There is a smartphone or tablet in almost every household. Often it is not even about one device but several. If one of these devices breaks down indoors or outdoors, everyone wonders whether or not this is covered by home contents insurance. An accident is in a small corner. The smartphone slides off the couch while watching television, causing a crack in the display. The device can also fall out of your bag when you want to take something else out. Without telephone insurance, you are probably wondering whether this is covered by another insurance policy.
Home insurance
The good news is that in addition to telephone insurance, there is also an insurance policy that covers damage caused by an accident. In some cases, home contents insurance also covers damage that is accidentally caused to a mobile phone. In these cases, it concerns extensive, all-risk, or all-in cover; the name of this insurance differs per insurer. With this cover, damage caused by accident is also covered by the household insurance.
Outdoor Coverage
Standard household insurance only reimburses the damage caused in your home and on your own land. Damage caused outdoors is generally not covered unless a module is closed for outdoor coverage. With this comprehensive cover, damage caused outside the home is also compensated. If you drop your smartphone on the train or during a bus ride, and it becomes defective, it is covered by the home contents insurance.
PHONE DAMAGE CAUSED BY SOMEONE ELSE?
Damage to your phone, but you are not the cause yourself? In that case, it is not always clear how the damage can be compensated. It mainly depends on who caused the damage, how it happened, and when it happened. With different insurance policies and often double coverage for certain claims, it is logical that you do not immediately know which cover it falls under. Is the damage reimbursed by telephone insurance, liability insurance, or home contents insurance?
Through phone insurance?
If someone else has caused the damage to your telephone, the damage cannot be claimed under the AT&T telephone insurance policy that you have taken out. This is because a telephone insurance policy is taken out by name, whereby only your own damage is reimbursed. In principle, the telephone is not insured, but you as the policyholder are.
Through liability insurance?
The liability insurance covers the damage that someone else (accidentally) causes to your belongings. This insurance is specifically intended for this purpose. If someone else accidentally breaks your phone, then the liability insurance of this person will pay for the damage. Conversely, it is your own liability insurance that has to pay for the damage if you accidentally drop someone else’s phone and cause damage in this way. Compensation for damage is usually based on the current value of the telephone. This is considerably less than the original purchase price for a telephone because telephones depreciate relatively quickly. A Samsung smartphone, for example, a few years old, has already lost well over half of its original value.
Through home insurance?
It is possible that the damage can be reimbursed by the home contents insurance, but that depends on who caused the damage. Members of the family and any guest are covered by the household contents insurance if it concerns an insurance policy with family cover, and the incident is covered.
Please note that with insurance, there is usually a deductible. The policyholder must pay this deductible himself if the damage is compensated. The amount of the deductible differs per insurer. It is also possible to buy off the deductible with a higher premium.