Ensure home insurance hits the right note

Whether you’re a first timer or a golden oldie, you can’t beat the summer festival season which kicked off with the world famous Glastonbury event. Unfortunately however, it’s not just music revellers that attend the party – opportunist thieves also make festivals their destination of choice which could leave you singing the blues unless you have appropriate home insurance in place.

According to research by Zurich home insurance, one in four British adults say they are planning to attend a festival this summer. Many of them will be old hands with an Alliance & Leicester study showing that one fifth (21 per cent) of over 50s like to spend their spare time attending gigs, concerts and other live events. However, around half a million of those heading to Glastonbury, Reading and other major festivals have never been before.

A lack of preparation could prove costly because nearly one in ten festival goers have had possessions stolen while listening to their favorite bands. Gone are the days when fans would show up with little more than a tent and a pair of Wellington boots – now there are a host of mod-cons for thieves to capitalize on ranging from MP4 players and iPods to mobile phones.

How home insurance can protect us at festivals

You might not expect a home insurance policy to come to your rescue if you have items stolen at a festival – after all, home insurance applies to items kept in the home.

However, many insurers now extend their cover to items taken out of the home but usually with strict restrictions.

Firstly you need to ensure that all of your items are covered under the contents aspect of your home insurance policy. Think about their values and estimate them accurately – the average value of personal possessions people carry with them to festivals is £260 and includes mobile phones (82 per cent), cameras or memory cards (63 per cent), iPods and MP3 players (16 per cent) and of course wallets and cash (90 per cent).

Most insurance companies will cover cash up to around £250 and may offer cover for credit and debit cards too. For the rest you will need personal possessions cover within your policy, which will cover items taken outside the home. Read the terms and conditions thoroughly to ensure this applies to items taken into public places as there may be restrictions on where the cover applies. This aspect of a policy is sometimes referred to as ‘all risks cover’.

If you’re a student you may be covered on your parents’ policy, particularly if they already cover your items when you live in a hall of residence. However, it’s worth calling your insurer directly to clarify the cover that’s in place.

Protect your possessions to avoid a home insurance claim

As with any type of insurance, the more risk you pose of making a claim the higher your premiums are likely to be. Making a claim on a home insurance policy could also wipe out a no-claims discount so do all you can to keep your items safe.

Do not take anything with you that is not covered under your policy or that you cannot afford to replace. Leave credit and debit cards at home if you’re not going to use them or just take one for emergencies. If you need certain items with you, then consider cheap alternatives – for example, you could buy a disposable camera instead of using an expensive digital camera. You could also buy a cheap tent rather than a top-of-the-range model used for hiking.

Take advantage of any security lock-ups that may be available for your valuables and passport – on occasions these are free and available 24hrs a day. Consider investing in a padlock for your tent and luggage too.

If you do fall victim to theft then get in touch with your home insurance provider as soon as possible. The first step should be to call lost property to see if any of your items have been retrieved. If not, then report the theft in the police tent or van which are normally on-site at every concert.

From there, make sure you get a crime reference number and offer it to your insurer to make the claims process as straightforward as possible. If you feel you don’t have sufficient home insurance cover in place then shop around with a comparison website before you head to the event.