However, many homes could be missing out on potential savings by not informing their home insurers as these devices can help increase security and detect issues earlier.
Research by comparethemarket.com reveals that 69% of Brits don’t fully understand what is covered under their home insurance, leaving them at potential risk should they need to make a claim on their policy.
Certain factors can impact a home insurance policy by potentially increasing the cost, and a claim could be rejected if the insurer hasn’t been made aware of them. Below are the top four factors Brits are least aware could impact their policy:
1: Pets (75%) – A large proportion of home insurance providers don’t automatically include damage caused by pets in their policies.
2: Number of people in the property (72%) – Having more people living in a home means more risk of damage, even if it's accidental. This includes telling your provider if you have children.
3: Building work (70%) – This could leave you open to incidents of damage or even theft.
4: Having a lodger (66%) – This could add extra risk as they are another person with a key to your home, who you might not know much about.
According to the findings, the locations where Brits don’t fully understand what is covered under their home insurance policy are:
Newcastle
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
Norwich and Birmingham
Alex Hasty, director at comparethemarket.com, says: “When it comes to your home insurance policy, making sure you understand what’s covered is really important to ensuring any claims you make don’t get rejected. In fact, according to the Association of British Insurers, nearly 20% of household claims are rejected.
“Even small changes, such as having smart home devices or the number of people in the property, can have an impact on your policy, whether that means higher or lower costs. So, you should always look at your policy, read through the terms and conditions carefully, and see whether you need to inform your provider of any changes in your household.”
