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ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE INSURANCE

DIY gone wrong? These things happen. Get cover for Accidental Damage at your home

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Protecting you from life’s unexpected mishaps with accidental damage insurance

We all have clumsy moments from time to time. But there’s still nothing more frustrating than knocking over that freshly made cup of coffee, cracking your favourite dinner set, or accidentally breaking a window. That’s why we offer Accidental Damage cover to protect the important things around your home from mishaps.

What is accidental damage insurance?

Accidental Damage cover helps you with the cost of repairing or replacing an item that’s been broken by accident in your home.

With Saga Plus, Accidental Damage is included as standard in your policy, to protect against sudden and unexpected damage to your home and possessions. We also cover accidental loss automatically within our Accidental Damage cover, for example if you misplace a precious item like an engagement ring or expensive watch at home.

Accidental Damage can be added as an additional cover option to your Saga Select policy at any time by contacting us. If you get a quote for our Saga Select level of cover, we'll always ask if you want to include Accidental Damage as well. If you're not sure whether you have Accidental Damage cover on your current policy, your insurance Statement of Fact or schedule will tell you.

Why do you need Accidental Damage cover?

A standard home insurance policy will protect the structure of your home and your contents if they’re stolen, or damaged by a flood or fire. But what happens if you accidentally drop your laptop, smash an expensive vase, or your TV falls off the wall? Accidental damage insurance will cover the cost of repairing or replacing it, minus any excess.

It's natural to understand that knocking over or spilling something is accidental damage. But did you know that accidental damage doesn't necessarily have to involve a person directly? For example, if a shelf suddenly falls off the wall and items on it break, or a large bird gets in through a window and causes damage, these would also be examples of accidental damage claims.

A good way to think about it is that if the damage doesn't fall under a more specific section of the policy like fire, flood or storm, then there's a very good chance it will be classed as accidental damage.

For the events you can’t predict, you won’t need to worry about the extra costs of repair or replacement if you have Accidental Damage cover in place.

What’s covered by Accidental Damage?

Depending on your level of insurance and whether you have Buildings cover, Contents cover or a combined policy, your Accidental Damage cover will protect you against any unintentional damage to your:

Buildings cover – fixtures and fittings like your kitchen units, built-in appliances like cookers, bathroom suite, fitted wardrobes and glass in your windows and doors.
Contents cover – anything in your home, garden or any outbuildings that might be lost or damaged from carpets to TVs, furniture and valuables such as jewellery.

Depending on what’s going on in your home, Accidental Damage cover might give you peace of mind if:

You have children or grandchildren who come to visit.
You love your cream carpets and sofas – and want to keep them stain-free.
You need your glasses to hand but have a tendency to sit on them.
You think you can find those old photos in the loft but worry about putting a foot through the ceiling.
You’re putting up some new shelves in the kitchen.

Saga Plus also includes replacement of matching pairs or sets of items, like three-piece suites or bathroom sets. If we can’t repair or replace individual items to match, we replace the whole set.

Anything you have listed as a specified item away from home on your Saga policy is covered for accidental loss or damage automatically.

What’s not covered?

There are certain circumstances that aren’t covered by our Accidental Damage:

Faulty design, workmanship or using faulty materials
Insects, parasites, or vermin (other than squirrels)
Cleaning, drying, dyeing, heating, or washing
Atmospheric or climatic conditions, for example, damage from frost
Fungus or mildew

Mechanical or electrical breakdowns or failure
Demolition, structural alterations, or repairs
Wear and tear
Chewing, scratching, tearing, or fouling by pets (not covered by Accidental Damage, however our Saga Plus policies include cover for pet damage as standard)

This isn't an exhaustive list. You should always check the policy book for full details of exclusions.

Should you get accidental damage insurance if you live in a rental property?

While you may not own the carpets and curtains, it may be a good idea to take out Accidental Damage to protect the rest of your contents, such as TVs, mobile phones or tablets, any furniture you brought with you, and things like your clothes, jewellery and watches.

Take a look at our renters insurance to see what you could be covered for as a tenant.

Accidental damage to the fabric of the building or to fixtures and fittings should be covered by your landlord as they should have buildings insurance on your property. Make sure this is the case and is explicit in your tenancy agreement.