The first question you might legitimately ask is why you might need to make special insurance arrangements for your goods moving from one home to another.
It’s a little difficult to generalise but some household insurance cover won’t protect your items if they are on a removals van and in transit to another destination – even if that’s your new home.
So, you may need to decide either to not bother with cover or perhaps more sensibly, to make sure that you do.
Insurance costs money and typically you will be looking to avoid paying more than you need to. So, here are a few ideas on ways you can ensure your precious items continue to be covered by an insurance policy but without you needing to take out a second mortgage to do so!
- Ask your specialist furniture removals company what their insurance provides as standard and whether or not they can offer top-up cover at realistic prices. Due to the fact they are attending to household removals day in and day out, they may have special cover arrangements in place or be able to offer you assistance at highly advantageous prices.
- If, for whatever reason, you choose not to do that, make sure that you shop around online and obtain a number of quotations. Remember that it is particularly important to declare to your potential insurance providers whether or not your goods are going to be ‘transhipped’ (unloaded from one vehicle and put onto another for delivery) en route to your new home. They should also be told if you are planning to put your household possessions into storage, even if that is only overnight.
- Try to transport your jewellery and easily portable high-valuable items yourself. Some insurance providers may charge an extra premium if any single item of your removal is over a certain value or in some cases, perhaps also if it is highly fragile. If they aren’t items that you can easily carry yourself, you should still make a point of declaring them individually to your insurance provider and removals specialist.
- Don’t over-insure your items. Typically, the higher the cover value you require then the more you will be paying in premium. Some people significantly over-estimate the value of their household possessions, so try to be realistic. Of course, don’t over-react and under insure them either!
- Use professional packers. Although not necessarily always the case, some insurance providers may offer reduced premiums if they know that your items have been professionally packed rather than put into boxes on a “DIY” basis.
- Avoid trying to transport hazardous materials. Examples there might be things such as fuel oil or gas cylinders. Even assuming that your removals company can accept such items, your insurance provider may have some serious concerns about them and refuse cover or charge a very steep premium. In passing, do not make the mistake of failing to declare such items to your insurance providers. If you do and there is subsequently a problem, your insurance will become null and void and you may even be liable to prosecution.
Try not to jump at the first quotation you see. The prices for additional insurance can vary hugely and it really is worth making the effort to get a number of quotations before making your final decision.