Protect Your Shed With Home Insurance

When organising our home insurance cover many of us overlook our garden sheds even though the average shed now contains £888 worth of contents.

A survey by home insurance provider Marks and Spencer Money has revealed that Britons love to store excessive amounts of goodies in their garden sheds, many of them seeing it as extra storage space to make up for a lack of room in their home. What's more is that one respondent to the provider's survey even admitted to having £30,000 worth of contents in his garden shed.

Despite this, few of us consider sheds and other outbuildings when comparing home insurance policies. Many of us fall into the trap of assuming that our shed contents will be automatically covered but this is rarely the case. In fact, most insurers place strict policy limits on the value of items you can keep in a shed and expect to have replaced should a claim be necessary.

Homeowners have been urged therefore to check their home insurance cover incorporates their garden shed and they are also encouraged to check the limits on the cover available. It is possible to find some insurers that will offer unlimited cover but this is rare so it's well worth shopping around.

Indeed property owners should also be aware that unless the shed is kept secure any claim will be considered invalid. Homeowners are expected to have at least one heavy duty lock on their shed door.

To further boost your shed security, you should place the shed with the windows looking on to the garden and away from the street to avoid anyone peering in at the treasures it contains. Ensure that windows are firmly secured and don't leave any expensive items on display.

In case a home insurance claim is necessary keep items security marked with an inventory and photographs. If you're not happy with the cover offered by your existing insurer then compare home insurance online to find a better deal.