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Insurance

Why home movers should leave the transport of goods to the experts

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
21/03/2022

Brits are unwittingly voiding their home insurance cover by taking a DIY approach in transporting their possessions between locations.

Almost half (46%) of Brits voided their home insurance policy during their recent home move, leaving their possessions at risk.

Research by price comparison site, MoneySuperMarket found that home movers are turning away from using professional movers, opting to transport belongings between locations themselves.

However, many are unaware that most insurers won’t pay out on damaged goods claims if they fail to hire a recognised removal company. In addition, there are times where you will need to secure Overweight Permits when transporting from one point to another.

A poll of 2,000 revealed that only 39% hired a professional, with 28% choosing to hire a van and move the contents themselves. Overall, 46% opted to save money by taking ownership of the move, risking damaged goods that they can’t claim on.

MoneySuperMarket said people will often take it for granted that their contents are automatically covered during a house move, but the research shows this is, in many situations, not the case.

While some insurers will cover contents during transit or storage, 42% of insurers won’t cover the move at all. Further, 54% of those moving failed to check with their home insurance provider if they were protected during their move, assuming it was covered automatically within their policy.

The research also revealed that 23% of people didn’t have a home insurance policy in place when they moved, despite the average value of contents being transported standing at £14,000.

Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Physically relocating your belongings from one property to the next is always a risky enterprise, but many home movers are undertaking the task without insurance. Some simply don’t have any sort of home insurance in place, while others wrongly assume their contents policy will take care of their goods while they’re in transit.

“While other policies provide door-to-door protection against damage or loss in transit, they usually insist the move is carried out by a recognised removals firm. That means anyone hiring a van for the purpose or moving their belongings in their car might not be covered.”

Pratt added that home movers should talk to their home insurer well in advance to check if they are fully covered during the move.