This nightmare will ruin your Christmas

by Serena Cowdy on 07 December 2011  |  9 comments
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We highlight insurance blunders that could turn Christmas into the catastrophe you never expected…

If you’re having people round for Christmas, chances are you’ve already started making preparations. With less than three weeks to go, Christmas trees are being decorated, turkeys are being ordered and presents are being bought.

With all that preparation, I’m guessing home insurance isn’t uppermost in your mind. However, having the right cover really could make the difference between delight and disaster this festive season.

Here are five home insurance issues you need to tackle before the big day…

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Over Christmas, many of us will be gathering presents for loved ones and displaying them carefully around the tree. This may look fabulous and give you a warm festive glow, but it presents practical risks.

First, gifts that can be seen through windows provide a great incentive for burglars to break in and steal them.

Second, all those goodies are likely to increase the overall value of your home contents. And if your home insurance only covers goods up to a limited value, that could mean you’re suddenly under-insured.

This article highlights the steps you can take to bump up home security, so you don’t wake up to a burglary nightmare on Christmas morning.

Check your existing policy to see if there’s any provision made for Christmas - many providers automatically increase your level of cover during the festive season.

And if you’re not sure of the total value of your home’s contents, consider taking out a policy which offers unlimited cover. Just bear in mind that single item value limits will still apply.

2. The Man Who Came to Dinner

A few years ago, a friend had a classic Christmas dinner catastrophe. Not only did her oven break down on Christmas Eve… her freezer packed up, too.

Cue a desperate rescue of all that festive food (which was worth well over £100) and a dash round to her neighbours to use their Aga.

If you’ve frozen enough food to feed the five thousand over Christmas, check that your home insurance includes frozen food cover. If it doesn’t, consider taking it out as an optional add-on.

To find out how to prevent other domestic disasters at Christmas time, read What home insurance do you need to have at Christmas?

3. The Holiday

Perhaps you’re not going to be at home this Christmas, so you don’t need to worry about extra cover for presents and frozen turkeys.

Unfortunately, there’s still a home insurance loophole that could yet catch you out. Many policies include a nasty little clause saying your cover will become invalid if you’re away from home for a certain period of time.

Most insurers set this limit at thirty days or above (sixty or ninety day limits are also common). However, a few will invalidate your cover after just three weeks, or even less.

So, if you’re planning to jet off over Christmas, check your policy’s ‘extended absence’ small print!

4. Home Alone

For years, I chose not to include accidental damage cover in my home insurance; I decided I’d just be really careful instead. More by luck than judgement, this all worked out fine. That is, until a friend who was visiting accidentally broke the sofa bed.

At Christmas, you’re likely to have all sorts of people trundling through your house. Small children are likely to be excited (and adults may be a little inebriated!) so it’s a prime time for accidental damage to occur.

If you have valuables you want to safeguard against spillages/smashes/’Home Alone’-style mishaps, make sure you’ve got the cover in place!

5. Bad Santa

No-one would be mean enough to mug someone on Christmas Eve, right? Apparently, some people really do stoop that low. A couple of years ago, a good friend was mugged on the way to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.

Her bag, keys, phone and wallet were all taken - along with the vouchers her office had given her as a Christmas gift.

This despicable act really highlights the importance of personal possessions cover. This is an optional extra you can choose to add to your home insurance, and it means your possessions will be covered when they’re outside your home.

So for example, it will cover all the gifts you’re carrying to your relatives’ house, or the sparkly new ring you’re given by your other half.

And - with research suggesting that the average adult now carries almost £1,000 of belongings around with them - I think it’s worth having all year round.

As always, just bear in mind that individual item value limits will still apply. To find out more about personal possessions cover, read Make sure your home insurance covers this.

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