Content Insurance - Confused

charlee1985

Hello,

I am looking into getting a home insurance for the flat I am renting but I am a bit confused about the content insurance and accidental damage.

What exactly is usually covered? If my TV one day stops working will it be covered? Or if i drop a cup of tea on my laptop by accident? Or if my sofa breaks while I am sitting on it? Or if i drop my phone and the screen breaks?

Are all the above for example covered within a usual content insurance with accidental damage selected?

Thanks

kingstreet

Not necessarily.

Mechanical breakdown is not covered under accidental damage. Nor is wear and tear.

TV stops working? No.

TV falls off stand and screen breaks? Yes.

Tea on laptop? Yes.

Laptop won't start one day with no trauma to cause it? No.

Paint on carpet? Yes.

Bald patch in carpet? No.

There may be reasons why claimable events don't see a successful claim, so the "yes" answers above are indicative only.

csgohan4

The other question is do you need to claim on small items such as TV and laptop as you will be faced with higher premiums for the next 5 years at most.

charlee1985

csgohan4 wrote: »

The other question is do you need to claim on small items such as TV and laptop as you will be faced with higher premiums for the next 5 years at most.

That's true. I am just trying to find out whether it's worth having a home insurance or not. As I am renting and the property is already insured through my landlord.

paddyandstumpy

Well to answer your question "is it worth it", can you afford to replace all your contents if say for example there was a fire? A flood? Or an escape of water?

The landlords insurance will cover the flat itself, but you are responsible for your own possessions.

I pay £5 per month to Axa for my contents cover, and I got £35 cash back from quidco for the year.

It's an affordable peace of mind.

pinkteapot

Contents insurance (without accidental damage) covers risks like theft, flood and fire. The types of things that aren't your fault and are unforeseen.

It doesn't cover things wearing out, mechanical failure - pretty much anything that would be covered by a product warranty (even if that warranty has run out).

Accidental damage is an optional extra that additionally covers you for, well, damage that's an accident. Dropping things, knocking things over, spilling things - that kind of thing.

Is it worth having? As above, can you afford to replace all your contents in the event of a burglary? As with any insurance, if you don't claim you'll think it was a waste of money. If you do, you'll think it was worth its weight in gold. Comes down to how much your contents are worth (in replacement cost), how much that figure means to you, and how risk averse you are.