Garden shed insurance: what you need to know

While some are little more than repositories for rusting tools, garden sheds are now just as likely to be storing costly kit like bicycles and exercise equipment.

In fact, some sheds are no longer used as simple storage space at all. Many homeowners are converting outbuildings into home offices, exercise studios or summer houses. The humble garden shed has taken on a range of exciting new roles.

But new roles bring new risks. A burglar might assume that it’s easier to break into and steal from a garden shed than from the main property. After all people don’t tend to sleep in their garden sheds. And if your shed contains electronics, gadgets and other valuable items, it’s worth making sure that your shed and its contents are properly protected and insured.

Preventive security measures for garden sheds

Just as you lock your house up when you go out, don’t forget to secure your shed when you’re done with it. Putting good quality locks on sheds and outbuildings is an easy way to discourage opportunistic thieves. But if your shed contains items of value then you may want to consider more sophisticated security measures. These can include:

• Alarms
• Security lights
• Outdoor security cameras
• Security marking for expensive items such as bikes or power tools

In addition, always try to keep expensive items hidden from view.

Strong outdoor security will deter thieves from trying to break into your shed in the first place, and it shows burglars who may be targeting your home that you take security seriously. Good locks and lights can also make your shed or outbuilding easier to insure.

Installing a burglar alarm can act as an effective deterrent. Fitting one can even reduce your insurance premium.

But no security is foolproof, so if you store anything of value in your shed then you should consider some kind of outbuilding insurance. 

Do you need garden shed insurance?

The good news is that it may be included within your existing home insurance policy. Home insurance with outbuildings cover is common. Many home insurance policies cover sheds and other outbuildings automatically, as long as they’re located on your property. Usually this means that they must fall under the same postcode as your main building. But the extent of shed insurance coverage can differ between policies so you need to check the small print to understand what is and isn’t protected.

Does Age Co offer shed insurance?

Age Co offers home insurance provided through our partner, LV=. Outbuildings are included under home insurance, meaning that in both Silver and Gold policies you are covered for up to £1m in damages resulting from events like fire, flood or theft.

Does your home insurance cover your shed? What to check

Your home buildings insurance will generally cover the materials of your shed from the risk of fire, flood and storm damage. It is important to check this before taking out specialist shed insurance.

Similarly, your home contents insurance will usually cover the things you store in an outbuilding from damage and theft. But that’s not guaranteed. You may need to arrange separate insurance for any especially valuable items.

Check your home contents insurance. It will probably have a single item limit, which is the maximum an insurer will pay for a single item in a claim. If you keep items in your shed that exceed this limit, you will have to declare them separately.

Good quality bikes, laptops, exercise equipment and lawnmowers could all be worth more than your single item limit, but it will depend on the policy.

In the first instance, make sure to include the contents of your shed or outbuilding in any estimate of the value of the contents of your home, and list any high-value items. Make sure you know if there is a limit on the total amount you can claim for items in your shed.

Insurance for greenhouses and other outbuildings

The same rules apply to any outbuilding on your property, including greenhouses, summer houses, home offices and studios. The building and contents are probably covered by home insurance policies, but check to make sure. Similarly, be aware of single item limits if your outbuildings store expensive items.

You should note that a shed on an allotment is unlikely to be covered by a standard home insurance policy, because it’s not on your property. It may be covered by the allotment association’s collective policy, and the tools you take there (but don’t leave there) might be covered by personal belongings insurance, if you have it.

Why shed insurance is important

If you use your shed as anything other than storage for old boxes and paint pots, you should make sure it’s protected and insured.

• Check your home insurance policy documents to see if your shed and its contents are already covered.
• If you store expensive items in an outbuilding, make sure they don’t exceed the single item limit set out in your policy.
• If they do, you can arrange top up insurance on an item-by-item basis.
• The same rules typically apply for most types of outbuilding, as long as they sit on your property.