Households could face complications with their home insurance if they fail to declare garden features, with some additions potentially affecting coverage or leading to rejected claims
Some garden features must be declared to your insurer(Image: Westend61 via Getty Images)
Summer is approaching, and many homeowners will be eager to spruce up their gardens before welcoming visitors. But before tackling any DIY jobs, it’s important to know that certain improvements could potentially invalidate your home insurance.
Households invest a lot of money insurance, making it vital to ensure that money isn’t wasted if an incident occurs. With approximately 70% of UK homes believed to be underinsured, not declaring garden features could heighten the chances of reduced payouts or claim rejections.
With this in mind, Ian Wilson, home insurance expert at Tiger.co.uk, has highlighted five ‘seemingly harmless’ garden additions that could impact your insurance coverage. He said: “Additions like kids’ play equipment and storage units, or even quick DIY jobs, might feel like you’re making minor changes to a garden, but if they’re not declared or installed well, they could lead to complications when making a claim.
“That’s why it’s so important for homeowners to keep their insurer informed of any upgrades and ensure all work is carried out to a high standard.”
Installing garden rooms or outbuildings
Permanent constructions, such as outdoor offices and summer houses featuring heating or plumbing, must be disclosed to your insurer as they may not receive cover if undeclared.
They can also bump up the expense of rebuilding your property if damaged, and may increase the level of risk of fire or theft.
Adding sheds or storage structures
Garden sheds and storage structures can impact your insurance coverage, especially when storing valuable possessions inside. Insurance providers often impose strict limits and security rules for outbuildings.
Homeowners should carefully review their policy documentation, with some insurers even demanding that valuables must not be visible through windows.
Planting new trees
Planting new trees, especially when positioned too near to buildings, can create long-term structural problems including subsidence or foundation damage.
These issues can impact your home insurance and may result in rejected claims if the risk wasn’t disclosed or appropriately managed.
Poor-quality garden work
Carrying out poor-quality garden work that later causes problems can affect your insurance. This could include badly installed decking, unstable patios or poorly fitted electrical work.
Where work is deemed unsafe, improperly executed or fails to meet regulations, it could invalidate a claim if found to have contributed to the damage.
Trampolines and large play structures
Trampolines and large outdoor play structures, such as climbing frames, heighten injury risks, particularly for children, and can create liability concerns if someone suffers harm on your property.
Numerous insurers either exclude these items or impose strict requirements including safety netting, soft landing surfaces or secure anchoring for coverage to remain effective.