Existing insurance may not cover Christmas gifts

Wednesday, November 2, 2005

People are being urged to check their home contents insurance to make sure they are adequately covered before Christmas.

In the run up to December 25th, many houses will be full of expensive gifts including TVs, laptop computers and other electrical gifts which could exceed the value of many people's insurance cover.

"If you’re worried about exceeding the limit on your contents cover, check your insurance policy to see if your insurer provides a seasonal increase in the cover," said Richard Mason, director of insuresupermarket.com.

Mr Mason also reminded people that sometimes it is when the gifts have been given that they are no longer covered.

"Although some insurers offer increased cover for gifts pre-Christmas, they don't all cover you for ownership of these items after the festivities are over."

He added: "We'd advise people to assess the value of the gifts they received and to raise the limit on their own contents policy accordingly."

The news comes at a time when people are also being advised to check their house insurance in preparation for the predicted harshest winter in a decade.