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When looking at the different levels of buildings insurance, accidental damage might be something to consider. Your standard home insurance policy is intended to cover your home itself, the items in your home, and any costs that may arise from an injury or damage to your property. Depending on where you live, it also may make sense to purchase additional coverage such as flood or earthquake insurance. Out of 344 contents insurance policies on Defaqto, only 19% covered accidental damage.
For more information on claiming on your home insurance policy, read our article 'How to claim on home insurance'. Finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products.
What is Accidental Cover on home insurance?
You must be specific regarding coverage type, deductibles, and policy limits. Tenants may also consider including their landlord in their Renters Insurance Policy. Through this additional coverage, both the tenant and landlord are protected if a third party causes damage.
You'll have to weigh it up against the added cost on your premiums. Without accidental damage cover, you’ll have to pay the cost of repairs or replacements yourself. Bodily Injury coverage is what pays for any injuries to others from the accident. This includes everything from medical expenses—like doctor visits and physical therapy—to lost wages.
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Some types of damage will fall under buildings insurance, others under contents insurance. Accidental damage cover isn’t included on all home insurance policies as standard. Find out what it is, why you might need it and how to dispute a rejected claim. Home insurance typically helps pay to repair damage from vandalism, hail, fire, theft and wind. So, if one of your window panes is broken by hail, for instance, you may be able to file a homeowners insurance claim on your dwelling coverage. Although not a legal requirement, it's worth considering leasehold buildings insurance to cover damages to the building.
So, if you’re somewhat accident-prone, it might be worth investing in this add-on. Accidental damage is any damage that occurs suddenly as a result of something unexpected and non-deliberate. There are two types of home insurance and each policy covers your home for different things. Buildings insurance protects your home against structural damage to the building or permanent fixtures inside your home e.g the kitchen or bathroom. Contents insurance provides cover for your personal possessions and can also cover carpets and curtains, depending on your individual policy. If you are unsure about how to shut off the main water supply or assess for property damage, contact a local Florida plumber or water damage specialist immediately.
Pros and cons of accidental damage insurance
Accidental damagecover is an optional add-on to your home contents insurance. In fact, they tend to specifically exclude pet damage caused by chewing, scratching, tearing, or fouling – so you need to make sure you have pet damage cover elsewhere. You may be asking ‘does all contents insurance cover Accidental Damage? Not all insurance policies will include Accidental Damage and most commonly will have it as an optional add on so be sure to check. However, if you can’t do that, it’s worth considering the benefits.
And make sure you understand any exclusions, such as damage caused by pets or DIY projects. For insurers to consider paying out, the damage needs to happen inside your property boundary. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation.
What's included with accidental damage cover?
If you haven’t spoken to them about your pet, you may find you don’t have the correct cover in place when you go to make a claim. Some insurers will have certain exclusions around DIY around the home. Before taking out any home improvements be sure to check your policy document to see what would be covered.
Accidental damage may also provide cover for accidental damage to your smartphone whilst in the home. (But note that you will still need ‘all risks cover’ or ‘personal possessions cover’ to cover it whilst away from the home). Accidental damage is sometimes standard and sometimes sold as an optional extra on household insurance policies, so different providers will probably cover different things.
Contents insurance is a policy usually bought by renters, students and leaseholders to cover stuff in and out of the home. A contents insurance policy will usually cover personal belongings like your phone, laptop, jewellery, bikes, TV and more. Accidental Damage is usually an add on to insurance policies, so if you’re particularly prone to accidents it may be worth considering. Global research company Mintel reports that a third of claims on home insurance are from Accidental Damage, with it being the most popular thing to add onto a policy. Luckily for you, here at Urban Jungle, we include Accidental Damage as standard with our Urban Jungle Contents only policy.
This is because animals can be a little unpredictable, so it’s difficult for insurers to know just how likely your pet is to cause damage. Put simply, accidental damage cover is here for you when things go wrong. It’s often classed as an optional extra, but really it’s pretty important. It provides additional cover for damage not otherwise included in your home insurance policy.
As with any policy, there are usually exclusions to accidental damage insurance. It’s safe to assume that you won’t be able to claim for your dog disembowelling the couch. Accidental damage to your laptop includes dropping it, spilling liquids on it, stepping on it or damaging it in an auto accident.
By adding optional Accidental Damage cover to your Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance policy, you can be covered for accidental spills, breakages and other mishaps in your home. You won’t usually be covered for damage made by pets, so it’s best to keep your favourite shoes out of sight. Personal Possessions CoverFor a small fee, personal possessions cover provides coverage for your belongings while they are away from your home. Esure Accidental Damage for buildings covers accidents like cosmetic damage around the home, for example, foot through attic floor and ceiling below.
However, if you accidentally damage an item within your home when doing DIY, for example, you may not automatically be covered by your home insurance policy. It could be a particular pair of curtains, a beloved glass-top coffee table or a lovely rug. Often when these things get damaged or ruined, we just throw them away or live with it. With accidental damage coverage, you’ll be able to replace them without putting a dent in your savings. Other exclusions include damage caused by pets, vermin and paying tenants – so dog lovers beware, accidental damage cover won’t cover Fido’s wake of destruction. Accidental Damage on a contents insurance policy will cover the cost of replacing your stuff when they get damaged by mistake.
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