Should I insure my belongings away from home?
What personal possessions cover is, when it duplicates something you already have, and the limits that catch people out.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 20 min
- Read
- 3 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Personal possessions cover is an add-on to home contents insurance that covers items when you take them out of the house. It is worth considering if you regularly carry something valuable — but check first whether a bank account, a card, or the home policy already covers it.
Standard contents insurance covers things inside the home. The moment a laptop, a bicycle or a wedding ring leaves the front door, it usually is not covered at all, which is what this add-on exists to address.
Safety
Step by step
- Check what your contents policy already does.Some policies include limited away-from-home cover as standard, and some include it only for specified categories. The schedule says which — this is the first thing to look at.
- Work out what you actually take out.Phone, laptop, bicycle, jewellery worn daily, camera, musical instrument, pushchair. List them with rough values. If the total is small, the add-on may not be worth its premium.
- Understand the single-item limit.Cover has an overall limit and a separate limit per item — often a few thousand pounds. Anything above that must be specified individually and named on the policy, or it is not covered.
- Specify high-value items by name.An engagement ring, a good camera, a bicycle worth more than the single-item limit. Specifying costs a little more and is the difference between a paid claim and a refused one.
- Check for duplication before buying.Packaged bank accounts often include mobile phone and travel cover. Travel insurance covers baggage abroad. Some card providers cover recent purchases. Paying twice for the same cover is common.
- Read the exclusions carefully.Unattended items, theft from a vehicle, items left in a locker, damage while in use, and bicycles not secured to something immovable are all commonly excluded. These exclusions are where claims fail.
- Check whether it covers abroad and for how long.Many policies include a limited number of days outside the UK — often thirty or sixty. Beyond that you need travel insurance instead.
- Weigh the premium against the excess.If the add-on costs a meaningful amount a year and the excess is a large share of the item's value, the arithmetic on a single phone may not work. It changes with several valuable items.
- Keep proof of ownership.Receipts, valuations for jewellery, serial numbers, photographs. Claims are settled far more easily with evidence, and jewellery valuations are usually required to be recent.
- Report thefts to the police promptly.Almost every policy requires a crime reference number, often within twenty-four hours. Missing this is a straightforward way to have a valid claim declined.
Tips
- Photograph valuables and note serial numbers now rather than after something has gone. It takes ten minutes and it is what claims turn on.
- Bicycles are frequently excluded or limited under general possessions cover and may need their own policy.
- Check whether claiming affects the no-claims position on the main contents policy — a small claim can cost more than it pays over a few years.
Questions people ask
Does home insurance cover things outside the home?
Usually not as standard. Contents insurance covers items in the house; personal possessions cover is the add-on that extends this to things you take out with you.
Do I need to list items individually?
Anything worth more than the policy's single-item limit must be specified by name, or it is not covered. Below that limit, items are covered without listing.