When searching for a comprehensive buildings and contents insurance plan, it’s important to compare home insurance prices but also to be aware of what extensions and limitations exist with your chosen policy. Many insurance providers offer extensions to structures around the home or items taken outside the home.
A buildings insurance plan, for example, can sometimes extend coverage to any sheds, garages, fences, swimming pools, or other structures you own. In the event of a disaster, such as a falling tree branch, these nearby structures would be protected by your household insurance. Bear in mind that storm damage to gates or fences, damage caused by frost, and damage sustained from sonic bangs from aircraft are always excluded.
Likewise, home contents insurance can be extended to protect items that travel outside of the home with you. At additional cost, most providers will provide “all risks extension” coverage to those items you take out of the home regularly, such as jewellery, camera equipment, sporting goods, or laptop computers. It’s also possible to get coverage for lost or stolen house keys, and even for lock replacement.
In special situations, your insurance company might automatically increase protection. For example, some policies move up a level around Christmas time to account for the gifts in the home; others might increase to cover the gifts a newly-wed couple received. Many home contents insurance programs can also be extended to cover college students’ items.
Always understand your home insurance’s exclusions in full before deciding on a provider.