Christmas home contents insurance warning

With people starting to compile wish lists for Santa, home insurance warnings are starting to surface.

Insuresupermarket.com points out that as expensive electronic gadgets top this year's list for most wanted gifts, consumers should check their home insurance cover.

The value of home insurance is set to soar over the festive period for those planning to find PSPs, laptops, flatscreen TVs and the like in their Christmas stockings, the website warns.

Consumers who worry that they might go over the limit of their home contents insurance cover are being urged to check if their insurance police makes provision for seasonal increased in insurance cover.

It's so simple, just pick up the phone, says director of the price comparison website, Richard Mason.

He explains that several home insurance and home contents insurance providers offer free increases in the value of insurance cover.

In December, Key Connect/Supermarket Insurance offers an automatic ten per cent increase in home contents insurance cover. Norwich Union Direct offers £3,000 increase in insurance cover for home contents.

Between December 1st and January 15th, home contents insurance providers esure, Prudential and Direct Line also automatically increase the cover they provide by 15 per cent (esure) and ten per cent respectively.

Although some insurers offer increased cover for gifts pre-Christmas, they don't all cover you for ownership of these items after the festivities are over, Mr Mason warns.

We'd advise people to assess the value of the gifts they received and to raise the limit on their own contents policy accordingly, he concludes.