What is Personal Belongings cover?

As we’ve covered before in posts like our Guide to Contents cover, your things aren’t covered under your insurance away from the home automatically. Though most providers do offer an option to cover this, but it may vary how much and whether you have to tell them about any of things you’re taking out the house with you.

What are ‘personal belongings’?

Sometimes also called ‘personal possessions’, the definition usually relates to jewellery, watches, and other personal items that are normally worn or carried. That means it basically extends to anything you’re taking out the house with you as part of day-to-day life.

Things that can usually be covered

This really depends what you take out the house with you, but some common examples include:

• Electronic devices like phones/laptops/tablets
• Engagement/wedding rings
• Watches
• Bicycles
• Fishing or golf equipment

Items that are typically not covered:

• Motor vehicles other than wheelchairs
• Money or credit cards unless specifically stated
• Anything used for trade or business purposes that isn’t a phone or laptop
• Fragile items like china, glass, or pottery

What does it cover these things for?

Like the normal contents section of your home insurance policy, it should cover them for loss or damage. That could mean accidental damage while you’re away from home, or it could be theft.

Common exclusions from claims are:

• Wear and tear or breakdown
• Theft from a motor vehicle unless it was securely locked and items hidden in the boot
• Theft from unlocked hotel rooms
• Theft of bicycles when left unattended and unsecured in the open

Do I need to specify any items?

This will depend on both the value of your items and the insurer’s ‘specified item limit’. For example, at coverbaloo this is £2,500. That means that any individual item that’s worth more than £2,500 needs to be listed on the policy in order for it to be covered away from home. There may also be a requirement to provide a valuation for certain items if they reach a given threshold. We discuss this more in our post about valuations here.

For any items that fall below this limit, then can be covered by what’s typically called the ‘unspecified limit’. This is essentially a sum of everything else – the total value of items that you and your family would take out the house at the same time (apart from those already specified).

Do I need personal belongings cover?

The real question here is whether you would expect to be able to claim for things while you’re out of the house. If the answer is yes, then you must take out personal belongings cover or you might face a nasty shock. If you’re unsure, think about the cost of everything you take out the house with you at the same time. Surprisingly, the average value of a woman’s purse can easily reach over £1,000, thanks to mobile phones, tablets, the purse itself, money, jewellery, make-up etc.

If you were robbed and lost everything while away from home, would you be able to afford to replace it? If not, then it may be worth considering taking out extra cover.

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