Accidental damage cover: is it worth adding?

Accidental damage cover is one of the most common home insurance add-ons, and one of the most misunderstood. It fills a gap that standard cover leaves, but it is not always included and not always needed. This guide explains what accidental damage cover is, what it covers, and whether it is worth adding to your policy.

What accidental damage cover is

Accidental damage cover protects against sudden, unexpected damage caused by accidents, rather than by the insured events like fire and flood that a standard policy covers. Think of spilling red wine on a carpet, putting a foot through the loft floor, drilling into a hidden pipe, or knocking a television off its stand. These everyday mishaps are not usually covered as standard, which is the gap accidental damage cover is designed to fill.

It is often not included as standard

Many people assume their home insurance covers any damage, but standard buildings and contents policies generally cover only specific insured events. Accidental damage is usually an optional extra you have to add and pay for. Some policies include limited accidental damage as standard, such as cover for accidental breakage of fixed glass or sanitary ware, but full accidental damage cover for the wider range of mishaps normally costs more.

Buildings versus contents accidental damage

Accidental damage cover comes in two forms, matching the two parts of home insurance. Accidental damage to buildings covers mishaps to the structure, such as drilling through a pipe or cracking a sink. Accidental damage to contents covers your belongings, such as spilling something on the sofa or dropping a laptop. You can sometimes add one without the other, so consider where your real risk lies, drawing on our guides to buildings and contents cover.

What is typically covered anyway

Even without full accidental damage cover, some accidental events are often included as standard, which is worth knowing so you do not pay twice. These commonly include accidental breakage of fixed glass, such as windows, and of bathroom fittings, plus accidental damage to certain fixed installations. Reading your policy tells you what is already covered, so you can judge whether the extra is filling a real gap or duplicating cover you already hold.

Who benefits most

Accidental damage cover tends to be most worthwhile for households where accidents are more likely. Families with young children, pet owners, and anyone prone to the occasional clumsy moment may find it pays for itself. If you live alone, are careful, and have few valuable items that could be damaged, the extra cost may be harder to justify. As with any add-on, it is about matching the cover to your real circumstances.

Is it worth it?

Whether accidental damage cover is worth it comes down to the cost of the add-on against the likelihood and cost of an accident. It is usually a modest addition to the premium, and a single claim, such as a ruined carpet or a damaged television, can easily exceed a year's worth of the extra cost. For many households it offers useful peace of mind, while for others it is an avoidable expense, so weigh it for your own situation.

Watch the exclusions and excess

As with all cover, read the detail. Accidental damage cover still has exclusions, will not cover wear and tear or deliberate damage, and is subject to your excess, so very small claims may not be worth making. Some policies also exclude certain items or set limits. Knowing what is and is not covered before you buy ensures the add-on actually protects you against the accidents you are most worried about.

How it fits with other extras

Accidental damage cover sits alongside other add-ons such as personal possessions cover, which protects items you take out of the home, and home emergency cover. There can be some overlap, so check your existing cover before adding more. Our guide to personal possessions cover explains a related extra, and our guide to lowering your home insurance helps you keep only the extras you genuinely need.

Common accidental damage claims

To picture what accidental damage cover is for, consider the claims people actually make. A foot through the loft floor while fetching the Christmas decorations, a drill bit through a hidden water pipe, red wine on a pale carpet, a television knocked off its stand, or paint spilled during decorating. None of these would usually be covered by a standard policy, but all are the everyday mishaps that accidental damage cover is designed to pay for.

Children, pets and busy households

Accidental damage cover tends to earn its place in busy homes. Young children, energetic pets and a houseful of activity all raise the odds of something being spilled, knocked or broken. If that describes your home, the modest extra cost can quickly pay for itself. If you live alone, are careful and have little that could be expensively damaged, the same cover may be harder to justify, so weigh it against your own circumstances.

How to claim, and when not to

If you have accidental damage cover and something is damaged, you claim as you would for any home insurance loss: contact your insurer, describe what happened honestly, and provide evidence such as photographs. Remember your excess applies, so for very minor damage that costs little more than the excess, it may not be worth claiming once a possible effect on your future premium is taken into account, much as with other small claims.

How it fits with the rest of your cover

It helps to see accidental damage cover as a top-up rather than a separate policy. Your standard buildings and contents insurance still covers the major insured events such as fire, storm, flood and theft, whatever you decide about accidental damage. The add-on simply extends protection to the everyday mishaps those events do not include. When weighing it up, look at your whole policy together, so you can see what is covered as standard, what the extra genuinely adds, and where your excess applies. That way you avoid both leaving a gap and paying twice for protection you already have, and you can decide on the add-on with a clear picture of how it slots into the cover you already hold.

Ultimately, accidental damage cover is about peace of mind for the small, avoidable disasters of daily life. For a busy household it is often a sensible, modest addition; for a quiet, careful one it may be an extra you can do without. Judge it on your own circumstances.

In short

Accidental damage cover protects against sudden, accidental mishaps like spills, drilling into pipes or dropping electronics, which standard policies usually do not cover. It is normally an optional extra, available for buildings, contents or both, though some accidental events are included as standard. It is most worthwhile for families, pet owners and the accident-prone, and a single claim can outweigh years of the modest extra cost.

Where to get help and next steps

Decide which extras to keep with our guide to how to lower your home insurance, and read about personal possessions cover for items you take out and about.