HIGH RISK CONTENTS INSURANCE

It’s a fact of life that some of your belongings are more attractive than others to thieves because they’re easily stolen and resold and – usually – because they’re quite high in value. We call these high risk items, and we ask you to specify these on your policy if they’re worth more than a certain amount or if you want them to be covered outside the home.

What are high risk items?

High risk items include:

Clocks, furs, gold, silver or other precious metal (including plated) items, guns, medical equipment, and ride on or robotic lawnmowers also count as high risk items.

How do I get insurance for high-risk items?

High risk items individually, or as part of a collection, worth less than £1,500 are covered as standard (except for accidental damage which is optional) on Homeprotect contents insurance policies up to a maximum of £5,000 or 20% of the contents sum insured, whichever is lower, inside the home. 

If any of your high risk items are worth £1,500 or more or if you want them to be covered outside your home, you need to specify these on your policy, telling us what they are and how much they’re worth.

Don’t forget to let us know about any electronic gadgets and bikes worth £1,500 or more you have too.

Getting the value right

When you add high-risk items to your contents insurance, it’s important to make sure that they are properly valued and not underinsured.

Key points

It is your responsibility to inform your insurer of specific items and their value so that you are properly insured and will not be left out of pocket in the event of a claim. Make sure that you:

  • Keep the receipts as proof of the purchase price.
  • Have valuations updated regularly and store the certificates in a safe place. It is recommended that jewellery is valued every two years by an accredited jeweller.
  • Keep a record of your high risk items, with photographs and a description, as these details can help insurers to process a claim more easily.
  • Store your valuable jewellery and watches in a safe at home when you’re not wearing them. Never leave valuables on display where they can be seen by opportunist burglars.

When making a claim, bear in mind that you’ll be liable to pay any excess already stipulated under the policy terms and this could be more than the cost of replacing the jewellery or other valuable yourself.

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What’s covered by contents insurance?

Having contents insurance means you won’t be out of pocket if you need to repair or replace your belongings after they’ve been stolen, damaged or destroyed.

What we offer

Quick fix for uncontrollable leaks

Have a home emergency, such as electricity failure, faulty locks or vermin infestation? With the 24/7 Home Emergency cover, which we provide as standard, you can typically get an engineer at your home within four hours. And if you’re worried about an uncontrollable leak in your home, we aim to have an emergency plumber to you within two hours.

Extreme weather conditions may extend response time. Policy terms and claim limits apply.

New for old

Where we replace an item, we will do our best to meet the original specification on a ‘new for old’ basis. If we can’t find an exact replacement, we’ll offer you a suitable alternative, or a full cash settlement.

Legal advice

We provide Legal Protection cover as standard, giving you access to telephone legal advice on any personal legal issue, under the laws of the UK, any European Union country, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Norway.

What isn’t included?

Lost items.

Items stolen from unoccupied vehicles.

Damage caused by pets.

The cost of repairing or replacing items following a mechanical or electrical fault.

Contents Insurance Cover Levels

Our contents insurance is designed to protect your belongings against insured events such as fire, storm, flood, escape of water, theft, malicious damage, subsidence, landslip or heave.

Contents cover

Covering the value of all your possessions in the home, on a new for old basis.

from £25,000

Alternative accommodation

For you and your pets, in case you can’t live at your home while it’s being repaired after an insured event.

up to £10,000

Home emergency

Covers emergencies that occur in your home like uncontrollable water leaks, electricity failure, faulty locks and vermin infestation. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £500

Family legal protection

Provides a 24/7 legal advice helpline and up to £25,000 cover for claims involving contract disputes and property damage. For a claim to be successful, there must be reasonable prospects (more than a 50% chance) of winning the legal case. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £25,000

Liability cover

Liability cover involving accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage that you are legally liable to pay.

up to £5 million

Personal possessions

Cover for portable items that you take out of your home, like bags, clothes and sports equipment

Optional

Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home

Cover for electronic gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc), bikes (including electrically assisted bikes) and valuables (e.g. watches and jewellery) that you take out of your home.

Optional

Accidental damage

Covers situations when unexpected accidents happen, such as spillages on the carpet, breakages around the house or drilling through hidden pipes. Two levels of cover are available.

Optional

Your Questions Answered

Yes, paintings should be valued as a complete item including the frame.

Yes! You need to specify the item on your policy – no matter what it is worth – and select to have cover away from your property included.

Collections are valued as a whole. For example, if each coin in a coin collection is worth less than £1,500 individually but the collection as a whole is worth more than this, you should specify the collection on your policy.

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