Home appliance insurance

Warranties on your appliances are offered by the product’s manufacturer, rather than an insurance company. It works as a guarantee that the appliance you’ve bought is free of any defects that prevent it from working.

They usually last a year, and while you can usually get them extended up to five years – known as an extended warranty – these work slightly differently to the original warranty period. During the extended period you’ll be entitled to repairs should your appliance become defective – this means the costs of parts, and usually labour and call out charges too, are covered.

Warranties are product-specific – meaning each warranty only applies to the appliance it came with. A home appliance insurance policy isn’t generally limited to one item, so you can use it to cover a range of appliances in your home under one policy.

You can cover multiple home appliances under one policy. In fact, doing this often leads to a discount on the annual premium.

If you’re a tenant then your landlord should have cover in place for any appliances they’ve provided, such as the fridge, cooker and washing machine – this won’t be your responsibility. However, anything you’ve bought and brought yourself, like your microwave, coffee machine or slow cooker, is up to you to cover.

As a landlord, you aren’t legally obligated to take out insurance for any appliances you provide in your rental property. However, you are responsible for keeping the property in shape and up to a certain living standard – so you may find having the right cover saves you on shelling out in the future.

Your home contents insurance policy is likely to cover your kitchen appliances against certain things, like theft, fire or storm damage, or escape of water. They may not however offer accidental damage as standard, so you’ll likely have to pay extra for this – and things like mechanical damage and emergency call-out charges will probably not be covered.

Older appliances are less likely to qualify for cover, simply due to the fact that they’ll be more likely to break down simply as a result of wear and tear. The limit will depend on the insurer, but expect it to be in the region of eight years as a maximum age.

Providers usually operate a new-for-old policy, which means you’ll be given a brand-new replacement, usually market-equivalent, for the damaged appliance. Check your policy details.

Your appliance insurance policy should cover call-out charges, as this is partly what distinguishes it from standard contents cover. However be sure to check your policy to be certain.

Most appliance insurance policies have an age limit, often for appliances over 10 years old. Some providers also have a compulsory excess if an appliance is over a certain age.

There can also be limits on the amount you can claim, or on the types of appliances covered, so be sure to check the policy details before buying.

Some providers may be willing to extend their cover to include items such as DVD players or vacuum cleaners. However, appliance insurance for the most part is designed to cover large home appliances like white goods, so it's not normal for policies to cover other types of home electronics like televisions. For these types of items, you will need contents insurance to cover them.

To cover smaller, portable electronics such as smart phones, tablets, or laptops, gadget insurance can keep your items protected both in and outside of the home.

If your appliance is unrepairable, most insurers will cover the cost of a replacement. Policies tend to offer different levels of cover, so it’s worth checking your policy to how this will be paid, and the value of the cover.