This is part of a series of guidance about safety and security provided for students.

Insurance

Have a think about the items you’ve got: computer, stereo, television, DVDs, CDs… the list goes on. Chances are they would cost well over a thousand pounds to replace. Whilst insurance can seem like just another expense at the start of the year, it could pay for itself many times over if your stuff gets stolen.

Extend an Existing Policy

If you normally live with your parents you may find that it’s possible to extend their household insurance to cover you at university for less than the cost of taking out a whole new policy – check if this is possible, and if you go for it, check how comprehensive the cover they offer is.

Cover Varies Between Policies

With any policy you take out it’s important to take a look at what cover you have. It’s worth noting the excess – this is the first amount that a claim will not pay, so if you have a £50 excess, and have £400 of stuff stolen your insurance company would pay out £350. Also, different companies have different policies on high value items – some will ask you to inform them of any item over a certain amount or it won’t be covered. Once you have insurance, it’s important to make sure you have enough insurance.

Computer Security

If your computer is stolen, it’s likely to have your work on it. Even if you have insurance to get a replacement computer, it won’t be able to replace your work, so take regular backups of your work, and store them away from the computer.

Summary

Don’t forget insurance!
In some cases it can be cheaper to extend an existing policy.
Read the fine print – cover varies between policies.
Back up important computer files, such as coursework, and store the backups away from the computer.

Pages in this Guide

The following pages have a lot of information about safety, which might seem a lot to take in. If you don’t want to have to check all these things, Accreditation can be considered a ‘short-cut’, since most of our safety advice is reflected in the requirements of the Accreditation Scheme. It’s one of the reasons we strongly recommend you to rent an Accredited house.

This information is provided for general guidance only. Safety and security are important issues, and if you have any concerns you should speak to an expert.