Is your garage perfectly organised? Or is it a dumping ground for stuff that you've got no idea where to put?
Whatever state your garage is in, it's good to know what's covered home-insurance-wise. In this guide, we'll look at what your home insurance covers and what it doesn't when it comes to your garage.
How can I insure my garage?
Your garage is probably already insured if you have home insurance. Your garage's structure should be covered by your buildings insurance, and everything inside should be covered by your contents insurance.
If you're getting a home insurance quote, you just need to declare that you have a garage.
If you've got home insurance already, you could check your policy documents or ring your home insurance provider to check it's included.
What about sheds and summer houses? Can I insure those?
Yes, these are included too. Most home insurance policies include garden insurance, which covers structures in your garden like sheds and summer houses. Basically, most fixed structures in your garden should be covered.
What about portable sheds and storage units? Will they be covered?
This is a bit more tricky. Usually, for your insurer to cover your shed, it needs to be a fixed, permanent structure.
Some insurers might offer cover for garden equipment, so that could be portable sheds or storage containers. But this is something you need to check with your insurer.
What does garage insurance cover?
It depends on whether you have buildings insurance, contents insurance or both under one home insurance policy. Your buildings insurance should cover your garage's structure from certain things, including:
- Fire damage
- Storm damage
- Flood damage
- Burst pipes
- Vandalism
- Tools
- Garden furniture
- Sports equipment
- Bicycles
- DIY supplies
What won't garage insurance cover?
This depends on the policy you choose, but here are some exclusions:
Valuable items
Home insurance only covers items up to a certain amount. Usually this is between £1,500 and £2,500.
So if you have an expensive bike that's worth over £1,500, it might not be covered as standard. You can arrange to insure this as a high-value item for an added cost.
You could also think about high-value items insurance if you have a few expensive items, like tools.
Business equipment
If you store equipment for your business in your garage, like tools or stock, you might need business insurance. This means your stock and tools are covered if something happens to them.
Your car
Your car and anything in it (usually up to £150) is covered by your car insurance.
Accidental damage
This could be something like accidentally reversing into your garage door. Some insurers include accidental damage cover as standard, with others, you have to buy it as an added extra. If you're on the accident-prone side, check with your insurer to see what's covered.
Wear and tear
Over time, everything loses its condition. Insurers don't tend to cover damage that's happened over time, for example, scuffs to the floor and paint peeling.
Does my garage need to be secured?
Yes, your garage needs to be lockable to be insurable so thieves can't get inside and steal your belongings. Extra locks and security, like cameras and alarms, might mean you get cheaper insurance too.
Will my garage contents be covered away from home?
Tents, bikes and tools are probably going to be going with you on various adventures - which means they might get lost, stolen or damaged.
This is where personal possessions cover comes in. Some insurers have this as standard on home insurance policies. Others might say you need to add it as an optional extra (which costs more).
If you're taking any of these items abroad with you, your travel insurance might cover them.
What else do I need to know about garage insurance?
You might find you have a limit on the amount you can claim on your buildings insurance. But this can change from insurer to insurer and can sometimes depend on the policy you choose.
When you're looking over your policy documents, make sure you check how much your policy covers.
The same applies for your contents. You'll have a limit for how much you can claim for on your contents insurance policy, so it's always worth double-checking.
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