New research from Go.Compare home insurance suggests that while the average UK shed is used to store around £455 worth of valuables, 55% of shed owners don’t have insurance to cover their sheds or outbuildings, haven’t thought about it, or don’t know if they have the right cover.
While the survey looks at sheds in general rather than garden offices in particular, the findings might also serve as a wakeup call for shedworkers to check that they are covered too.
The new research asked more than 1,300 shed owners about how they used their garden buildings - one in ten shed owners use them as a “hobby space”, and 8% have converted their sheds into gyms, a further 6% using them as a games room.
According to the data, the average value of the contents that UK householders keep in either a shed or outbuilding is £455, though for 1 in 6 people it’s more than £1,000. However, despite the high value of these items, only 44% of those surveyed are certain they have insurance cover in place.
Ceri McMillan, home insurance spokesperson for Go.Compare, said: “We did a similar survey in 2021 when we found that UK adults had spent an average of £1,976 on their gardens during the pandemic. We wanted to find out if the way people are using these spaces has changed four years on, and whether or not these former havens were now defunct so it was heartening to see people are still making the most of these spaces.
“It’s clear many people are keeping quite valuable items in their sheds. But whether you’re using your shed to store gardening tools or gym equipment, it’s important to know if it’s properly protected. Many of us may not think about the value and security of our garden contents in the same way as we do about our homes, but when you start adding up even the average garden can house several thousands of pounds worth of items.
“Sheds and other outbuildings are often covered under your buildings insurance but this just covers the structure, not what you keep inside. Instead, these items can be covered by home contents insurance under ‘contents in the open’, which provides cover for loss or damage to contents left outside but within the boundaries of your home. While there’s often a degree of cover for gardens and outbuildings in a home insurance policy, the amount and level of cover can vary significantly. So, if you’re keeping valuable items in your shed, you may want to check your insurance cover and make sure it’s right for your requirements, or even buy additional garden cover.”
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