With the average student having almost £5,000 worth of belongings with them at university1, it’s worth considering student cover. Laptops and entertainment equipment can be expensive to replace if lost, damaged or targeted by thieves.
In rented accommodation, buildings insurance should be covered by the landlord but insurance for your son or daughter’s belongings usually won’t be.
University halls may offer contents insurance as part of the rent. If so, you’ll need to check their policy to see if it's suitable.
If they’re moving into shared accommodation, each housemate will need their own shared-house contents insurance policy.
Some home contents policies provide around £5,000 worth of cover for items you ‘temporarily remove from home’. This could include items your son or daughter takes to their student accommodation, provided they move back home outside of term time.
It’s always best to check this in your policy documents, plus:
Explore: How much home insurance do you need?
HSBC doesn’t offer specific student insurance, but if you’re looking to buy a policy (separate from your home insurance), here are some of the levels of cover available.
HSBC Home Insurance is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions apply.
The most basic student contents insurance policy will generally cover items in a student house or halls, such as clothes, TV and non-portable desktop computers. However, it may not provide cover when they’re out – if their laptop is stolen from a café or on the way to a lecture, for example.
To protect their possessions when they’re out, you’ll need to look at adding personal protection or gadget insurance to their policy. You can also choose to add cover for accidental damage to computers, or bike cover – if they’re taking their bike to uni.
Most insurers will offer flexible options, so you can tailor the cover to suit your son or daughter’s needs. For example, you may want to cover specific items or include everything they’re taking with them.
You should read the full terms and conditions of any insurance policy before you purchase it. Again, consider any excess that you’ll need to pay and if there are any exclusions in the policy.
This article was last updated: 02/08/2024, 05:35
