Blog>Questions>Are outbuildings covered by home insurance?
Last updated: 22 August 2023
Are outbuildings covered by home insurance?
Unless you want to put your hand in your pocket to replace or repair your possessions, outbuildings that house expensive items should always be covered by home insurance.
Unless you want to put your hand in your pocket to replace or repair your possessions, outbuildings that house expensive items should always be covered by home insurance.
When buying home insurance, it’s easy to forget about sheds, summer houses, greenhouses, and garages.
But outbuildings can house some pretty precious and expensive things, including:
Gold clubs
Power tools
Lawnmowers
Garden furniture
Camping equipment
Understandably, many people ask, ‘are outbuildings covered by home insurance?’ It's a good question.
When arranging your house insurance, always check that your home insurance covers your outbuildings .
Home insurance explained
Renters often purchase contents insurance, which only covers your belongings and furniture. In contrast, home insurance usually comprises the home's contents, structure and fixed fittings, and any outbuildings within the property’s boundary.
Do I need to insure my outbuilding?
Because outbuildings are usually unmonitored, less secure than the home, and full of expensive possessions, they are a tempting target for burglars.
The popular trend of turning sheds and garages into home offices, summer houses or tiny homes only creates extra temptation. These buildings often contain expensive items like PCs, laptops and TVs.
Home insurance usually includes contents insurance to replace or repair your possessions stored inside your outbuilding if they are intentionally damaged, vandalised, or stolen. This cover usually also extends to the outbuildings themselves.
Does house insurance cover weather damage?
Without proper maintenance and care, outbuildings themselves and their contents are also at risk of weather damage.
In the event of fire, storms, floods, and subsidence, the last thing you want is to cover the cost yourself to replace or repair your possessions or buildings.
Your buildings insurance will often cover this, but always check your insurance for any exclusions.
What isn’t included in home insurance?
Most domestic home insurance policies, if up to date, extend to cover the contents and structure of outhouses, including;
Sheds
Garages
Greenhouses
Summer houses
Your insurer will ask you the value of the items in your outbuildings. So, always remember to calculate the content's value and provide the cost to repair or rebuild any outbuildings.
Here are some of the exclusions that usually apply to house insurance, even when outbuildings are covered;
Most insurance policies will only cover one high-value single item (usually around £1500) - always let your insurer know if you have more than one high-value item.
These high-value items won’t usually be covered for damage or theft if they are taken off your property unless you have cover away from home (personal belongings cover).
Bicycles, motorbikes, planes and cars are usually not included in your home insurance coverage - get a separate policy for these.
Whenever you purchase home insurance, read the policy details carefully to ensure what is included and check for any exclusions. Always ask whether your outbuildings are covered.
For homes or outbuildings damaged by fire, severe weather or intentional damage, it's a great idea to hire a tradesperson to help you repair or replace as needed. We can help you find a trusted builder in your area today.
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