Home Insurance

Head Out With Your Home Insurance

Enjoying a cappuccino at the Café de la Gare as you wait for your train to Florence…Backpacking to a youth hostel somewhere in Latin America…Stopping for the night in a motel and leaving your vacation luggage in the car…

What do all these situations have in common? Travel, of course! But there is one more thing: if you have the misfortune to fall victim to a theft, your home insurance will protect you, because the stolen items are “personal property temporarily removed from your home”.

Protection that travels with you
When you travel, your home insurance goes right along with your personal belongings, which are covered up to the limit shown in your policy. Your automobile insurance protects your car against damage or theft. But the things carried inside the car are covered by your home insurance, which also covers other people’s property that may be in your possession, for example the camping gear you borrowed for your trip.

There are certain limitations to this coverage. Make a point of checking your insurance policy to find out the details, especially if you will be traveling with an expensive bicycle, a laptop computer, or jewellery. You may need to obtain specific coverage to protect this property to its full value. This additional coverage may include several benefits:

• lower deductible
• coverage for the full value of the item (no limit)
• All Risks coverage

Prevention first
To reduce the risk of misadventure, here is a reminder of a few basic precautions to take during your travels:
o Inside the vehicle: do not leave anything visible in the car’s interior. Hiding your camera under a sweater is a well-known trick. Be extra-vigilant, because these days there are systems that can locate electronic devices anywhere in the car.

• In the trunk: before you leave, not when you arrive. If you put your handbag in the trunk when you get out of your car in the parking lot, it is easy for someone to spot.
• Lock your doors. A stop for a red light can be an opportunity for a thief to open a door and take something from the back seat.
• Train stations and airports: be extra careful. Never let your bags out of your sight for an instant, especially if someone stops to ask you something or you use a bank machine.
• Take pictures before you leave home. Photographing your luggage (both bags and contents) can be helpful to keep you from forgetting anything if you ever need to make a claim.

So keep your eyes open, and bon voyage!