What does accidental damage cover?

Katgrit

Hi,

I'm getting insurance on a new property and thought I'd best check this out.

Going through confused.com and comparing quotes with/without accidental damage cover. The ? info boxes near the "accidental damage?" tick box says "Please note that most policies include some accidental damage cover, so only select 'Yes' if you require additional cover".

Thats a bit vague isn't it? SOME cover? I dont trust insurance companies as far as i could throw them so I'd rather know in full exactly what I'm covered for rather than rely on the word SOME. Any idea what sort of thing would be covered WITHOUT the additional cover? Its all a bit vague.

My main question is, I know if I dont select accidental damage and then I boot my glass of red wine over the cream carpet I wont be covered. But what if i leave my hair straightners plugged in and they burn my house down? Could i claim for a new burnt telly/sofa/bed? Is that an accident or not? I

I've previously only ever bought insurance on the basis that I'd only ever choose to claim if I had a flood, a burglary or something where I had to claim for a large amount. If I lose my camera on holiday or spill paint on my sofa thats my stupid fault.

Just wondering if burning my house down due due to hair straightners/iron/candles is an accident or not? Might be a daft question, please dont all ridicule me for asking. Its something thats never occured to me before.

Thanks

brokeinyorkshire

Hi.

Standard Accidental Damage covers you for things like accidental damage to TV, Hi Fi, DVD, and other electrical items.

The extended cover that costs extra is to cover accidental damage to soft furnishings, for example paint spillage on a carpet or ripped furniture. It can be quite expensive but its always a good cover to have.

Burning your house down would come under the Fire peril and not AD.

Hope that helps.

FlameCloud

I'm not sure whether you mean for the buildings or contents. Most policies will include AD as standard to things like sanitary ware and glass (Buildings) and Audio and Visual equipment (Contents). If you want AD to everything else then you'd need to select the full AD option. I would always recoment this as it places the burdan of disproving a claim onto the insurers rather than you having to prove the peril.