Possessions Insurance

geoh

Hi everyone,

I'm soon to be relocating to London for work and wondering if somebody would kindly give me some advice regarding possessions insurance.

I've done a quick scan of the police.uk map for the road I will be moving to, and it appears that since records began in December 2010, there have been 5 reported burglaries... A statistic that, whilst not too concerning, still demonstrates the potential need for protection, especially when the property I am moving to is the end house in a very small cul-de-sak, with a rather enclosed conservatory located at the back!!

I own rather a lot of valuable electronic equipment (an iMac, studio-quality speakers worth around £800, iPad, MacBook, Beats headphones, and various musical instruments) - basically I am a burglars dream.

I always do backups of my computers, and so although it would be a bit of a nuisance, the only real loss I would suffer would be as an increase to my insurance premium. My concern, however, is that I do not know the housemates I will be moving in with. Whilst I do not believe they would steal any of my belongings (there are no locks on the bedroom doors, but having met them they really do not seem the type - and I am a trusting person!), I do not know how well they look after the property, and whether they may inadvertently leave downstairs windows and doors unlocked.

I have read in the policies for a number of insurance companies that if the downstairs windows or doors are left unlocked, my insurance is void. It would be impossible for me to ensure every door and window is locked as my job requires me to leave very early (I suspect before everyone else).

Does anyone know of an insurance company who would insure my equipment, and where if a downstairs door/window was left unlocked allowing a burglar to gain access, then I would still be able to claim?

I wondered about going with Protect Your Bubble, but my concern is that they only insure gadgets that are up to 3 years old...

Thank you in advance,

George

HappyMJ

Get a Kensington lock. Most laptops have a Kensington security slot. Attach it to the radiator. Yes, the insurance is most probably invalid if the windows are left open and no one is home. So just make it as hard as you can for them to lift it in a short time. They can always rip the lock out of the case but they'd damage it so much they couldn't sell it on. They could cut the cable but they'd need to come equipped with bolt cutters.

And put a lock on the door....after getting landlord's permission of course.

InsideInsurance

The insurer doesnt know your future housemates either which is why multi-occupancy policies will have clauses requiring forced or violent entry to cover theft claims.

iMacs also have a kensington lock slot and with their aluminium case are a bit more robust when it comes to trying to rip one out.