Valuables Insurance

The definition of a valuable varies across insurance providers and it doesn’t just mean ‘expensive’.

Household items or white goods that you would typically expect to find in any home are not necessarily considered valuables. And, although they can be expensive to buy, gadgets are not always considered valuables.

Our Bronze, Silver and Gold Home Insurance considers the following to be 'valuables':

If you’re unsure whether something counts as a valuable, give us a call on 0345 608 9011 (or 0800 916 6880 for Specialist Cover) and we’ll be happy to help.

Remember, it won’t affect your cover if you let us know about something that doesn’t need to be listed. So it’s always worth checking.

Valuables and personal possessions may sound similar but many insurance providers treat them differently.

You like to wear expensive jewellery on special occasions or take your binoculars hiking. If so, it’s worth knowing that many standard contents insurance policies won’t cover items outside the home without additional cover. Even if your items are insured, your provider will usually set a limit on cover for longer trips away from home.

With our Bronze, Silver and Gold Cover, you would need our personal possessions add-on for your valuables to be covered outside the home.

And if you have young adults heading to university, we offer a student insurance add-on.

With our Specialist Home Insurance, you can have complete peace of mind with your personal possessions covered anywhere in the world.

A single item limit is the maximum an insurance provider will pay out for an individual item when you make a claim. The single item could be a pair of earrings or a set of coins. So bear this in mind when adding up the cost of your valuables against your maximum claim limit. 

The maximum claim limit (or replacement cost of total valuables) is the total sum your insurance provider will pay for all of the valuables in your home.

For John Lewis Home Insurance, the single article limit for unspecified items with our Bronze, Silver and Gold cover levels is £3,000. For specified valuables, the individual limit is £20,000.

Our Specialist cover level has a single item limit of £10,000 for jewellery and watches and a £25,000 single item limit for art and antiques. However, if you require higher single article limits, these can be considered if you speak to your underwriter. The replacement cost of total valuables is bespoke.

If you don’t declare expensive valuables you could end up losing money when you make a claim. For example, our single article limit of £3,000 across Bronze, Silver and Gold insurance policies wouldn’t cover the full replacement cost of a £4,000 engagement ring. By telling us about items that cost more than our single article limit we can make sure you’re covered up to £20,000 per declared valuable. 

In some cases, your expensive valuables could tip the cost of all items in your home above your replacement cost of total valuables. If this is the case, you might not receive the payout you expected.

If you are unsure about the value of an expensive or notable item:

Get the item valued

Let your insurance provider know the value

Upgrade your level of valuables cover, if necessary

To get the right level of cover, you need to know:

The current value of any expensive or notable items

The total cost of all valuables

Your insurance provider’s maximum claim limit for valuables

If you’re unsure about the value of your items, get them valued by a professional. Values can fluctuate depending on trends and buyer appetite. So it's wise to have your most expensive items valued every 3-5 years. In fact, this could even be a condition of your insurance policy.

Specialist policies are designed to cover your more expensive valuables. Our Specialist Home Insurance is for high-value homes and contents. It has a single article limit of £10,000 for jewellery and watches and £25,000 for art and antiques. Higher single article limits can be considered though. The cover has a bespoke maximum payout for total valuables to suit your needs.

You might find that a £3,000 single article limit with our Bronze, Silver or Gold cover levels is enough to cover your most expensive unspecified items. For more expensive items, you could declare them for cover up to £20,000 each.

If you have a large number of valuables priced at £3,000 or below, you might still benefit from our Silver or Gold level insurance to cover the total cost of all your valuables. The maximum payout for Silver level customers is £20,000 and £40,000 for Gold level customers.

Learn more about our Specialist Insurance for high-value homes and contents

If your valuables aren’t stored safely you might not be able to make a claim on your valuables insurance. For example, you may need to keep specific valuables in a safe or a damp-proof box to make sure your cover remains valid.

When covering your valuables with John Lewis, the information we need to ensure your valuables are covered depends on your level of cover.
 

For our Bronze, Silver and Gold Insurance we’ll ask for:

Details about you and your home

Professional valuations or original purchase receipts (less than 5 years old) for any items valued at £5,000 or more

For our Specialist Home Insurance, we’ll ask for:

Details about you and your home

Professional valuations or original purchase receipts for art and antiques valued at £25,000 or more

Professional valuations for jewellery and watches valued at £10,000 or more

We can process claims more quickly if you can provide photographs of the valuables and a full inventory of everything that has been lost, stolen or damaged. To be safe, you may want to complete your inventory and take your photographs as soon as you can.

Remember to update us when you buy anything new or make additions to your home that could increase the overall value of your contents. As a general rule of thumb, you could plan to update us on the value of your possessions around birthdays and Christmas and if you get engaged. Keep this in mind, too, if you inherit any valuable items, such as jewellery.