Thanks for the replies.
Some additonal info is that this is a commercial policy, for contents and stock, against risks of burgalry and fire etc. I don't own the building so I can't insure it for rebuilding costs.
It's a woodworking workshop, with a spray room , so difficult to insure... other quotes were up to two or three times as high, if companies would quote at all...
So I don't really want to leave them...
They also require certs for the electricity system, and the gas system which powers the gas heaters used in the spray room... (these gas heaters are explosion proof and designed for a spray room). All spray paints are stored outside in a lockable metal cabinet. There is no suggestion that there is a problem with either the electricity or the gas, it's simply that they did a survey, and so I have to comply. They refuse to tell me whether all of their commercial policy holders have certs for electricity, so I'm inferring from that that they don't... that the only reason I need certs is because they surveyed me. A bit similar to a Revenue Audit in some ways I think..
So again, these certs cost me money... money I don't have, but I can't really complain too much about this, but the burgalar alarm requirement is a bit sickening.. the alarm also has to be monitored to a phone.
They also want me to arrange a visit from the Fire Protection Officer, due to what they call a change of use but it isn't really. ...
Overall they had about 15 requirements, most of which I have complied with already. Some were very easy, like cutting some overgrown weeds on the fire escape route, or tidying up some light cables that weren't fixed into position correctly.