Is your garden covered?

From BBQs to garden office space, our outdoor areas have become more important than ever over the past 18 months, but how does home insurance play into it all?

As the public health authorities continue to encourage Irish people to embrace an outdoor summer, more and more households are investing in outdoor furniture, exercise equipment, and even garden offices to enable this outdoor lifestyle.

However, when it comes to outdoor furniture and sports equipment, many people are still unsure what is and isn’t covered under their home contents insurance.

Equally, if an individual has invested in a garden office to facilitate remote working, is their office equipment still covered?

Here are four key insurance considerations for Irish households looking to make the most of an outdoor summer:

Is outdoor equipment stolen from a garden covered by your insurance policy?

According to Liberty Insurance, home insurance policies will provide some level of garden cover for outdoor or garden equipment including furniture, bikes and exercise equipment, but it is always best to ask your provider to clarify exactly what is and isn’t covered.

Is a BBQ or outdoor pizza oven covered under your policy?

Most home contents insurance covers contents stored in sheds or garages. For example, Liberty Insurance’s home contents insurance provides this cover up to the value of €5,000. However, if for example a BBQ is left unsecured in the garden, a limit of €650 per item may apply.

If a guest has a serious accident at a family BBQ, are you covered?

Most home insurance policies include public liability and personal liability cover as part of the buildings cover and contents cover respectively and each level of cover has a limit for any one event in respect of bodily injury, illness or death.

Home owners and renters should familiarise themselves with the specifics by talking to their insurer or consulting their policy booklet.

Are items stored in a shed, garage or garden office covered by your home contents insurance policy?

The good news is that most home contents insurance policies provide some level of cover items stored in sheds, garages, garden offices, provided that the outhouse is securely locked at all times.

Typical home insurance policies that include contents cover will include cover for a limited amount of home office equipment, such as a computer and printer. However, some policies may not give any cover for “office contents” as they are not deemed to be “household goods”.

According to Ireland Country Manager at Liberty Insurance, Stuart Trotter, it is important that people have the correct insurance cover to protect them from the unexpected.

“The good news is that most outdoor equipment is covered under homeowners or renters’ home contents insurance policy,” he said.