot weddings and had a lot of equipment sitting around on location while I worked.

I have an alarm system, an ugly security door, a couple of yappy dogs and no signs anywhere that say please rob me, I'm a photographer.

Insurance for photographic equipment can be pretty expensive. Since it is here in my home under my "watchful" eye, I just take the chance rather than pay out money for insurance.

I once saw a sign a guy had that said, "if you're found on these premises, you'll be found on these premises".

Michael

Wigwam Jones · Jun 27, 2006

blansky said:
I once saw a sign a guy had that said, "if you're found on these premises, you'll be found on these premises".

"Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again."

John Bartley · Jun 27, 2006

You may wish to get an opinion from an accountant about the tax implications of advertising the fact that you run a home business from within your primary dwelling and have that accountant advise you on the safest and most financially advantageous way to set up this business in your home. I don't have the answers, but I wonder how doing business from your home affects property tax value, capital gains exposure if/when you sell your house and coverage for you, your family and friends and your customers under different insurance policies.

Just some random thoughts ....

JBrunner · Jun 27, 2006

Insurance- yes, but examine the replacement value of what you will be insuring against the cost of the premium & deductable. If you are disciplined, self insurance can sometimes be better, with older analog equipment.

Weapons- probably not on display as they are targets for burglary, which is by far the more likely crime, vs robbery, in which case you will know where that weapon is anyway.

Burglar alarm- one of the better things, as it discourages the opportunistic amateur burglar, which is the kind you will most likely get, if you get any at all. Most will move right on when they see the sign.

Best IMO-Big gun safe where clients see you keep your equipment- discourages anybody who is a thief- better than an alarm, only a true pro would have any shot at all, and its way to heavy to cart off. They probably won't even consider it.

removed account4 · Jun 27, 2006

commercial insurance policy + alarm

rbarker · Jun 28, 2006

I have a good, monitored alarm system, and keep cameras and lenses in a large, 900# safe that's bolted to the floor. The alarm stickers on the windows will dissuade most burglers - except those tripped out on drugs.

With safes, it's also a good idea to pay attention to their fire specs, to cover the other side of the risk. Gun safes often have low fire ratings. Backup insurance is a whole different topic, but worth considering, even though there are a variety of pitfalls - especially if you make money with the gear.

BradS · Jun 29, 2006

John Bartley said:
You may wish to get an opinion from an accountant about the tax implications of advertising the fact that you run a home business from within your primary dwelling and have that accountant advise you on the safest and most financially advantageous way to set up this business in your home. I don't have the answers, but I wonder how doing business from your home affects property tax value, capital gains exposure if/when you sell your house and coverage for you, your family and friends and your customers under different insurance policies.

Just some random thoughts ....

This is good advice and warrant repeating.

rbarker · Jun 30, 2006

BradS said:
This is good advice and warrant repeating.

Perhaps more than once.

It's also good to remember that even with the advice of a good accountant, the responsibility still rests on the shoulders of the business/property owner. Some accountants will suggest potentially risky procedures based on a more aggressive interpretation of the applicable laws.

Daniel_OB · Jun 30, 2006

If I set the business inside the home, my mothly mortgage payment plus utils, will be cut to tax according to area of the house used for the business (30% are for business, 30% expences to tax), just I have no idea for property tax in that case.
Thanks to all guys for your nice advices and your time. They all are so usefull.

Security in home based studio

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