What does Home Insurance cover?

Gnid

I thought this only covers contents?

I heard this covers these type of things:

1. flooding affects other people (e.g. floods onto neighbours place)
2. guests injuring themselves in my home
3. workmen injuring themselves doing repairs in my home
4. contents

Is this correct? For 3, I thought the company has its own cover?

FlameCloud

Home insurance is roughly split into two areas- buildings and contents.

Alot of policies provide liability cover which protects against claims such as you flooding a neighbours.

You'd have to actually read your own policy booklet to know what your covered for.

davidwatts

Virtually any contents policy will provide family and occupiers liability cover, covering you if you are legally liable for any of the things you mention.

The workman injuring himself could be self employed and come straight after you for damages, or his employer's insurers might deal with a claim but seek a recovery off you.

Anyone seeking to claim off you, notify your insurers right away. Never admit liability!

mattymoo

1) Floods that affect a neighbour through your negligence are covered. For example you let a bath overflow and it goes into neighbours property below. You would not be liable for heavy rains that ran off your land on to neighbours because that is outside your control.

3) Workmen. You do owe a duty of care to all visitors and workmen comes under this. A basic example is the postman / lady. If your dog injures them they are entitled to come after you for damages and your household policy will cover this.
As for contractors, yes the cover is there but they have a harder job to prove you are liable if the injury occurs within their field of expertise. For example, if a carpenter cuts himself on his saw then he will not be able to sue you.
If you lent him ladders though and they later proved to be unsafe, he would have a valid claim. Moral of story is never lend workmen your own tools. It is why British Gas engineers always use their own for instance.
If the workman was a plumber but was electrocuted by a faulty socket in your house then again, he would have a valid claim against you.