Appliance insurance

What is appliance insurance?

Insurance for appliances bridges the gap between home insurance and your appliances’ warranties.

Contents insurance usually does include some level of cover relating to white goods, like accidental damage or theft, but often doesn’t cover things like mechanical breakdown and the cost of getting someone out to repair a faulty machine.

Most appliances come with a manufacturer’s warranty of at least a year. When you purchase the appliance, you are often offered the option to extend the warranty past that initial first year period. This might be tempting, but you can actually get better value and a more comprehensive cover with a standalone domestic appliance insurance policy than with a warranty extension.

What does appliance insurance cover?

The specifications of the policy will vary by provider, but home appliance insurance usually includes the following elements:

• Repairs, including labour, parts and call-out charges
• Mechanical breakdown due to faulty parts or installation
• Accidental damage

What isn’t covered?

Again, this will vary by provider and cover level on offer, but appliance insurance usually excludes:

• Cosmetic damage that doesn’t affect the functionality of the appliance
• Malicious damage or damage as a result of misuse or abuse
• Wear and tear
• Damage sustained before the start of the policy
• Appliances older than a certain number of years

To avoid any nasty shocks, make sure you read your policy documents carefully and know what is and isn’t covered.

What specific appliances are covered under a home appliance insurance policy?

This is also likely to vary between policies, but appliances that can be covered by this type of insurance usually include:

• Fridges and freezers
• Ovens and microwaves
• Washing machines and dryers
• Dishwashers
• TVs and DVD players
• Music systems

Smaller items, such as phones, tablets and laptops, are usually excluded from this type of cover but can be insured with a gadget insurance policy or personal possessions cover.

Are my appliances covered under my standard home and contents policy?

Some of your appliances might be covered under your contents insurance policy, but the cover might not be sufficient.

Kitchen appliances in particular are often covered under home insurance policies for damage or loss due to incidents like theft, fire, storms and water leaks. Some policies also offer the choice to add accidental damage as an optional extra.

However, most contents insurance policies don’t include mechanical damage or emergency call-out charges in their cover, which can be expensive.

Frequently asked questions

• Do I need appliance insurance?

  Whether to get domestic appliance insurance is a personal choice, but one way to help you make a decision is to consider the total cost of the insurance against the cost of a new appliance.

  You should also consider how much having to go without a certain appliance will impact your life. For example, if your fridge or washing machine breaks, this can make things very difficult if you don’t have insurance and can’t afford to get a replacement straight away.

• Do I need appliance insurance if I'm renting?

  That depends whether you own the appliances in your rental property, or if they’re owned by the landlord. If the appliances are not yours, getting appliance insurance is not your responsibility and won’t be economical.

  That said, your landlord doesn’t have a legal obligation to take out this kind of cover, so don’t assume it’s in place. It’s best to check with your landlord whether the appliances are covered and what they’re covered for.

  If you bought the appliances yourself, then getting appliance insurance is a good idea, as your landlord won’t be responsible for fixing or replacing them if they break or are damaged or stolen.

• What limit am I covered up to?

  This varies by provider and depends on the type of cover you choose, and might also vary from one appliance to the next.

  Check your policy document for your specific policy limits and make sure these are sufficient for your needs. Note that some more expensive items might exceed the insurer’s single item limit and will need to be registered separately.

• Are broken or stolen appliances replaced with new ones?

  Some insurance providers offer “new for old” cover for appliances, which means they will provide a new appliance if yours breaks, even if your one is an older model.

  As with most things when it comes to insurance, make sure you check the policy wording. In many cases, insurers only offer this if repair costs are more expensive than a replacement and your appliance is under a certain age.