Getting your home insured is just one of the many tasks involved when you move house. But determining which insurance cover you need is often confusing. Home insurance is broken into two different types; buildings insurance and contents insurance. So what is contents insurance? And how does it differ from buildings insurance? All is explained below.

Think of buildings insurance as the home insurance that covers the buildings structure, fixtures and fittings – from walls to kitchen worktops. Contents insurance covers the personal possessions that you move into your house – the moveable items, such as furniture.

What is contents insurance?

‘Home contents insurance provides cover for the personal possessions in your home,’ explains Sarah Applegate, Data Lead, Aviva General Insurance. ‘These possessions include the movable items that you bring when you move into a property – such as furniture, crockery, books, clothes etc – and also items that you might not consider such as carpets and curtains.’

‘Many insurers also offer add-ons which provide extra cover in addition to standard home contents insurance,’ continues Sarah. ‘Common add-ons include accidental damage cover. This enables you to claim for damage caused by spillages or breakages to possessions within the home. It could cover things like knocking over a TV or spilling paint on a carpet or sofa.’ It’s the level of accidental cover that makes this type of home insurance vary, depending on the insurance provider. You should confirm what your accidental damage cover actually covers.

‘Personal belongings cover is another popular add-on,’ Sarah goes on to explain. ‘It provides cover for your personal items (e.g. mobile phone, laptop, jewellery, camera equipment) while you’re away from your home. Most insurers request that any personal item worth more than a set limit (for example £2,000) will need to be individually listed on your policy.’

Image credit: Future PLC

What is the purpose of contents insurance?

‘The average home has contents worth tens of thousands of pounds,’ says Sarah, Data Lead, Aviva. ‘This is  a sizeable sum to find if the contents were destroyed by an unexpected event such as a flood or a fire. Home contents insurance is designed to replace or repair these items if they are lost or damaged through an event as outlined on the policy.’

Standard claims include events such as fires, floods, burglaries and water leaks. ‘The most common cause of claim under Aviva’s home contents cover is for accidental damage,’ Sarah explains. ‘This may be a useful addition to your policy.’

What items are included under contents insurance?

Home contents insurance covers the vast majority of possessions within the home. But there are some common exclusions and important points to note.

Sarah explains what the most common exclusions from a homes content insurance policy are:

• ‘Phones, laptops and tablets away from home: A claim will take into account how the loss or damage occurred. So if you have standard home contents cover (which covers events such as flooding, fire or burglary for example), but you don’t have a personal belongings add-on, you are unlikely to be covered under your home contents insurance, if you smash or lose your phone away from home.’
• ‘Cash. Many insurers will cover cash in the home, but only up to a specified limit.’
• ‘Pedal cycles. Many insurers also cover pedal cycles in the home, but they may specify that they need to be locked away. For example in a house, garage or shed or chained and locked to a secure point such as railings or a drainpipe. Again, you may wish to get personal belongings cover or a special pedal cycle add-on to cover your bicycle away from home.’
• ‘Single item limits: Most insurance providers will state that an item needs to be specified separately on the policy if it is above a single item limit (often around £2,000) to ensure that you have the right level of cover.
• ‘Valuables, such as jewellery and watches. Insurers may also place some restrictions on certain valuables such as expensive watches or jewellery. Particularly valuable items may need to be kept in a safe when not being worn.’

Make sure to check what your policy includes, and weigh up any exclusions that you might want in place. Speak to your insurer if you are unsure about your level of cover.

Image credit: Future/ Tim Young

What isn’t covered by contents insurance?

Finance writer and expert Emily Perryman explains, ‘Contents insurance doesn’t cover the actual fabric of your property, such as its walls, windows and roof, nor does it cover outside fixtures like garden fences and gates . These would be covered under buildings insurance instead.’ 

‘You usually have to pay extra to cover accidental loss or damage to your possessions. Boilers are typically excluded from standard policies but can be covered by adding ‘emergency home cover’. Similarly, mobiles and other gadgets may not be automatically included, however you can usually cover them by adding ‘personal possessions’ cover to your policy.’

‘You can protect items you take away from the home – handbags, laptops and cameras – in case they get lost or stolen,’ says Pam Quinn, spokesperson for the British Insurance Brokers Association. ‘And if your children are striding out to college or university, your own policy can be extended to cover their contents too.’

Image credit: Future PLC/ Jamie Mason

Is contents insurance worth having?

When you’re on a budget and trying to limit costs, you may ask do I need home insurance? But it’s always worth having contents insurance, because you just never know. ‘Every resident hopes they won’t be faced with burglaries, floods or fires’ says Sarah. ‘But the sad reality is that some people will. You should ask yourself: “in the event that the worst happened, would I be able to afford to replace everything out of my own pocket?”’.

‘Unfortunately many people would not be able to cover the cost of replacing all the contents in their home. So contents insurance can provide invaluable peace of mind, just in case.’

‘Contents insurance is also worth considering if you are renting your property,’ Sarah goes on to advise. ‘If you are a tenant, contents insurance can support you with the costs involved if you need to temporarily move out of your home.’ An example of this is when you’re forced to move into alternative accommodation, such as in the event of a flood. ‘These costs can soon stack up and often amount to thousands rather than hundreds of pounds’ Sarah warns.

As the old saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The post What is contents insurance? What it covers and why you need it appeared first on Ideal Home.

Even a pound shop present will look a million dollars when you dress it up with these festive gift wrapping ideas

Give your presents a more personal feel this year with our gift wrapping ideas for Christmas. With our easy tips and quick tricks you can wrap your gifts like a pro. In fact, they’ll look so gorgeous nobody will want to open them!

Whether you choose to craft your gift wrap from scratch or simply decorate existing papers, these Christmas ideas will get your creative juices flowing.

1. Print your own paper

Image credit: Annie Sloan

Create bespoke gift wrap by making your own stamps. Cut a half moon shape from either a piece of sponge or half a potato. Dip into white paint and print onto a sheet of black paper. Repeat until the whole sheet is covered. Leave to dry before wrapping your gift.

2. Top with dried flowers

Image credit: Future PLC/Dan Duchars

Use dried flowers for an on-trend look. Tie a sprig of pretty dried blooms together using a small piece of florist’s wire. Wrap your gift and tuck your posy beneath ribbon tied around it.

3. Have fun colouring in

Image credit: Eat Sleep Doodle

Wrap your presents in sheets of blank colouring-in paper. Once your gift is wrapped, use colouring pens to decorate. This one is perfect for getting the kids involved, or just for the young at heart. It’s also great for grabbing a mindful moment among the Christmas chaos. Try trying a set of pens to the gift to make it an interactive gift before it’s even opened.

4. Use up leftover yarn

Image credit: Hobbycraft/Lottieandalbert

Try this Christmas craft idea using wool to decorate your gifts. Set about making pompoms and tassels to tie around your presents. You could even thread a few fragrant orange slices onto a pompom garland. This gift wrapping idea for Christmas is a great way to use up yarn from knitting or crochet projects.

5. Make paper feathers

Image credit: Future PLC/Dan Duchars

Create stylised feather gift toppers using scraps of paper or card. Cut feather shapes from black and natural coloured card and layer on top of each other to create a 3-D effect. For a little extra festive sparkle, paint the edges in a little PVA glue and dip into gold or silver glitter. Secure to your gift with metallic ribbon.

6. Try reusable fabric wrap

Image credit: Dunelm

Sustainable style is a big trend this Christmas. So why not try the Japanese art of fabric wrapping called furoshiki? It’s easier than it sounds but looks really impressive!

Simply lay your present (box-shapes work best!) in the centre of a square of lightweight fabric. Lift up two opposite corner and knot in the centre. Do the same for the remaining corners, et voila! The recipient can then reuse the fabric to wrap another gift or even sew something new.

7. Embellish with trims

Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole

Any avid crafter is sure to have a stash of leftover trims and embellishments from past projects, even if they’re just a few centimetres long! Give pieces of pompom trim, rickrack and lace a new lease of life by wrapping them around Christmas gifts to decorate.

8. Draw your own designs

Image credit: Hobbycraft

It’s time to get out the paints and felt tip pens for this idea. Take a large sheet of plain white paper and let your imagination run wild. Simple leaves and berries work really well and what’s more Christmassy than red and green? Finish by wrapping with twine,  threading through a handwritten luggage tag.

Rather than decorating each present once it’s wrapped, it’s best to draw or paint onto one large sheet, then cut it into smaller pieces when you’re ready to wrap individual gifts.

9. Add a fabric ribbon

Image credit: Future PLC

To quote one of our favourite festive films, Arthur Christmas: ‘There is always time for a bow!’ It is worthwhile throughout the year building up a box of ribbons from presents or things you’ve bought. A fabric bow is a quick and easy way to turn an ordinary present into something luxurious.

10. Weave a paper wrap together

Image credit: Future PLC

This brown paper wrapping idea is perfect if you don’t have any ribbon lying around. Cut scraps of wrapping into twelve long strips. Weave the strips together with six of the pieces of paper going vertically and the other six horizontally. Wrap the woven paper wrap around the present and secure at one end.

11. Wrap it up in a carol

Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes

Use old sheet music as wrapping paper or to make envelopes for gift cards. Secure with a velvet ribbon and top with a feather dipped in gold glitter.

12. Get crafty with wooden pegs

Image credit: Future PLC

Wooden pegs are a genius way to add a splash of personality to a present in seconds. You can jazz up plain white paper bags by pegging a sparkly silver star to the front. Plus, there’s no messy glue or sellotape in sight. They are also perfect for attaching gift labels to ribbon. Clip in a piece of foliage for the extra wow factor.

13. Stick to a colour theme

Image credit: Future PLC

An easy way to create a perfect-looking pile of presents is to decide on a palette of two or three colours – and stick to it. Jewel-coloured blues and greens, combined with gold, look wonderful under a tree. ‘Throw in a little glitter, too, to truly make your parcels sparkle,’ suggests Louise Lee, Christmas buyer at Wyevale Garden Centres.

14. Get green fingered with foliage

Image credit: Simon Brown

Everyone loves to bring the outdoors inside at Christmas – think trees, wreaths and mantelpiece garlands. So why not introduce it to your present wrapping, too? Pine sprigs, eucalyptus, berries or pine cones can all be incorporated using ribbon or twine. You could also try festive foodie items like dried oranges or cinnamon sticks.

15. Bag it up

Image credit: Future PLC

Avoid the usual wrapping paper in favour of cellophane pockets, paper bags, oversized envelopes or miniature hessian sacks. Cut the edges to create a pretty scalloped pattern, decorate with stamps, tags and ribbon, and get people smiling before they’ve even opened the present.

16. Add a flourish with old newspapers

Image credit: Future PLC/Simon Scarboro

Wrap presents in plain paper and cut out Christmas shapes from newspaper, magazines or even wallpaper remnants and stick on as decorations. Look out for paper cutters in festive shapes to make the job easier.

These paper stars would also make a lovely Christmas card idea.

17. Personalise with old photographs

For a fun way for guests to find their presents, wrap them in simple brown paper and create a name tag using an old photo, copied onto thick paper or card. It’s a good excuse to look through cheesy old photos of relatives!

18. Fold in some Japanese pleats

Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles

Try your hand at stylish origami. To get the look, cut a piece of wrapping paper double the size needed to cover your present. With the paper facing down, fold a 2cm pleat along the short bottom edge. Fold the paper in on itself four more times, then flip the paper over and unfold, so you can see the lines marking each fold.

Next, pinch the first line and fold it down to create a smaller pleat below. Repeat along each line so you have a series of small pleats. Turn the paper over and use a strip of tape to hold the pleats down. Now place your gift in the centre of the paper and pull the pleated edge to the top of the present. Continue to wrap as normal and complete with a length of baker’s twine.

19. Have fun with washi tape

Image credit: Future PLC/Simon Whitmore

Use washi tape as a simple but creative way to decorate your presents. Wrap gifts in plain brown or white paper and pick washi tape in bold bright colours to make them stand out. Experiment using tape to customise your wrapping, creating bunting, bows and stripes.

20. Doodle your own design

Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles

By wrapping your presents in simple black paper you can doodle over them freehand to create a beautiful parcel without the hassle of tying ribbons. Here, we’ve used a white marker pen to draw a wreath, holly, stars and festive messages and banners. We’re big fans of this chalkboard style!

21. Go dotty with double layers

Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles

Wrap your gifts once in colourful tissue paper, then take a sheet of Kraft brown paper, and using a paper punch, make holes in it. Wrap the piece of punched brown paper over the tissue paper, and tape in place. Tie with coordinating raffia to finish it off.

22. Keep one thing the same

Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles

Create a uniform motif that runs across all your gifts, like these DIY paper bows. This consistent embellishment allows you to cover your presents in any old mismatched wrap, including newspaper or Kraft paper. But as an ensemble under the tree, they’ll still look smart and matchy matchy!

23. Say it with stamped paper

Image credit: Future PLC/Ania Wawrzkowicz

Here’s a really affordable way to create as much wrapping paper as you need. Just take some plain white paper and decorate with a librarian’s date stamp – you could try the same trick for a birthday. Letter beads allow you add a personal message.

Right, time to get wrapping!

The post Gift wrapping ideas for Christmas to give your presents pizzaz appeared first on Ideal Home.