Advice needed on good insurer for new expensive home furniture items

**DiscoStu** · 19 January 2008, 14:35

Originally posted by eliquant View Post

Advice needed on good insurer for new expensive home home furniture items and electrical items.

Ok here it is moved into my flat 1 year ago in the last few months purchased:

bought 1 x £6,600 bed
bought 1 x £5,300 sofa
bought 1 x £5,400 computer
bought 1 x £3,000 sofa bed
bought 5 x £5,000 (total) chairs

I have the receipts for all of these items.

So I called Nationwide this Saturday morning asking to see whether or not I would have to extend my cover and/or declare these items as luxury expensive items so that their full amount would be covered and not only the first £1,000 of each item.

The woman I spoke to who actually dealt with Home Insurance only was totally clueless, she didn't seem to know whether or not my existing £21,000 insurance amount (which I want to extend) will even cover these items at all or only up to £1,000 on each item or for the full amount.

I would assume that you simply designate these items as luxury items which are over £1,000 in value and insure them individually (as I already have done with an item I through away 2 months ago) but she didn't seem to have any idea !

She fobbed me off basically and I am cheesed off.

So in your wisdome do you have any good recommendations for an home insurance company that knows what its doing and can actually insure home furniture / electrical items that are up to £7,000 ????

AXA insurance are they any good ?

thanks in advance

Who do you think you are? threaded?

**BrowneIssue** · 19 January 2008, 14:37

I had a home/office policy with Mid-Pennine Insurance for years - very happy with them. That's because the mainstream insurance companies could not grasp the concept of people working from home.

I switched to Hiscox 'cos they were dirt cheap. I found out why when I presented them with a tricky question last summer (how to insure my laptop etc when living in digs Mon-Fri) they said the couldn't help: "too hard".

So I phoned Mid-Pennine with the same question ("Huh? But we do that sort of thing all the time") so I will be going back to them when I renew.

Hiscox could not have been more unhelpful. When I said I would be working away from home they said they would terminate existing my policy, but could not offer any alternative.

Anyway my cover includes:
£15k in IT equipment owned by LtdCo
£10k of train set
£xx the Missus's jewellery - particularly the engagement ring
£15k in reference material
Push bikes
Digital camera stuff

and does: personal possessions, LtdCo possessions, stuff when out of the house, stuff on client sites. This is the sort of thing Mid-Pennine specialise in.

**miffy** · 19 January 2008, 14:58

Originally posted by BrowneIssue View Post

When I said I would be working away from home they said they would terminate existing my policy, but could not offer any alternative.

I'm not surprised by that. My old Norwich Union policy said the house couldn't be left unoccupied too often. The halifax one was similar. No more than 60 days a year away from the property. How you'd prove that I just don't know, but I wouldn't like to call their bluff. Insurance companies will do anything not to pay up.

Originally posted by BrowneIssue View Post

Anyway my cover includes:
£10k of train set

That sounds like a big setup. Is it all layed out in your attic or something or are you a collector?

**BrowneIssue** · 19 January 2008, 15:19

Sorry, eliquant, I think your thread's a gonner.

Originally posted by miffy View Post

That sounds like a big setup. Is it all layed out in your attic or something or are you a collector?

The intention was to have it layed out but I have been peripatetic this past ten years so it is all boxed up. I keep adding to it and have plans but until I know I'm going to be in the same place for a few years I can't be bothered to set it up properly.

I did spend an entire Easter weekend a few years ago unpacking every box, lubricating all the moving parts and repacking everything. In so doing I catalogued every single item and worked out its current equivalent and replacement cost.

So I knew the length of track I had to the millimetre and every item of rolling stock and buildings part number. I had the replacement cost of the lot to the penny.

That was the week my hard disk died.

<--- this is a poor substitute for a <sobbing-my-eyes-out-smiley>

It would, roughly, do 6 loops, with 3 major stations, a few lesser stations, a huge fiddle yard, on a layout about 8 metres by 5 with about a dozen engines and a couple of hundred wagons and coaches. All boxed up, ready to move again, the boxes would easily fill two airing cupboards.

Sad, innit? It's like having a Ferrari in the garage but can't afford the petrol to run it.

Back onto topic: Mid-Pennine referred to it as "A collection" and included it in the cost of their premiums at no extra charge.

**KentPhilip** · 19 January 2008, 16:25

Originally posted by eliquant View Post

Advice needed on good insurer for new expensive home home furniture items and electrical items.

Ok here it is moved into my flat 1 year ago in the last few months purchased:

bought 1 x £6,600 bed
bought 1 x £5,300 sofa
bought 1 x £5,400 computer
bought 1 x £3,000 sofa bed
bought 5 x £5,000 (total) chairs

thanks in advance

If you're rich enough to buy that crap then you're rich enough to self insure. Don't you like taking risks, punk?

**Bumfluff** · 19 January 2008, 19:02

£6600 on a bed

I thought my misses had gone mad when she spent (I spent) £1100 on one from John Lewis

**basshead** · 19 January 2008, 20:22

Originally posted by eliquant View Post

bought 1 x £5,400 computer

Either you have a rack in your study or you got ripped off... which is it?

**moorfield** · 19 January 2008, 20:59

Sorry, but how does a bed cost £6600 ???? Explain ...

**eliquant** · 19 January 2008, 23:19

Guys it includes the matress which cost £1000.

Its gives me the best sleep of my life and the lady loves it.

Advice needed on good insurer for new expensive home furniture items