Are your garden gadgets insured?

“It’s important to know what insurance cover, if any, you have for garden furniture and outdoor structures.

Standard home insurance policies with buildings and contents cover will generally extend to insure your garden and certain outdoor structures – such as decking and patios. There are, however, limits to the amount of cover available as well as exclusions which you need to be aware of.

Some insurers will cover items such as garden furniture up a certain amount if they are stolen or damaged. The amount of cover given is usually in the range of €650 to €1,500 in any one claim, depending on the policy. But they may not cover accidental damage of outdoor furniture.

Many insurers allow you to upgrade your cover for outdoor items for an additional cost, which would protect you for accidental damage and/or possibly the full value of your garden furniture. Bear in mind though that even if you take this extra cover, it might be a condition of your policy that you securely store or cover expensive items.

If you have spent or intend to spend money on an outdoor structure such as a patio or garden cabin, you should notify your insurer to check if it will be covered. Typically, structures like this are protected by your buildings cover (the part of your home insurance which covers the physical structure of your home against damage). Your buildings cover should reflect the cost of rebuilding your home in the event of damage – so failure to adjust this cover in line with any outdoor structures you have recently built could mean you’re underinsured. Underinsuring your home and its contents could see you having to foot a big chunk of the repair bills, because your insurer will usually reduce its payout by the amount you’ve underinsured yourself by.”

On BBQs

“BBQ fires are a risk to be mindful of over the sunnier months. If there’s serious damage to your home as a result of a BBQ fire getting out of control, your home insurance will usually cover the repairs – but only if you’ve ensured your home insurance provides an adequate amount of cover.”

On garden maintenance equipment

“Check your home insurance policy to see whether or not you could rely on it to cover damage to, or the theft of, garden maintenance equipment.

Be vigilant about where you leave your ride-on lawnmower, or any other expensive equipment. Some home insurers only cover theft of these items if they’re stolen from a locked shed. Even where a home insurer covers the theft of contents left out in the open, there may be a limit to the amount of cover available or there might be a requirement to list these items on your policy, depending on value.”

If you head off for 2 months – is your home insurance still valid?

“If you’re going away for any extended period of time, it’s important to check the unoccupancy clause in your home insurance policy. This clause limits the amount of time you can leave your home unoccupied for before cover expires. This limit is typically between 30 and 60 days in a row, depending on the insurer so you may not be covered for any loss in, or damage to, your property if you return home from an extended holiday of a month or two, or more. So, check the number of days that your property is allowed to be unoccupied for before cover expires and in the event that any trip abroad is longer than this, contact your insurer or broker and come to an arrangement to ensure you are covered for the entire duration of your trip.”

“If you’re getting a home insurance discount for an alarm, check with your insurer when exactly it expects you to have your alarm turned on and how often it expects you to have your alarm checked and serviced. Once you have done this, make sure you have your alarm serviced as often as your insurer requires you to and be sure too to have your alarm turned on when you are away. Otherwise, your insurer could refuse to cover you. Be aware that there might be a condition in your home insurance policy which states that you should have your alarm turned on each time you leave the house.”

What do you need to think of insurance-wise if you have a holiday home?

“Under standard home insurance policies, you usually will not be covered for any damage caused by – or to – paying guests in your property, whether Airbnb’ing a room in your own home or renting out a holiday home to tourists.

You will need adequate cover to protect yourself if a paying guest is injured on, or indeed damages, your property. Holiday home insurance or Airbnb insurance should offer adequate cover in such instances, though be sure to check the small print of the policy to ensure you are covered. It may be worth getting the advice of an insurance broker to ensure you get the most suitable cover and also, that you don’t pay for cover that you already have elsewhere.”