How to insure your carpet

The contents aspect of a home insurance policy is designed to protect the items you keep within your home, including carpets. However, policies can vary widely and you may not be covered against all the risks you’d expect.

Here we look at how to insure your carpet and your options if a claim is necessary.

What protection do you need for your carpet?

Carpets are usually covered as part of your home contents insurance. Contents insurance is designed to protect the non-permanent items in your home – such as furniture, electrical items and clothing – against risks such as water leaks, explosions, theft, flooding and fire damage (subject to the policy’s terms and conditions).

To ensure your carpet is covered under the terms of your policy, pay attention to the following:

- Accidental damage cover: Most home insurance policies will cover your carpet if it was damaged in a flood or during an act of vandalism in your home – but accidental damage may not incorporate carpets even if you have accidental damage cover on your policy. This is because most accidental damage cover applies only to electrical items – you may have to pay an additional premium to extend the accidental damage cover to other items in your home. So to protect your carpet against spills and other inadvertent problems, look for a cover extension.

- Sum insured: This is the limit on the total you can claim for contents following an insured event. Ideally, make an inventory of the items within your home to ensure you are covered suitably.

- Specified item limits: Many home insurance policies carry limits on the amount you can claim for individual items and this is usually in the region of £1,500. If your carpet is would cost more to replace than the specified item limit it may need to be insured separately on your policy as a specified item.  

- New for old/Wear and tear cover: Crucially, not all home insurance policies are the same and you should pay close attention to the terms and conditions on any policy you are considering applying for. For example, some policies offer ‘new for old’ cover which means that if your carpet were ruined during an insured event it would be replaced with a new one. However, other policies only offer ‘wear and tear’ cover that deducts a percentage of what you paid for the carpet for depreciation. Remember that carpets are particularly prone to wear and tear, so if you want a brand new replacement you should check the policy’s terms carefully.

- Exclusions: These are circumstances in which you will not be covered. For example, you may have accidental damage cover for your carpet, but this may not apply if the damage was caused by a child or pet.

- Excess levels: This is your contribution towards a claim. Increasing a policy excess will usually lower home insurance premiums but you should be careful to keep the excess at a level you can comfortably afford. Setting the excess too high can also negate the purpose of many smaller claims.

How to make a carpet-related home insurance claim

If your carpet were damaged during a home flood or theft then making a home insurance claim is advisable. However, minor damage to a carpet due to an insured event can be difficult to prove because carpets are subject to so much natural wear and tear. As home insurance claims are subject to an excess being paid and as they may cause your premiums to rise too, it’s worth exploring all the available options before making a claim.

For example, did you take out a warranty on the carpet when you bought it? If so, examine its terms and conditions as it may be easier to make a claim on your warranty than on your home insurance.

Another option is to get your carpet professionally cleaned. If you decide that’s the right choice for you, then take the time to compare quotes from cleaning agencies in your area to avoid getting overcharged. Also consider whether the problem is likely to be rectified by cleaning or not.

Should you decide a home insurance claim is necessary, inform your insurance company as soon as possible after the insured event has taken place. You will normally be asked to fill out a claims form and the insurance company may want to send out a loss adjustor to assess the claim so don’t dispose of the carpet until approved by your provider.

To ensure a home insurance claim runs smoothly take photographs of the damage and follow the home insurance company’s advice carefully.