If you and your family have had a good Christmas, the New Year could be the perfect time to make sure your contents insurance still covers all your belongings. If you add it all up you might be surprised to find how much more the contents of your home are worth even after a single Christmas. And if you’ve left it for a few years, you may well find your policy needs updating.
Halifax offers a great range of home and contents insurance and you can find out more about what they offer at www.halifax.co.uk. But an insurance policy is only ever as good as the information you give to your insurer. This handy guide could help you tot up how much your valuables are worth:
Jewellery and watches
Because people generally keep jewellery and watches for a long time, it can be easy to build up quite a collection. And being small items, people can often forget exactly what they own – and how valuable they all are when added up. The other thing to consider is that some types of more valuable or sought-after jewellery and watches can actually go up in value over time.
Computers, TVs and audio equipment
Most households have far more TVs and stereo equipment than they did a few years ago. It’s not unusual for people to have a TV in their bedroom, kitchen, children’s rooms and even spare bedrooms. And many will have a DVD player or Blu-ray connected. Then there are computers to consider. These high-value items are in most homes these days – and many households have two or more. Think about all the new electrical items you’ve bought over the past year – or even three years – and add up the total. Are you sure your home insurance would cover that amount?
Furniture
Everyone knows furnishing a home is expensive. But most people forget exactly how much they spend when it comes to working out how much contents insurance they need. Sofas can run into hundreds and even thousands of pounds. Many homes have dining furniture too – not to mention necessary items such as beds. It all adds up.
Our advice
Next time you’re at home and have a spare 30 minutes, make a list of everything of value you own. Go from room to room and note down any jewellery, furniture, electrical goods and any other items of value. Next, go round your garage and garden and do the same – remember, garden and DIY tools aren’t cheap. Once you’re finished, put a value against everything in the list then add it all up. The end figure might be much more than you expected – but it’s a good indicator of roughly how much you should insure your contents for.