Protecting personal possessions during a move

Many contents insurance policies will cover your possessions in transit, but you must check that this is the case for you. Check your policy documents or call your insurance provider to ensure your belongings, including your valuables, are covered whilst being transported.

Whether you’re a seasoned mover or a first-time buyer, there are many factors to consider when moving home. Whether you’re a first-time buyer, upgrading to a family home or downsizing to the countryside, moving house is widely regarded as one of life’s more stressful experiences.

From buying and selling to packing up and transporting your belongings to an unfamiliar property, there is plenty that can go wrong – which is why it makes sense to have the right insurance in place.

POLICY DOCUMENTS

There is the risk of items going missing and valuable possessions being broken, but at least you’re covered by contents insurance – or are you? Your existing home insurance policy may require an extra premium to cover your move (an ‘outside the home’ or ‘personal possessions’ supplement).

Many contents insurance policies will cover your possessions in transit, but you must check that this is the case for you. Check your policy documents or call your insurance provider to ensure your belongings, including your valuables, are covered while being transported.

VALUABLE ITEMS

Many home insurance policies will cover accidental damage or loss if you are using a professional removals company. But there is often a time limit applied to your claim, so again, read the small print so that you can make any necessary claims without being penalised. Remember to ask what the excess on the policy is.

You should also make sure you know whether your insurance policy requires you to complete an inventory of the items to be moved, including their values. It is also a good idea to get your goods valued, particularly precious or valuable items, to discover whether you need to take out any additional moving insurance cover.

REMOVAL COMPANY

In addition to this, you could ask your removal company about what their moving insurance policies cover and whether this can be increased. Check that they are fully insured – they should happily show you copies of their policy details.

Removal companies should have insurance cover as part of their contract with you. Have a look at the limit on claims as this can be surprisingly low. They should have goods in transit insurance, which covers your items while they are being moved.

INSURANCE COVERAGE

Discuss the insurance options available with your removal company as they may be able to increase the amount of cover if necessary. Again, check exactly what is covered including: scuffs, scrapes or dents; financial documents such as deeds, stamps, bonds; and whether your move is covered should weather conditions deteriorate or cause long delays.

Make sure you get the details of the insurance coverage your removal company offers in writing. Find out what the moving insurance entitles you to should you need to make a claim – is it a replacement, repair or financial compensation?

PROFESSIONALLY PACKED

Finally, but important to remember, a lot of insurance companies will not cover you for loss or damage if you packed the boxes yourself. Your boxes need to be professionally packed, otherwise damage to your goods cannot be validated and your claim is at risk of being refused.

Many removal companies offer a packing service, so be sure to mention that this is something you require to your removals company during any early discussions. Before your move, check with your removal firm on all of these points to ensure that you have sufficient removals insurance.

Don’t forget, our professional friendly advisors are on hand to support you and can help you explore all of your options.

*** The information in this article is purely informative. Contents insurance is available in the market, but we do not offer this service in-house at Charles Cameron & Associates.