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:
- Engagement rings.
- Wedding rings.
- Watches.
- Other jewellery.
- Artwork.
- Collectibles such as coin, medal and stamp collections.
- Mobility scooters.
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?
Your belongings make your house feel like home. If they’re stolen, damaged or destroyed, our contents insurance helps cover the cost of replacing them — so you’re not left out of pocket.
- Fire and smoke
- Flood and storm
- Theft and attempted theft
- Escape of water or oil
- Malicious damage
This includes items like furniture, electronics, clothing and kitchenware — plus a limited amount for contents stored in garages, sheds and outbuildings within your boundary.
What we offer
Emergency help when you need it most
If you have a home emergency — such as a power outage, uncontrollable leak or a broken lock — our 24/7 Home Emergency cover is included as standard.
- We aim to get an engineer to you within four hours
- For serious water leaks, we’ll try to have a plumber with you in two hours
Response times may vary during extreme weather. Policy terms and claim limits apply.
5 star rated cover
Our insurance has received the highest rating from independent financial researchers, Moneyfacts.
12-month repair guarantee
Any repair work we arrange after a claim is guaranteed for one year.
New for old
Where we replace a damaged or stolen item, we’ll do our best to match the original — on a ‘new for old’ basis. If that’s not possible, we’ll offer a suitable alternative or a full cash settlement.
Legal support when you need it
Family Legal Protection is included as standard. You’ll have access to expert telephone legal advice on personal matters under the laws of the UK and most of Europe.
What isn’t covered?
There are some things we can’t cover, including:
Items you don’t own or aren’t legally responsible for
Items stolen from unoccupied vehicles
Gradual wear and tear, or damage caused by pets
Faulty design, construction, or workmanship or failure to fix a known issue
Mechanical or electrical breakdown
Keeping your home and belongings in good condition is essential. If damage happens because of neglect or poor maintenance, your claim may be declined, and your policy could be cancelled.
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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
Protects your household contents — including furniture, clothing, appliances, gadgets and valuables — against events like fire, flood and theft. Cover is provided on a new for old basis.
from £25,000
Alternative accommodation
We’ll help cover the cost of temporary accommodation for you and your pets if your home becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event. If you stay with friends or family instead, we’ll cover your extra living costs.
up to £10,000
Home emergency
Covers sudden, unexpected emergencies — such as an uncontrollable leak — that require immediate action to prevent damage or secure your home. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.
up to £500
Family legal protection
Covers legal costs for certain insured events. There must be a reasonable chance of success, and the incident must happen during your policy term. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.
up to £25,000
Liability cover
Covers your legal liability for accidental death, injury or illness to someone else, or damage to their property.
up to £5 million
Personal possessions
Covers items you wear, carry or use outside the home (e.g. clothing, bags and sports equipment).
Optional
Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home
Optional cover for mobile phones, laptops, tablets, watches, jewellery, hearing aids and other high-risk items you take out of your home.
Optional
Accidental damage
Optional cover for unexpected mishaps around the home — such as breakages, spillages or damage caused by you, your guests or wild animals Two levels of cover are available.
Optional
Your Questions Answered
An excess is the portion of a claim that you’re responsible for paying. It’s either deducted from your settlement or collected from you if we arrange a repair or replacement. You can find out what excesses you’ll need to pay by logging in to make a claim and selecting your policy in the “Check my cover” section. Your excesses are also listed in your policy documents.
There are three types of excess:
- Compulsory excess – A fixed amount that applies to most claims, based on the type of damage. If your claim includes both Buildings and Contents, a compulsory excess will apply to each.
- Special excess – A higher excess that applies to specific events like flood, escape of water, subsidence, landslip, or heave. If both Buildings and Contents are affected, only one special excess applies.
- Voluntary excess – An extra amount you choose when buying your policy to lower your premium. If your claim includes both Buildings and Contents, the voluntary excess applies to each.
- Exception: voluntary excesses do not apply to Flood Re claims.
You can find your excess amounts in your Policy Schedule or by logging in and selecting your policy in the “Check my cover” section.
Examples:
Example 1 – Claim for one type of damage
Romesh claims for accidental damage to his buildings.
- Compulsory excess: £249
- Voluntary excess: £150
Total excess: £399
Example 2 – Claim affecting both Buildings and Contents
Sam’s theft claim involves damage to both buildings and contents.
- Buildings excess: £249 compulsory + £150 voluntary
- Contents excess: £149 compulsory + £50 voluntary
Total excess: £598
Example 3 – Escape of water affecting both Buildings and Contents
Frankie’s claim is for escape of water.
Voluntary excesses: £100 for Buildings + £100 for Contents
Total excess: £700
Special excess: £500 (applies once)
In most cases, they are covered up to a certain maximum per claim if you make sure the value of these items are included in the value of contents to be insured. You can find out more about our garage insurance here, and our shed insurance. Please note that there are some items that we can’t insure such as boats and water skis, please refer to the policy booklets for full details. Some business equipment stored in outbuildings is covered, but not high-risk items or stock without underwriter approval.
Not unless you have taken out our personal possessions cover. This cover is an optional extra that you can purchase with your policy. Under our Homeprotect policy, the personal possessions option covers your personal belongings against theft or physical damage anywhere in the world.
If you are taking these possessions overseas, cover is included for up to 90 days each year. Any individual items worth £1,500 or more and any bike, electronic gadget or high risk item will need to be specified on the policy.
We consider jewellery to be a high risk item. As standard we have a limit of £5,000 (or 20% of your contents sum insured, whichever is lower) for high risk items which are individually worth less than £1,500. If you have lots of jewellery (or other types of high risk item) which are individually worth less than £1,500 then you can contact us and we can request an increase in cover from our underwriters. Alternatively you can choose to specify items on your policy which means they are covered independent of the high risk item limit.
If an item of jewellery is worth more than £1,500 it will need to be specified on your policy.
No, the only items you need to specify on your policy for cover within your home are items worth £1,500 or more each, if they are classed as “high risk” which are:
- Clocks
- Coin collections
- Furs
- Gold, silver and other precious metals (including plated items)
- Guns
- Jewellery and watches
- Medals
- Medical equipment (including hearing aids)
- Ride on or robotic lawnmowers
- Stamp collections
- Wheelchairs or mobility scooters
- Works of art
Please also specify any mobile phones, smart phones, laptops, tablets and pedal cycles worth £1,500 or more.
Take your jewellery to a registered valuer, such as one who is a member of the Institute of Registered Valuers. They can provide you with a valuation and also a detailed description of each piece, which also sets out how the value has been determined.
In the event of a claim, you may be asked to provide evidence of value and ownership, such as purchase receipts or valuation certificates. It’s essential to provide this documentation for any high-risk items that you’ve specified on your policy, such as jewellery or watches.
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