Overseas storage unit

baser999

My partner has a storage unit in Australia and has received notice that the present insurers will cease cover when it comes up for renewal. Being overseas, I don’t believe that we can cover it on our home buildings policy so presumably will need to seek alternate cover with a company out there unless anyone can suggest anything otherwise. We did in fact wonder if we needed cover since there’s no real value in the unit and presumably if the whole building went up in flames, a claim could be made on their policy; we’d need to check the storage company terms in this regard

Slinky

If there's no real value in it, would it be worth getting it cleared out and saving the money? What is the plan for the contents long term?

DullGreyGuy

If its no value why are you paying to store it?

You need to check your terms, some storage facilities require you hold at least liability insurance such that if you store something inappropriate that goes bang you're covering the damage it causes to the building and other tenants property.

Your challenge is going to licensing rights, most insurers are only licensed to sell insurance to people in country at the time and so you may not be able to be sold insurance by an Australian insurer whilst you are physically in the UK. Getting standalone insurance from a UK insurer in principle is totally possible but may be costly as it's not going to be a cheap off the shelf product given how few customers there are for such a product. 

Depending on the exact history of the contents, why its in storage etc there is a possibility it squeezes into the definitions of a better Home policy but most have territorial limits on the liability section so doesn't help if you are required to hold PL cover. 

baser999

Slinky said:

If there's no real value in it, would it be worth getting it cleared out and saving the money? What is the plan for the contents long term?

There’s still stuff there of a more ‘sentimental’ value, photographs and such. If possible, she’d rather go through it rather than have the storage company simply bin it all. It was anticipated that we’d get back there one day but then her father died in Covid, travel wasn’t possible, and there’s no longer the immediate incentive. There’s no family local so for the time-being we’re a bit stuck. 

user1977

baser999 said:

and presumably if the whole building went up in flames, a claim could be made on their policy

I would presume your property would not be covered, unless you can make a claim against the storage company for negligence or similar. But if nothing is of great inherent value it may well not be worthwhile

Slinky

Is there anything likely to be hazardous to any other unit holder there? If not, what's the point of the insurance? If you were to lose them, what would money paying out actually achieve? What could your claim even be for? If you have negatives or stuff on a hard drive you could reprint things, but if they are the only copies in that container they can't be replaced anyway, so why does it need insuring?