Christmas is the time of giving and sharing, but homeowners should be wary of whether their brand new gifts are even covered on their home insurance.
Brits are expected to spend £26.9billion on festive presents this year, according to finder.com.
So it’s reassuring to know whether expensive presents will be covered in the case of a burglary or fire.
Christmas is a busy time for thieves, with criminals taking advantage of high-value items and burglary claims rising in the week surrounding Christmas, as reported by Direct Line.
According to Aviva, fire claims also soar by 120% more on Christmas Day alone.
But comparison site uSwitch has warned that gifts may not be covered on existing policies.
uSwitch advises that some insurers will automatically increase the cover level during December to protect these extra items.
But this is not applicable to all policies and the increased offer will differ depending on the insurer.
Homeowners are urged to check with their contents insurance provider to find out if their insurance has already been adjusted.
Insurers will also implement a single article limit, which is the maximum amount that they will pay out for a single item.
This is normally around the £500 mark, but valuable gifts may need to be covered on a separate insurance policy.
uSwitch is telling homeowners to check the single article limit and tell insurers about any items that exceed that amount, such as jewellery, games consoles and mobile phones.
Alternatively, homeowners can take out gadget insurance on separate items, so it won’t affect your home no claims bonus if a claim is made.
