Does Home Insurance Cover Damage to Kitchen Appliances?

Caeva O'Callaghan | February 13th, 2024

I Inadvertently Dropped A Pot On My Expensive Induction Hob And Shattered It – Will My Home Insurance Cover Me?

Accidents happen. And your home is one of the most likely places you’ll slip up and damage something you own. But does your home insurance have your back?

Only if you have accidental damage cover. This kind of cover will cover you for damage to the pot and the hob as long as it is the result of an accident. It will not cover intentional damage.

Accidental damage cover is an add-on to many home insurance contents policies. It doesn’t come as standard. In most cases, you will have to pay extra for it on top of your premium.

In this article, we’ll go over the following questions:

Accidental damage cover only applies to items. If someone gets hurt, you will need liability cover to protect yourself against any costs.

Add accidental damage to your policy

If you have a busy home, with many people, children and/or pets, accidental damage cover may prove a good investment. Accidental damage cover protects your home and valuables from unintentional acts like spilling spaghetti bolognese on the carpet, or knocking through a window with a ladder.

Insurance companies know that sometimes, life happens. If you’ve got a sleek minimalist home, and you’re 100% careful with your belongings, you may only occasionally have visitors over. In this case, accidental damage might not be a prudent investment. You should insure any art or valuables you have separately.

But, you may have small children or grandchildren running around, or boisterous pets. In these cases having accidental damage cover in place can pay for the TV if they knock it over. Similarly for glass coffee tables, ornaments, upholstery and sentimental items.

This also applies if you have parties often, with grown-ups running around with cocktails or food in hand. Stains, broken furniture and smashed plates can all enjoy protection under accidental damage.

Of course, it won’t be worth claiming on your insurance if a party guest smashes a €2 photo frame. It’s not worth the time, effort, excess, and loss of your no claims bonus. But, if you own heirlooms, or expensive furniture, accidental damage cover is well worth it.

What accidental damage includes and excludes

Before you buy accidental damage cover, you need to check what items it specifically includes and excludes. Accidental damage cover on your contents policy will protect your personal belongings while they are:

  • In your home
  • Outdoors within the border of your property
  • While you’re moving to a new house with a professional contractor

If you take them with you travelling to and from work, or on holiday, you’ll also need to buy personal possessions cover.

Don’t forget, buildings and contents are separate. A buildings insurance policy with accidental damage will cover unintentional damage caused to, or by, the fabric of the building itself.

Insurance companies consider damage done by kids on a par with natural disasters: that is to say, it is not your responsibility if they destroy your expensive wallpaper with crayon murals. Your buildings cover will also protect:

  • Broken glass in windows, doors and skylights
  • Damaged solar panels
  • Falling through the attic floor
  • Cracked sinks, toilets, baths and showers
  • Broken or blocked service cables, wires and pipes
  • Locks and keys

As always, read your policy terms carefully – or get your broker to do it – to find out exactly what you will or won’t have cover for.

Accidental injury

Injuries to visitors or domestic employees in your home does not count as accidental damage. How your insurance deals with these claims depends on where they were injured on your property.

Buildings cover will apply if a tile falls off a roof onto your gardener, for example, or their equipment. Contents cover, meanwhile, generally covers accidents in the home.

Any standard home insurance policy should cover you for two kinds of liability:

Owner’s Liability – provides cover if a visitor or their belongings come to harm and you are liable. E.g. this would cover you if a tile were to fall off your roof.

Third-Party Liability – provides personal cover should you cause injury to another person through your negligence outside the home. E.g. if you hit someone with a frisbee.

Luckily, relatively few cases of suing are successful. This is because the claimant has to prove negligence, not just the fact that an accident has happened. This is the case no matter how serious the injury. It’s difficult to prove that if the other party had done their job, the accident would never have happened.

If you have worries about accidental damage or injury, call us today. We can help you protect yourself against claims, while keeping the people you love safe.

If you have any questions regarding home insurance talk to us today!

If you are unsure about the level of cover you have or if you have any questions at all about your house insurance, pick up the phone and talk with our experts today and we can answer all your queries. We are available between 8.30am and 5.30pm each weekday on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.

If you would like an instant home insurance quote online, you can use our home insurance calculator. We compare home insurance in Ireland from leading insurance companies.


Call Now Get a Home insurance quote

All Information in this post is accurate as of the date of publishing.