Understanding your home cover and when it applies

We’ve picked out the possible pitfalls and what to do to avoid them, so you could hopefully avoid any unwelcome surprises and enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that all your possessions are secure. Read on for pointers about esure’s Home Insurance, or if you’d prefer click the image below to watch our video on YouTube.

Make sure your policy is correct

When you receive your policy documents from us, take a little time to check them over before filing them away. If there’s anything incorrect in your buildings or contents insurance, let us know as soon as possible so we can put it right and make sure you have the exact cover you need.

When asking, “How much home insurance do I need?”, just make sure you haven’t overlooked anything. You don’t have to itemise every single possession, but we do need you to estimate what it would cost to replace everything as new. This way we can put an accurate value on your sum insured. Don’t forget to include anything of value in the garden too.

Anything worth £1,500 and over needs to be listed as a Specified Item, this could include things like jewellery, antiques and computer equipment. Your bike and accessories also need to be included as a Specified Item if they’re worth more than £500.

Protect your home

There are a few things you need to do to protect the security and structure of your home. For example, make sure you lock all the doors and windows when you go out, so it’s not an open invitation for thieves. And don’t leave minor repairs to grow into major problems as your buildings insurance won't cover general wear and tear, nor damage caused by lack of maintenance. Missing a roof tile? Get it replaced before the rain comes and floods the room below ruining your favourite wallpaper.

And while we’re on the subject of decorative disasters, if you decide to get the brushes and rollers out yourself, you need to protect your furniture and carpets with plenty of dust sheets. Even if you have Accidental Damage cover, you’ll still need to show that you’ve taken reasonable care if you need to claim for any splashes or spillages.

Personal Possessions cover

When you’re away from your home, anything that you take out with you wouldn’t be protected by your standard home insurance. If you have a valuable watch or phone, you might want to consider the Personal Possessions cover add-on to your insurance. For a small additional fee on your policy you can have these items insured against loss, breakage or theft while you’re out and about.

Building work

If you decide to have building work done on your home – like an extension or a loft conversion, you need to let us know. With so many costs and considerations to take on board, it’s easy to forget about insurance, but it’s important to add it to your checklist.

Keep in mind that the area affected by the work won’t be covered for any damage until the job is finished and signed off by Buildings Control. It’s down to your builders to provide cover for the duration of the work, so make sure they have their own insurance in place before you let them begin the work.

If you’ve considered all those options, and made sure your policy is up-to-date, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the comforts of home, secure in the knowledge that you’ve got everything covered.

You can check your policy details online, 24/7, by logging in to My Account, or downloading the latest Policy Booklet on our website.

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