Wrap up your home insurance

Make sure your home insurance policy recognises the festive season – many do, but that’s no guarantee.

Check the small print of your policy to ensure there is something typically called ‘automatic uplift’, which helps protect gifts and valuables at a time of year when there are more on offer to thieves or open to accidents.

Research from comparison site Moneysupermarket.com has revealed most providers apply automatic uplift to the amount of home contents cover over the festive season at no extra cost, but warned variations were rife.

Lloyds TSB automatically increases the value of its contents cover by £3,000 for two months around Christmas, while The AA increases cover by 20pc from December 1 to January 6.

Julie Owens, head of home insurance at Moneysupermarket, said: “We’re all getting into the Christmas spirit, and enjoying early festivities, but be on guard to ensure your home isn’t underinsured.

“People have an average spend of £195 under their tree, and with long dark nights upon us, expensive presents gift wrapped to take away create the perfect opportunity for home theft, so find out exactly what you are covered for and ensure that you aren’t underinsured for your Christmas gifts.

“Being underinsured can have a big impact on any home insurance claim you make.

“For example, if you have £45,000 worth of contents in your home but are only insured for £30,000, your insurer might only pay two thirds of a claim, even if it is for less than £30,000.”

High value single items such as jewellery may need to be listed individually on a policy as insurers often impose limits for single expensive items.