What is accidental damage cover?

Most home policies work on named perils, which means anything not on the list is not covered. Accidental damage is the extension that fills the gap, and the gap is larger than people assume.

Safety

Step by step

1. Understand what standard cover actually is.A list of named events: fire, flood, escape of water, theft, storm, subsidence, impact. If what happened is not on the list, it is not covered — and 'I dropped it' is not on any list.
2. See what accidental damage adds.Sudden, unexpected physical damage caused by something you did. A drill through a pipe or cable, a foot through a loft ceiling, paint on a carpet, a television knocked over, a bath overflowing.
3. Note that buildings and contents are separate.You can usually add accidental damage to one, the other, or both, at different prices. Buildings covers the structure and fixed fittings; contents covers your possessions.
4. Check what is already included as standard.Many policies include limited accidental damage as standard — commonly to glass in windows and doors, sanitary ware, and buried cables and pipes. That may be the part you actually wanted.
5. Understand what it still excludes.Wear and tear, gradual deterioration, damage by pets, damage while items are being worked on, mechanical or electrical breakdown, and anything deliberate. These survive the extension.
6. Note that pets are usually excluded.A dog chewing a sofa or a cat shredding a carpet is very rarely covered even with accidental damage. It is one of the most common assumptions and one of the most common declines.
7. Check the position on items outside the home.Accidental damage to contents usually applies inside the property only. A laptop dropped in a café needs personal possessions cover, which is a different add-on.
8. Weigh it against the excess.If the excess is a large share of what a typical incident would cost, the cover pays for very little. Check both figures together rather than the premium alone.
9. Weigh it against the no-claims position.A small accidental damage claim can raise the premium for years and reduce a claim-free discount. That can cost more over time than the repair, which is worth calculating before claiming rather than before buying.
10. Consider who lives in the house.Young children, a home with a lot of DIY happening, expensive flooring, or a household prone to breakages. Those are the situations where it genuinely earns its cost.
11. Check whether cover applies during building work.Many policies restrict or exclude accidental damage while renovation is in progress, and some require notification of substantial work. That is exactly when it would be useful, so it is worth checking.
12. Read the specific wording rather than the summary.This is the cover where wordings vary most between insurers. The policy booklet's definition and exclusions are what determine a claim, not the marketing description.

Tips

• Check what is included as standard before adding it. Glass, sanitary ware and buried services are often already covered, and those are common claims.
• If you are about to start DIY, check the position before rather than after. Some policies restrict accidental damage during works.
• The calculation is the premium plus the excess plus the effect on future premiums, against the cost of the repair. Framed that way, small claims often are not worth making.

Common mistakes

• Assuming pet damage is covered — It is specifically excluded by almost every policy, with or without accidental damage. It is one of the most common misunderstandings about the cover.
• Buying it without checking the excess — If the excess is close to what a typical mishap costs to repair, the cover pays out on very little and the premium is largely wasted.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask