Students should check home insurance

With many students heading to university for the first time this month, one firm has warned that not taking out home insurance could lead to a disastrous start.

Student accommodation provides rich pickings for thieves, according to Direct Line, with items such as laptops, mobile phones, iPods, DVD players and TVs being the most likely to be stolen.

Andrew Lowe, head of home insurance for the company, said that students will be too concerned with events happening during freshers' week to be worried about covering their property .

But they should also consider what would happen if their possessions were lost or stolen, and speak to their parents to see if they can save some of their loan money by including the items they've taken to university on their parents' home insurance policy, he explained.

Home insurance provider Sainsbury's Finance recently showed that the average student 'digs' will contain around £3,500-worth of belongings, which could be a target for thieves.