What's Accidental Damage cover?
Accidental damage is an add-on to your home insurance. It’s there to cover you for accidents that damage your property or the things inside it. For example, a smashed window or a stain on your sofa.
Good to know
It's important to remember Accidental Damage cover is for damage caused by one-off incidents.
It doesn’t cover damage that happens slowly over time, like wear and tear or mechanical or electrical faults.
What does Accidental Damage cover?
We offer two types of Accidental Damage cover – Buildings and Contents.
Depending on which type of cover you have, that means we’ll cover accidental damage to the structure or fittings of your home, and what's inside it.
We also offer three levels of home insurance cover: Admiral, Admiral Gold and Admiral Platinum. They each offer different levels of Accidental Damage cover:
Admiral
Doesn’t include Accidental Damage cover (but there’s an option to add it)
Gold
Includes some level of Accidental Damage cover (option to upgrade to full)
Platinum
Includes full Accidental Damage cover
Remember to check your policy book to see what you are and aren’t covered for.
Buildings Accidental Damage cover
This covers sudden and unexpected damage to your buildings, fixtures and fittings.
| Admiral | Admiral Gold |
Admiral Platinum |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass and sanitary ware accidental breakage | Optional | ||
| Full Buildings Accidental Damage | Optional | Optional |
What does Buildings Accidental Damage cover?
Here are a few examples of what Buildings Accidental Damage covers. Remember to check your policy book for the full list. Policy limits and exclusions apply.
| The accident | Glass and sanitary ware accidental breakage | Full Buildings Accidental Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Smashing your window or patio door with a football | ||
| Cracking your toilet bowl or sink by dropping something heavy | ||
| Smashing your shower screen | ||
| Hammering a nail through a pipe or cutting through electrical cables while doing DIY | Optional | |
| Burning your kitchen surface with a hot pan | Optional | |
| Putting your foot through the ceiling while in the attic | Optional | |
| Spilling paint on tiles | Optional |
Contents Accidental Damage Cover
This covers sudden and unexpected damage to your belongings in your home and garden.
| Admiral | Admiral Gold |
Admiral Platinum |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Audiovisual Accidental Damage | Optional | ||
| Accidental breakage of mirrors or glass | Optional | ||
| Full Contents Accidental Damage | Optional | Optional |
What does Contents Accidental Damage cover?
| The accident | Audiovisual, Mirrors and Glass Accidental Damage | Full Contents Accidental Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Knocking your TV off its stand | ||
| Dropping something on your glass coffee tabletop | ||
| Smashing a freestanding mirror | ||
| Dropping your mobile phone, laptop or tablet | Optional | |
| Ripping your sofa’s fabric | Optional | |
| Spilling wine on your carpet | Optional | |
| Breaking an item of jewellery (Up to £2,000) | Optional |
What doesn’t Accidental Damage cover?
Here are some things you're not covered for, plus some handy examples so you know exactly what we mean.
Gradual damage
This is damage that happens slowly over time. This might be because of normal use, if something hasn't been looked after properly or general wear and tear.
Some examples of this include:
- render that's falling off or blistering because of damp
- window frames that are cracking because they're old
- soft furnishings (carpets, sofas) that are worn or faded
- appliances (washing machines, fridges) that have broken down with no physical damage
Mechanical damage
This is when something doesn't work anymore because of a mechanical or electrical fault.
Examples of this include:
- broken lock mechanisms, where an inside part has broken
- broken washing machines, where the motor has burnt out
- broken dishwasher, where the control panel has stopped responding
Poor workmanship or design
This is when damage is caused by:
- substandard building work
- poor design or bad plans
- broken or poor-quality materials
An example of this is when floor tiles are damaged because units weren’t installed properly.
Damage caused by pets
This is when damage is caused by your pet chewing, scratching, tearing, going to the toilet or vomiting.
Examples of this include:
- your cat scratching your sofa fabric
- your puppy having a toilet mishap and ruining your carpet
Deliberate action
We don't cover deliberate, malicious or illegal damage. This is things like if someone threw a remote at your TV on purpose and cracked the screen.
Undeclared high-risk items
If you spill water on your desktop PC and it’s worth £3,000, you’ll only be covered for £2,000. That’s because you didn’t tell us it was a high-risk item when you bought your policy. Anything worth over £2,000 must be declared to have full cover under your Accidental Damage policy.
Value less than excess
You can’t make a claim if the cost of the repairs or replacement is less than your excess.
What type of cover do you have?
Buildings
Buildings home insurance covers the structural elements of your home, like windows, doors, and roofs.
Contents
Contents home insurance covers your items within your home, such as furniture and appliances.
Combined
Combined home insurance includes both Buildings and Contents cover.
How to add Accidental Damage to your policy
New customers
If you’re a new customer, you can add Accidental Damage cover as an add-on when you get home insurance with us. Our Platinum cover includes Accidental Damage cover.
Existing customers
If you already have a home insurance policy with us, get in touch and we'll add Accidental Damage cover to your policy.
It can’t be bought on its own
You can’t get Accidental Damage cover on its own – you can only add it to your home insurance policy.
Frequently asked questions
Will I be covered for damage caused by children and pets?
While accidental damage caused by children is covered, any damage caused by pets chewing, tearing, scratching, fouling, or vomiting is not (e.g. damage to carpets, furniture, and tech).
Do I pay an excess on Accidental Damage claims?
Yes. You can choose your voluntary excess when taking out your policy, though the minimum compulsory excess is £50.
Looking for other policy upgrades?
Admiral offers great value, flexible policy upgrades across all our Home Insurance products.