Agreement between employee and employer for use of personal equipment

I'm going to start a position where I have voluntarily offered to use my personal equipment to perform my duties for the company with the understanding that if any damage would occur to my equipment while using it for company business they would either repair or replace the equipment. It is all verbal at this time but I would like to have it in writing as an agreement for both of us to sign. What important things should I make sure to define in this form?

30k 21 21 gold badges 108 108 silver badges 140 140 bronze badges asked Mar 19, 2019 at 16:41 51 2 2 bronze badges

If this is valuable equipment, you need to talk to your insurance agent as well. Your personal property policy probably has an exclusion for using your equipment for work.

Commented Mar 19, 2019 at 16:48

I'd be curious to know how common this kind of agreement is. My employer covers half of the cost of our personal machines, and gives us a 0% loan for the balance (payments are withheld from each paycheck for two years), with the expectation we'll be using them for much of our work for our consulting clients. One thing they recently added was a proviso that our machines be insured/warranteed (e.g. AppleCare) for two years, which is when we become eligible to buy another machine under the same program. I.e., it's on us to care for our stuff.

Commented Mar 19, 2019 at 16:58 @WesleyLong that's only pertinent if you have a personal property policy. Commented Mar 19, 2019 at 17:42 @BenBarden - Yes, and learning to swim is only pertinent if you're in the water. Point being? Commented Mar 19, 2019 at 17:43

This question is being discussed on Meta. (IMO revision #4 by @DavidK fixed it, so that discussion is obsolete.)

Commented Mar 21, 2019 at 0:06

1 Answer 1

One thing I cant emphasize enough is: Make sure you get your agreement in writing. Although by law a verbal agreement is just as binding as a written agreement, it becomes much much harder to prove and enforce.

Make sure you include all expected scenarios such as breakdowns and maintenance of equipment. Also clear up grey areas such as: "What happens if my equipment is stolen while being used for company work?"

Also make sure the terms of reimbursement are clear for any costs agreed upon. Will you be reimbursed up front or will you have to replace at your own cost and be reimbursed later?

Think long and hard about any possible situation that may arise and make sure to include that in your agreement.