Bicycles & Home Contents Insurance
This is one of the most common questions we get asked by potential customers looking to purchase cover:
"Is my bicycle covered by my home insurance?"
This can be a tricky question, and unfortunately there is no simple straightforward answer.
Largely, it depends firstly on your home insurance type and provider. Some home insurances will automatically cover cycles if they are stolen from the home address, and some will also cover them as standard under the cover for items outside of the home address. Others will not cover them at all either at the home address or elsewhere.
One of the common areas where a home insurance can differ greatly from cycle insurance is the Public Liability section.
You may find with home insurance that public liability cover does not cover cycling or may not be included at all depending on the insurer. This cover is an important part of cycling as if you injure another person or damage their property, such as a vehicle, Public Liability cover can help you pay the legal costs. If your home insurance does not cover this, you could be left with a hefty legal bill to pay if you scratch someone’s brand new car or collide with a pedestrian.
Regarding theft, if your home insurance does cover the cycle at the home address, you may also find that you may not be covered if the cycle is stolen from a garage, shed or outbuilding. There are often extra minimum security restrictions that need to be adhered to for a claim to be valid as well. These often apply to Cycle Insurance as well, so you do need to read your policy documentation.
One thing that home insurance certainly won't cover you for is a cycle breakdown policy. These are available as upgrades for some Cycle Insurance policies, and mean that if you receive a puncture or damage your cycle so that you cannot ride it, or if the cycle is stolen, you can get transport back to your home address with your bicycle so that it can be repaired.
Generally, Cycle Insurance policies will be more comprehensive and more suitable than home insurance policies. They will normally cost a similar amount to purchase, especially in the case of higher value bicycles where you would probably not be able to add them to your home insurance anyway - most home insurance providers have a capped value for pedal cycles.
Why not get a cycle insurance quote today?