Moving home opens up insurance nightmare for many in UK

A large number of home movers in the UK, some 46%, risk voiding their home insurance policy by opting to transport their own possessions when they move.

The research also reveals that 42% of insurers won’t cover a home move as standard and one in four people has no home insurance in place whatsoever during a move.

The average cost of belongings at risk in a move that is not insured is £14,000, according to the survey report from MoneySuperMarket.

The survey suggest that people are turning away from professional movers and opting to transport their belongings between locations themselves, not knowing that most insurers won’t pay out on damaged goods claims if they fail to hire a recognised removal company.

When asked how they moved their belongings from one property to the other in their most recent move, only 39% hired a recognised removal professional, with 28% choosing to hire a van and move the contents themselves. Overall, 46% opted to save money by taking ownership of the move, opening themselves up to the risk of damaged goods that they can’t claim on.

People will often take it for granted that their contents are automatically covered during a house move, but the research shows this is, in many situations, not the case. While some insurers will cover contents while they are in transit or storage, 42% of insurers won’t cover the move at all.

The research also shows that over half, 54%, of those moving did not check with their home insurance provider if they were protected during their move, assuming it was covered automatically within their policy.

‘Physically relocating your belongings from one property to the next is always a risky enterprise, but many home movers are undertaking the task without insurance. Some simply don’t have any sort of home insurance in place, while others wrongly assume their contents policy will take care of their goods while they’re in transit,’ said Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at MoneySuperMarket.

‘A hefty proportion of insurers don’t cover belongings on the road. And while other policies provide door to door protection against damage or loss in transit, they usually insist the move is carried out by a recognised removals firm. That means anyone hiring a van for the purpose or moving their belongings in their car might not be covered,’ he explained.

‘Home movers should talk to their home insurer well in advance to check if they are fully covered during the move,’ he added.