Gocompare.com Home Insurance compared over 330 home insurance policies and found that while most (77%) provide some cover for student belongings as standard, the cover available and the restrictions applied varied a great deal.
A further 5% of policies give the option to buy cover for an additional premium, while 18% don’t provide any cover at all.
The average student takes around £1,750 worth of possessions, including expensive gadgets such as laptops, iPods and smartphones to university. In comparing the home contents policies, Gocompare.com home insurance found that the lowest amount of cover specified was £500 while highest was £25,000.
However, the bulk of policies provide cover of between £2,500 and £5,000 for belongings kept during term time in student accommodation - which should provide sufficient insurance for most students. Five policies offered unlimited cover, while the remainder offer insurance for students up to a certain percentage of the overall contents sum insured.
Ben Wilson, home insurance spokesperson at Gocompare.com, commented: “Student accommodation is often shared housing so can be less secure than other properties. This, coupled with the fact that it is likely to house a multitude of electronic items and bicycles, make it an attractive target for burglars. So, students need to make sure that they have adequate insurance in place to protect their belongings.
“Parents wishing to cover their children’s possessions while at university under the family contents insurance, should... clarify the cover available and any terms and conditions which may apply. For example, a common requirement is for the student to live at the family home during the holidays and theft is typically only covered where there are signs of forcible entry.
“Parents also need to consider that any claims may affect their no-claims bonus and future premiums.”
