Should you insure your clothes?
If you have a large clothing collection and absolutely love fashion, you may be wondering whether it is worth taking out insurance to keep your clothes safe. In some circumstances, this may not be necessary, but the good news is you have a few different options when it comes to keeping your clothes safe. This blog will run through steps you could take, helping you to decide whether you need insurance for your clothes and, if you do, what kind you are best taking out.
You may be able to leverage your home insurance
Before you take out extra insurance to cover your clothes, think about whether a home insurance policy would work. Contents home insurance typically covers everything in your home should it get damaged in a disaster like a flood. However, home insurance will only cover your clothes at home and not while you’re out wearing them or on holiday. Some home insurance policies also have single-item limits, meaning that very expensive clothing may be exempt from your cover. When getting quotes on house insurance make sure you pay attention to the terms and conditions. Remember, insuring clothes separately and adding extras to your policy is likely to cost more, so if you can get your clothes included as standard, that would be best.
Taking out separate clothing insurance
It makes sense to take out separate insurance for clothing if you have some designer pieces that are worth a lot of money. Similarly, it is common to insure expensive watches and jewellery. Bespoke clothing or jewellery insurance usually covers your items even when you’re out and about or on holiday as well as when you store them in your home. Do some research and check if you can insure multiple items under the same policy or whether each of your clothing items needs to be insured separately.
Avoiding damage
If your clothes are probably not included under standard home insurance due to their value but insuring them separately is proving to be expensive, you should take steps to minimise their risk of becoming damaged. This might include storing them in temperature-controlled rooms, packing them in protective garment bags, and storing them safely. While it is not possible to always keep clothes safe from harm, taking little steps can protect them for longer. When it comes to guarding against theft, you could put certain items in a safe or set up security cameras in your home.
Low-value clothes
A clothing collection that is not worth very much but has sentimental value probably isn’t worth insuring (and is likely covered under home insurance). While you want to keep your items safe so you can enjoy wearing them, an insurance provider is unlikely to attach much value to them so your payout may be disappointing. In this situation, it is important to take steps to keep clothes safe as mentioned above. While your clothes are not likely to attract the attention of thieves, try to take preventative steps against dampness and pests.
