As a parents at Christmas time one of the hardest jobs you have is finding a safe place to hide gifts ahead of the big day.
But in an effort to stop nosy and curious children stumbling upon Santa's loot, many of us could be making grave errors that could end up costing us greatly.
Experts are warning parents to avoid the temptation to keep Christmas gifts and valuables in the car until Christmas Eve.
But insurance companies say this is a huge no-no because if your car was stolen or broken into your gifts might not be covered.
Car and home insurance expert Ryan Fulthrope from GoCompare says: “We’ve all been there. You’ve done some shopping and the person you have bought for is in the house – so you leave the gifts in the boot ready to get them out when the coast is clear.”
Research done by GoCompare found while many policies do cover personal possessions, there may be limits.
They found that of 327 standard comprehensive car insurance products, 306 would cover personal possessions as standard – but with varying degrees of financial cover.
When there is a cash limit involved, 43 policies would cover possessions worth £400 or more, 98 offered cover between £250 and £399, 109 covered between £150 and £250, and 56 policies would cover less than £150 if personal possessions were stolen.
This would change if your windscreen or windows are broken in the process. GoCompare found 306 standard car insurance policies cover windscreens as standard, with an additional 13 policies covering for side windows smashed in a theft.
For pricier gifts, it might be worth looking at whether they would be covered by home contents insurance.
When GoCompare looked at home contents policies, it found some would cover personal possessions in a car, up to certain stated amounts.
However some insurance companies will only cover “everyday items” – which would likely not cover gifts hidden in a car.
GoCompare says checking the exact wording of your home contents policy is important – but they warn, even those companies that will pay out, may only do so if there's proof that items were hidden away from view in a locked boot.
Fulthorpe adds: “Of course, we always recommend that you do not leave expensive gifts in the back of the car – even if you are hiding them from your nearest and dearest – as there are many caveats in both car and home insurance policies which mean that you might not always be covered.”
People may also be tempted to move gifts from the car to the garden shed. As well as making sure it’s locked, it’s also wise to check with your insurer whether your items would be covered there.
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