What does home insurance cover in your garden?

Garden insurance is sometimes included as part of your home insurance, but what exactly is covered and what’s not?

Many of us take pride in our gardens, planting them with our favourite flowers, decorating them with ornaments from our favourite garden centre and putting out garden furniture for al fresco dining in the summer months.

All those bits and bobs add up – especially when you take into account the tools and equipment needed to keep it looking its best. But garden insurance is something we don’t always think about.

Fortunately, many home insurance policies include garden cover, protecting your outdoor space against theft and damage.

What is garden insurance?

Garden insurance protects items you keep in your garden. It can cover everything from your plants, ornaments and equipment to furniture, barbecues and fences. Most home insurance policies provide some level of garden cover, but you should check your policy documents to see exactly what’s covered.

What does garden insurance cover?

Like home insurance, garden insurance is split between buildings and contents insurance and covers you for loss or damage as a result of unexpected events such as fires, floods, or storms.

Buildings insurance will usually cover elements of your garden that are seen to be part of the structure of your home, such as:

• Garden walls, fences and gates
• Permanent sheds and garages
• Drives, patios and footpaths
• Swimming pools and tennis courts
• Septic tanks and central heating oil or gas tanks

Garden contents insurance covers the damage or theft of items in your garden, such as:

• Garden furniture
• Lawnmowers and gardening tools
• Plants, lawns and shrubs
• Plant pots and ornaments
• Free-standing barbecues
• Bicycles

What’s not covered by garden insurance?

This will vary depending on who you’re insured with. Some examples of when Saga home insurance won’t cover your garden include loss or damage caused by:

• General wear and tear
• Domestic animals, birds or pets
• Frost or drought
• Subsidence, landslip or ground heave, unless your home is damaged by the same cause at the same time
• Smoke or bonfires
• Insects and vermin (other than squirrels)
• Rot, mildew, fungus, plant diseases or poisoning

Most insurers will also impose a limit on the total amount of cover they’ll pay out, and there might also be a single item limit. You should check your policy schedule for your cover limits.

Does house insurance cover fences?

Many home insurance providers cover fences as part of their buildings insurance policies, however cover for storm or flood damage to fences is typically excluded.

Make sure you know which garden fences you’re responsible for and which belong to your neighbours. Your insurance will only cover fences that belong to you, so knowing this will help to prevent disputes in the event of damage.

Does home insurance cover hot tubs?

Yes, hot tub insurance is usually included as part of your home insurance. A fitted hot tub generally falls under your buildings insurance, while a portable hot tub generally falls under contents insurance.

Are garden sheds covered by home insurance?

Yes, garden shed insurance is generally covered as part of your buildings insurance. Along with garages, workshops and summerhouses, sheds usually fall under the category of “outbuildings”. Unfixed garden storage units and freestanding greenhouses and garden structures come under your contents insurance.