Does Your Home Insurance Cover Moving House?

With so many things to think about, moving home can be a complex and stressful process. The services of a professional removals company can help to reduce this stress – however, even in the hands of experts, accidents can occur.

That’s why many removals companies will provide insurance as part of their service, keeping your things safe from the threat of breakage or damage during the move. There are also some instances whereby full ‘goods in transit’ insurance will be included within your personal house insurance – this is not a given however, and there are a number of checks that should be carried out to determine if this is the case.

Does your home insurance cover moving house?

While many house insurance policies indicate an “all risks” clause, covering the moving of items outside of the property, it is worth investigating this further, as the small print may indicate that this coverage only stretches to 10% of the total insured contents. Others may offer ‘goods in transit’ insurance as part of your policy, although this tends to be one of the first things to be stripped away in order to bring the price down, so it’s important to check that your moving company are able to offer short-term coverage if this is the case.

While ‘goods in transit’ insurance may cover any unfortunate breakages to and from properties, it is not likely that the coverage will stretch to items once they are inside your new home.

That’s where building and contents insurance takes over, and your responsibilities lie in moving your policy from your previous home to your new one. Be sure to give your insurer plenty of warning in advance of your move, so that you are covered from the minute you step through the door.

It is important to bear in mind that your culpability for any damage incurred to a property begins at the stage of exchanging contracts, which can sometimes be weeks before you move in.

I’m Moving Myself, Am I Covered?

Choosing to hire a van and move your belongings yourself will not only be incredibly demanding, but will also mean that any insurance that may come as standard with a professional removals service will be absent, leaving you in a vulnerable and precarious position. Even if your home insurance policy covers ‘goods in transit’, you may find that this is invalidated if you don’t use the services of a professional removals company.

Aside from the convenience and peace of mind in allowing professionals to take the strain of moving away from you, hiring a removals company will more-often-than-not ensure that this coverage is in place during the transit of your items.

Britannia Sandersteads are the leading providers of removals services throughout London and the wider South East. All of our house moves are fully insured for your peace of mind, leaving you safe in the knowledge that your belongings are in the hands of professionals.