Home insurance – a closer look at add-ons
Home insurance acts like a financial shock-absorber and protects thousands of families each year from unexpected and unwelcome loss, damage and expense.
Whilst standard policies can cover buildings and all the things kept in a home such as TVs, furniture, carpets and personal belongings, your adviser can also help you choose additional cover for specific risks and tailor the policy to meet your needs.
Accidental damage
As the name suggests, this provides cover for unintentional one-off accidents that harm your possessions. So, if paint gets spilt on your carpet, or you drop your laptop and smash it, then you’d be able to make a claim.
Personal possessions away from home
This cover protects portable items such as cameras, laptops or jewellery away from home, up to a specified limit. It can provide useful protection if, for example, your children take their phones or iPads to school, or you lose your watch on the way to work.
Home emergency cover
This covers misfortunes like burst pipes, boiler breakdown, blocked drains or electrical failure. It can provide access to a 24-hour helpline, and also pay towards the cost of accommodation if it’s not safe for you to stay in your home after an emergency.
Legal expenses
This type of insurance typically covers legal proceedings relating to your home, employment, death or personal injury, as well as any award of the other party’s legal costs.
Jewellery, antiques and musical instruments
Many people wrongly assume that these will all be automatically covered on a standard home contents policy. Some insurers restrict the cover for high-value items, so it pays to ask us to help you put the right cover in place.