Accidents can happen
Home contents insurance isn't designed just to protect you for burglary etc it's also a saftey net....
Are you covered for life's little mishaps? For home owners and tenants alike, home contents insurance isn't just designed to protect you if you're the victim of a burglary, flood or fire. It's also your safety net should you accidently kick over a can of paint on the carpet while redecorating, or if your new flat screen TV falls of the wall. Because accidents can and do happen...
No matter how house proud you are, red wine can get spilled on sofas if not by you by less careful house guests, and even your own well-behaved sports fans might have accidently smashed windows in the heat of an exciting game of football. If you love to socialize at home, have a boisterous brood of energetic kids or are about to embark on a spot of DIY, it might be worth considering adding accidental damage cover to your home contents insurance or buildings insurance cover.
What does ‘accidental damage' mean?
In insurance speak, accidental damage is defined by insurance policy providers as damage caused by an unexpected and non-deliberate external action. To put this plainly, it refers to an unintentional one-off incident which results in damage to your possessions in the home or to your property itself.
Accidental damage cover is an optional additional policy which you can add to either your building insurance or home contents insurance usually for an additional fee.
As the scope of cover offered by different policy providers can vary, it is essential that you carefully check exactly what the policy covers you for and obtain clear information about exclusions when you contact an insurance company for home insurance quotes.
What's usually covered?
- Little darlings: Avant-garde artwork in felt tip scrawled on the wall or sofa, apple juice soaked curtains and kit toppled over by exuberant toddlers are among the most common claims on accidental damage cover. In fact, young children are the cause of most accidental damage claims whether they're your own cherubs or visiting kids.
- Nasty spills: Accidental damage cover will protect most of the possessions in your home from carpets to curtains and furniture should they suffer an accidental dousing with coffee, wine, paint or blackcurrant juice.
- Wear and tear: Has your computer or entertainment system died a natural death? As a general rule, mechanical failure and damage that occurs gradually to old equipment due to simple wear and tear is excluded. However, if you accidentally drop your computer and it smashes or knock over the unit that houses your entertainment system with similar consequences, you can make a claim.
- Animal antics: No matter how adorable your puppy or elderly cat, most insurance providers won't cover you for damage caused by pets who like to chew electrical wiring and chair legs or scratch door posts and upholstery.
This article has been written for information and interest purposes only. The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author only, and should not be construed as advice or used to make financial decisions. Expert financial advice should always be sought and any links contained within this article are included for information purposes only.
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking (bank accounts and instant access savings accounts), credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 140,000 people. Barclays moves, invests and protects money and provides competitive ISA rates, home insurance, cash ISAs, life insurance, business loans, a mortgage calculator and other services for over 49 million customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.co.uk.
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