Top Tips for Students off to Uni

With the UK’s student population approaching two million, it’s fair to say that a large number of our customers will be waving their children off to university (or college) this month!

For students, this represents an exciting opportunity to spread their wings, learn important life skills and gain qualifications that will be vital in their future careers.

For parents it can be both an anxious and expensive time as their children find their way in the world. Luckily, Covéa Insurance HNW customers insuring their contents can rest assured that we have their children’s possessions covered should anything happen while they are away from home attending university, college or even school!

It would be easy to underestimate the replacement cost of a student’s belongings. Mobile phones, laptops, clothing and accessories can all add up to a substantial sum of money if they need replacing. Most students will take in excess of £2,000 of possessions with them to university, and for some this figure will be a lot higher.

The Student Possessions cover offered by our policies means that any offspring that normally live at home will have their possessions automatically covered up to £15,000 while they are temporarily residing in student accommodation.

With all risks cover in place, such items will be covered both inside and outside the home including pedal cycles and their accessories. This includes cover for accidental damage, accidental loss, fire, theft, flood and storm damage anywhere in the world, ensuring peace of mind even for customers with children studying overseas.

Our flagship Executive Plus product includes a number of additional covers to cater for situations and emerging risks our customers may not have considered: 

• tenant’s liability – covers the cost of repairs to student accommodation
• course and residential fees – pays up to £35,000 for unrecoverable course, exam or residential fees where a student is unable to complete their course due to ill health
• unlimited cover for student possessions
• optional helplines for counselling, health & medical information

So while it’s only natural to worry about those that have flown the nest, leave us to worry about their possessions!

Advice for students - How to protect against the worst happening:

• keep doors and windows locked – popping out for just a few minutes gives enough time for an opportunistic thief to take advantage of an easy target – did you know? In a third of burglaries entry is gained via an unlocked door or window.
• don’t leave valuables on show – hiding valuable items from view will mean thieves waste valuable seconds trying to find them.
• be discreet – if you’ve got it, don’t flaunt it! Beware of showing off flashy items which can attract the wrong attention. Be careful about what you reveal on social media, including your whereabouts!
• beware of tailgating – don’t let just anybody into your halls of residence.
• recover your stolen items – valuables such as laptops and smartphones can be registered free of charge on immobilise.com – this will help police return stolen items to their rightful owner.

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