These days most properties contain buildings that are external to the main building whether it’s a wood cabin, garage, greenhouse, Breeze House or just a garden shed. Factors such as the costs involved with moving have led to trends in people deciding to utilise their existing property and the space around it by building extensions or adding buildings such as log cabins to the surrounding ground. Outbuilding and shed insurance cover will usually be as standard on home policies but it is worth checking with insurers that this is the case.
Buildings that are not of standard construction are not normally covered under standard insurance policies….
When taking out a quote for home insurance, if you ask about insurance cover for such buildings they may make an exception providing full details are declared at the time and noted in your statement of insurance. For example thatched cottages and listed buildings sometimes have out buildings that are built with the same materials as the main property and some insurers are ok with this especially if the policy is designed for such circumstances such as thatched or listed building policies.
Contents in sheds and outbuildings
Most insurance policies have a standard level of cover for content that is either out in the open or stored in sheds and other out buildings up to a fixed amount which will vary from insurer to insurer.
Accidental damage does not normally extend to contents within garages and outbuildings but this is subjective to each insurer and is worth enquiring about with your insurer or if you are requiring a quote.
Flat roofs on out buildings
Insurers usually like to know if any part of the property contains a flat roof and what percentage of the overall property this represents, this extends to outbuilding and Shed Insurance Cover for garages, extensions and other out buildings. Flat roofs should be maintained more frequently than standard roofs, usually 10-12 years and is required under many standard insurance endorsements.
However advances in roofing materials means that some specialist roofing companies now offer their own insurance backed guarantees of longer periods which is more like 20 years or more and a quick internet search will help you find them if interested.
