Top insurance tips for the summer holidays

If you’re going to be away from your home for a long period (more than 60 days), let your broker know so that they can check if you’ll remain covered and advise what you need to do if you’re not.

Accidents and burglaries can happen to anyone at any time. Ensuring you have the right insurance to repair or replace your belongings that you take on holiday and leave at home should be one of your top priorities.

It’s also a good idea to check the sub-limits in your contents policy as there may be financial limits on items, such as E-bikes, laptops, cameras, and jewellery.

Making sure you’ve adequately secured your home and belongings means you can rest easy while you’re away. It might seem obvious, but it is important to:

• Not to advertise that you are away, including on social media
• Lock all doors and windows and switch on burglar alarms
• Ask a friend or neighbour to collect your mail and to check your property from time to time
• Check that your garage and outbuildings are secure
• If you can, fit sensor lights or set an internal light on a timer
• Lock away jewellery (in a safe if you have one), portable electronic devices and any other valuables
• Turn your water off at the mains

Before you set off for a road trip, it’s a good idea to review your vehicle insurance policy. Having the right vehicle insurance is important to protect you from loss in case of an accident, theft or if your involved in any accidents with a third party. There are generally three levels of cover to choose from:

• Fully comprehensive (agreed or market value)
• Third party, fire & theft
• Third party only

Benefits to consider include:

• Repair or replacement of your vehicle (agreed or market value)
• Costs to travel home if your car is not safe to drive following the accident
• Rental cover to get you back on the road in case of a claim
• Transport and towing expenses
• Windscreen and window glass cover
• Protection against uninsured drivers

It is important to check which benefits are included with any cover and ensure they are tailored to your needs. Having the right insurance may save you hours of having to deal with unforeseen situations, such as car theft or vandalism, leaving you with more time to enjoy the long warm days.

Take photos of your valuables, and their receipts and valuations (jewellery). It’ll help prove you owned the item if you need to claim for it later. Hopefully though, if you’ve followed the steps above, the only photos you’ll need to look at this summer are your holiday snaps!

If you need to make a claim, one of the first steps is to complete an online claim form. Supporting information to help progress your claim includes:

• Photos or video of the damaged and/or stolen items
• Provide copies of receipts or manuals for damaged and/or stolen items
• Provide as much details as you can about the items, such as the make, model and the purchase date

The My Rothbury App makes managing your claims even easier. It allows you to start a claim, send yourself a claims form and receive updates. If you haven’t already, download My Rothbury in the App Store or Google Play Store.