A garden building can be a tempting prospect for just about any garden, but you might be a bit hesitant to jump in and have one built if you’re at all confused about how an outdoor building works insurance wise. If you’re investing in a garden office, log cabin or summerhouse, you’ll definitely want to know where you stand in case of damage from storms, falling debris, fire or theft before you have one built.
That’s why, in this article, we thought it would be helpful to look at whether or not garden buildings are covered by your home insurance, as well as how further insurance works to make sure your garden building is as thoroughly protected as possible.
Garden Building Insurance
Typically, your home insurance will also cover any outbuildings as well. This covers structural damage caused by vandalism, along with damage caused naturally from storms, fire, subsidence, floods and more.
There are likely to be discrepancies between different insurance providers, but home insurance will offer decent protection for your outbuildings, from garages and cabins to sheds and summerhouses.
Some smaller sheds may not be covered, but this will be down to the insurer, so it is definitely worth getting in touch with them to make sure your prospective shed will be covered.
Contents Insurance
To make the most of your garden building, whether you’re using it for storage or leisure, you’ll no doubt be kitting it out with the most suitable decor for its purpose. Naturally, contents insurance would be handy for any outdoor building, especially if you’re storing fragile, valuable or important items inside it.
Your home contents insurance will usually also include contents cover for outbuildings, but you will need to check the fine print of your policy to see how much cover you have, and for how many outbuildings. Some policies might only offer £1,500 coverage for all outbuildings, which could pose a problem if multiple buildings are damaged or broken into.
Other policies may raise this to £2,000, £2,500 or £5,000, but again it’s wise to double check what is covered and for how much so you’re not caught out in the future. If you find your current contents cover lacking for your outbuildings, it might be worth purchasing more, or storing less valuable equipment in the shed, garage or garden room in case of theft.
Garden Office – Working From Home Insurance
With more and more people working from the comfort of their own home, a garden office is definitely an enticing option, but running a business from home will bring separate insurance considerations with it. You’ll likely require business insurance to cover commercial equipment and assets, but this isn’t a hugely complex affair.
Simply discuss the use of the office with your insurance company to find the most suitable coverage for your building, and you can quickly get back to enjoying getting down to business against the serene backdrop of your own garden.
Garden Security
Your insurance company will require your outdoor buildings to have a base level of security, including sturdy locks on doors and windows, for example. You should also invest in extra security features if you’d like to get your excess down by making your building a less appealing target for criminals.
Alarms and automatic garden lights will greatly strengthen garden security, as will keeping valuables out of obvious sight, and keeping windows covered with blinds or curtains when not in use. Regular maintenance will also be required, to make sure the building isn’t already predisposed to rot or wind damage.
If you want the most secure garden building possible from the beginning, a bespoke garden building designed by the experts will be just what you need. Discuss standard and additional security features with your designer and you’ll be able to create a garden building that meets all your security needs.
