Home contents insurance policies vary greatly over what cover they provide for items outside, so consumers should shop around, says Defaqto.

Many contents insurance policies offer cover for outside items, such as those in the garden, but 42 per cent offer less than £1,000 of cover, while others offer more than £2,000, the financial research company has found.

Providers offer cover for such things as garden furniture, lighting, barbeques, plants and other items under ‘contents in the open’, but with such variance in the cover provided, Defaqto urges homeowners to check their home insurance policy and make sure they get the protection they need.

Mike Powell, insight analyst for general insurance at Defaqto, said: “It’s easy to forget that home contents policies can include our gardens” but that homeowners can easily have hundreds of pounds worth of items in their garden and it all adds up.

To ensure that they are never underinsured, Mr Powell suggests that policyholders check their home insurance for the limit of cover, what areas the cover applies, if certain items are excluded, and what in included under the term ‘valuables’.

© Fair Investment Company Ltd