Home insurance - Tips & Advice - Contents insurance
With students owning more expensive consumer goods per head than the rest of the population, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that one in three becomes the victim of crime every year. The typical student will have a laptop (a must-have item for their studies), perhaps a flat screen TV with DVD player in their room, and will carry their mobile phone and iPod/MP3 player around with them everywhere – items that are easily portable for would-be burglars and street robbers. So, how can you make sure that both your child and their possessions stay safe from harm?
How to deter thieves
Before your child leaves for college, ask them to mark all expensive items such as laptops and mobile phones with their student ID number and the name of their college and keep details of the make, model and serial numbers too. This will not only help police track any stolen goods but seeing a name on a laptop, for instance, could deter a thief as it will make it harder for them to sell the item on to anyone.
Halls of residence
Halls of residence do not include insurance cover for the contents of study bedrooms, so students have to make provision for this. You can either add on their contents to your policy or they can take out a separate one. If you are putting them on to your policy, don’t forget to tell your insurer that they are staying in halls as some don’t cover shared accommodation.
If your son or daughter has to take out a separate policy and is reluctant to part with the cash to do so, one way to persuade them is to get them to add up the cost of all their possessions (it will surprise them how much it is). Then ask them to think about how hard it would be to replace everything should the worst happen – this should soon change their mind!
Privately-rented accommodation
As with university digs, you can either add their contents to your insurance or help them choose a separate policy. It is a sad fact that many landlords fail to provide adequate security for their properties, and this could not only invalidate insurance policies but also compromise you child’s safety.
If you’re worried about the security of their new home outside of university digs, you could get involved in the house-hunting stage if your son or daughter agrees. That way you’ll see for yourself how secure the property and neighbourhood are. You may even find that your son or daughter’s would-be house mates welcome the idea of having an experienced person around who isn’t afraid to put pressure on the landlord to sort out any issues with the property before the new terms starts.
Many higher education establishments run landlord accreditation schemes, under which properties must meet minimum standards before they can advertise through the university accommodation service. As part of this, security must be adequate, with a strong external door and decent locks on all doors and windows, so try to persuade your son or daughter to only consider houses and flats that are accredited by the university or college. Once they’re in their new home they could install a timer switch, which will give the impression that someone is in even if they’re all on a big night out.
Personal safety on the street
Talk through safety issues with your son or daughter, so they don’t take unnecessary risks. The more common dangers include making their way home alone after dark, withdrawing money from cashpoints at night and talking on a mobile in the street when alone – it’s distracting and makes anyone more vulnerable to attack. And remind them that their safety is worth a lot more than the taxi fare home after a night out!
To make sure the contents of a student’s accommodation are covered in case things go wrong, go to www.directline.com/home/welcome.htm for an online quote today.
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