When taking out home insurance or household contents cover, consumers are comforted that their personal belongings inside their homes are protected against loss or damage.  It’s those really costly items such as our furniture, appliances, entertainment systems, mobile devices, computer equipment, jewellery and clothing that drives us to take out an insurance policy but what most people don’t know is there are many other benefits a home insurance policy covers which they wouldn’t even think to claim for.

Here are our top 10 – how many of these did you know you were covered for in your household insurance policy?

1.Contents away from your premises:

Usually you should specify your household contents that you often take outside of your permanent residence – items such as your laptop, mobile devices, jewellery etc should all be specified on your policy to ensure they are covered outside of your home.  However there are instances where you will remove unspecified contents from your home. The good news is – insurers do cover your contents that aren’t specified whilst temporarily away from your premises. Examples of this are taking your laundry to the dry cleaners, your kitchen appliances to a repairer, lending your television to your neighbour or leaving your handbag at your workplace.  In any of these instances, should the contents be stolen or damaged due to an insured peril, your contents will be covered.

2. Fire brigade charges

Should you call the fire brigade – their costs will be for your account. 

Many people aren’t aware of this and assume that the taxes and rates residents pay are used by the city to pay for fire extinguishing costs.  This certainly isn’t the case – should the fire brigade put out your fire, you can be assured you will receive an invoice for their services.   I have heard of someone who thought the car in front of them was on fire and frantically called the fire brigade to the rescue.  When they got there, it turned out the driver in the vehicle was simply vaping-  even in this case, the caller received the bill.   Thankfully your household insurance policy will pay for these costs incurred.

3. Guards

It can be really unnerving to have someone break into your home and invade your personal space.  Often intruders leave aspects of our security damaged either by breaking security gates, doors and windows.  Having to sleep in your home after it has been invaded can you leave you not sleeping a wink.  Thankfully your insurance policy will pay for the costs of having guards at your home post such a traumatic occurrence.

4. Hole-in-one or Full House

Any amateur golfer who hits a hole in one on a registered course or any amateur bowler that achieves a full house in an official competition will be compensated.  It may seem quite strange that an insurer will provide cover for this when typically they only pay out when misfortune strikes.   However because of the 19th hole, where golfers who hit a hole-in-one are obliged to buy a round of drinks at the bar,  insurers recognise that this is an unforeseen event that can cause an expense to their client even though their client did nothing wrong. 

5.  Alternative accommodation

After a fire destroys your home, it clearly is not a place fit to live in.  Your policy will pay for the alternate accommodation you need to stay in with your family.  Depending on the extent of the damage caused, this could be a night or two in a nearby hotel or guesthouse or it could mean paying for a rental property for up to 12 months while your home gets restored.

6. Damage by monkeys

If you’re a Santam client you will be pleased to know that Santam have included cover in their policies that protects their clients from damage cause by wild monkeys and baboons.  Usually damage caused by pests is not an insured peril but it’s great to see that this Insurer acknowledges that monkeys and baboons pretty much fall into a league of their own. Here in Durban, monkeys are not the most welcome guests  – the mess and destruction that these creatures can cause can leave a client’s home wrecked.  The same is true in the Cape with baboons.  Although cleaning up the mess that they leave behind is still not an ideal situation to be in, it’s comforting to know items that were broken or damaged because of their destruction will be covered.

7. Personal effects and medical expenses of guests & domestic employees

You have guests staying over for the weekend and unfortunately your home gets broken into and the thieves manage to steal your guests’ suitcase with their personal belongings as well as your domestic employee’s handbag that she left at your home by mistake.   Your policy will compensate your guests and domestic employee for their losses. 

On the same weekend, your guest falls down the stairs as the handrail on your staircase comes loose resulting in your guest to lose his balance. Although this sounds like a weekend from hell, your guests will be happy to know that your household contents policy will pay towards the medical expenses of their injury.  Likewise, the policy will also pay for the medical expenses incurred by your domestic employee who sustains injury at your home because of a defect at the residence.

8. Contents of refrigerators and freezers

Have you ever been in the position of doing your weekly grocery shop only to come home to a power outage?  Okay maybe it doesn’t happen that often but the good news is if you have a power outage for more than 24 hours, insurance will pay out for your refrigerator and freezer contents that were spoilt because of the outage.   So make sure you hold on to those grocery slips to prove your purchase – you never know when the next power outage will be!

9. Veterinary fees

Should your pet be injured in a road accident, your policy will compensate you for veterinary expenses incurred because of the accident.  While we certainly hope an incident like this never occurs, at least the financial burden that an accident like this can bare is alleviated through your household policy.

10. Washing on the line

When we are dealing with burglary, forced entry or exit into the home should be visible but what happens to items in the yard such as washing on the line where forced entry is not necessary to obtain the items?  Good news – if someone jumps over your fence or wall and steals the clothes off the washing line – you’re covered!

While the above list are added benefits to the majority of insurers, please do contact us should you want to specifically check if your household insurance policy includes any of the above cover.