[hackerspaces] Insurance Advice (for US hackerspaces)

[Paul Brown]

Dallas Makerspace has joined the league of US hackerspaces to successfully
obtain the correct insurance policy. We took notes about the process and
our current policy here: http://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Insurance

The process started when our ~$500/year insurance policy provider informed
us that our claims would be rejected because "the type of activities
associated with your risk does not match the policy obtained". This means
we were not properly classified. We found during the process that most
insurance agents wanted to incorrectly classify us and quickly sell us a
policy. However, we did find an agent willing to visit our hackerspace and
explain to the insurance underwriters what we did (to confirm and document
we were classified correctly). Here's general liability classification info:

Class Code 41668: "Clubs- Civic, service or social- having buildings or
premises owned or leased- Not for Profit only"

All the quotes we received for 1 million $ in general liability (probably
required in your lease) were above $1400/year. Number of members and
revenue are big factors in how much your insurance will cost, but *you
might not have the proper classification if you're only paying ~$500/year. *
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