Students, and the cover you may already have

A full-time student living away from home is frequently covered by a parent's contents policy, under an extension usually called student belongings away from home. The condition is that it is a temporary arrangement during term, and the cover is capped. Where that applies, buying a separate policy duplicates what you already pay for.

When the parent policy does cover you

• You are a full-time student and the room is a term-time address, not a permanent home
• The policy lists student cover, or belongings away from home, in the schedule
• Your individual items sit under the single item limit, often 1,000 to 2,500 pounds
• You are not running a business from the room

When it does not

• The policy was never extended, or the extension caps cover at a low figure
• You have a laptop, bike, instrument or camera above the single item limit
• The tenancy requires liability cover for the property itself, which a home policy rarely provides for a rented house
• You stay in the property over summer and it becomes your main address

Halls versus a shared house

Halls usually come with a block policy from the provider, which covers the building and sometimes contents to a modest limit. Read the accommodation handbook rather than assuming. A shared house is different: the landlord insures the building, and nothing covers your belongings unless you arrange it.

Bikes, laptops and instruments

These three cause most student claims and are the three most often excluded. Bikes are usually excluded while outside the home; laptops are covered for theft only with forced entry; instruments often need a specified item entry. If any of them is expensive, add it explicitly rather than assuming.

Next: flat shares and HMOs, or what student cover costs.