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If your children are about to go and study at college or university in the UK, then your home insurance could cover them as standard.
Are my children covered at university?
Check your home insurance policy to find out if it covers students, and what it actually covers. As most students rent while at university, contents cover could be included in a standard policy, but building insurance won’t be – the university or landlord would have to talk to their insurer if there’s any damage to the student property itself.
For example, LV= contents insurance provides cover of up to £5,000 (£10,000 on Home Plus) for loss or damage to your contents while it's being temporarily kept in any student accommodation – or in any building in which you or your family study within the British Isles.
Do students need home insurance?
Without taking the proper precautions, students are as vulnerable to the theft or damage of property as anyone else – especially as they rarely have any say over the home security at their accommodation.
What’s often more important to students than the physical items, are what’s on them. The blow of having a laptop stolen is as much about losing the work on it as the money it cost – as well as any digital downloads that help you focus on, or get a break from, work.
Remember to back up all your files securely, but if you lose downloaded music, films or books you may be covered. LV=, for example, covers digital downloads as standard.
What home insurance do students need?
As well as getting home contents insurance, students should consider personal belongings cover as well. This will protect their belongings while a student is out and about, so they don’t have to worry about taking their laptops and smartphones with them.
Some home insurance policies have personal belongings as standard, or they can be added on.
LV= covers students belongings at lecture halls and libraries as well as in student accommodation, so if something gets stolen while you’re between the library stacks, you should be able to claim. You can add on personal belongings insurance to your policy so that your belongings are covered at the pub and the park as well.
What does home insurance cover me for?
Students insurance is just standard contents insurance, so you’re covered for the following:
- Fire
- Water or oil leaks
- Theft or attempted theft – where there is proof of force or violent entry
- Storm or flood
- Subsidence – although it’s very unlikely
- Vandalism
- Impact
As well as your laptop, your smartphone, student travel cards and IDs are all covered under LV= insurance – as are course-specific items you need, like text books and lab coats. We’ve covered claims for titanium darts, DJ decks, robotic drills and dentistry books.
However, whatever student home insurance policy you’re on when at college or university, you should check if larger items are covered. Bikes, for example, may not be covered.