Home » Features

We often think about getting contents insurance to cover our own belongings, but what about when friends and family come to stay?

It’s always good to have friends over to visit. Whether it’s watching the football with some beers or getting pampered to perfection on a girls’ night in, spending quality time with those close to us is always a great pick-me-up. But with all those extra people (and their valuables) around, accidents can happen. Does your home insurance cover your visitors’ possessions while they’re at your house? It pays to check.

But there are also plenty of things you can do to reduce the risk of damage to your guests’ belongings. Consider these three example scenarios:

The house party

Picture the scene: you and your friends, sitting around chatting, laughing and joking. Drinks are on tables, next to mobile phones. All it takes is the slip of a hand or one clumsy gesture, and that expensive new smartphone might have made its last call. To help save yourself the unnecessary worry and expense, try to keep phones in bags or pockets when they’re not being used. If people must put them down, make sure it’s not on a surface filled with full glasses. Or better still, have a look at home insurance quotes online to make sure everything’s covered.

The children’s party

Summer’s a great time to have outdoor birthday parties, especially if you have little ones celebrating over the summer months. With games on the lawn and space to run around, summer birthdays are lots of fun. But with extra people around, the chances of something getting broken are much higher. To help keep your guests’ delicate possessions safe, store them away inside, ideally in a locked room. Or even better, make sure they’re covered by your home insurance in case the worst happens. Simply look online to find the right home and contents insurance policy.

The summer BBQ

There’s nothing quite like relaxing on a warm summer’s evening in the garden, with the smoky aroma of sizzling food in the air. The great thing about BBQs is that everyone can join in, helping themselves and getting involved. But amidst all the fun, things can unfortunately get lost or damaged. A precious earring lost in a game of croquet. A drink spilt on an expensive jacket. An mp3 player dropped on the patio. So this year before you send out the invites, it’s worth checking if your home insurance covers your guests’ possessions – just in case.

If you do decide to check out the range of home insurance options available to cover visitors’ belongings, it’s worth bearing in mind that there will be a limit per claim, per visitor.