Contents Insurance

[KB]

Do check with the specific policy but a number of the insurance policies that are included in Hall fees only cover contents when they are in the Hall. So laptops etc are not covered when you take them to lectures unless you pay an extra premium.

Agrred , but really it is a good reason for not taking the laptop to lectures!

Am quite surprised how few use the old pen and ink to take notes these days

At DC's Uni they make electronic copies of notes available in advance. Annotating them during lecture means more able to concentrate on following technical aspects than writing it all down.
Also - not always free work stations on campus so having laptop to hook up to internet on WiFi is handy for working between contact periods.
Therefore would advise looking into cover away from room if financially viable.
We found that the not covered away from room issue also applies to musical instruments, so worth checking.

[Marylou]

Any students with high-value musical instruments might consider joining the Musicians' Union, which includes instrument insurance in its very reasonable annual student subscription fee of £20. Our DD uses this for her various guitars, ukuleles, brass instruments, etc.
http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/students/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Loopyloulou]

Any students with high-value musical instruments might consider joining the Musicians' Union, which includes instrument insurance in its very reasonable annual student subscription fee of £20. Our DD uses this for her various guitars, ukuleles, brass instruments, etc.
http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/students/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Presumably there is an upper limit to the cover, do you know what it is? It seems to be hidden in Terms & Conditions which can't be viewed before signing up.

[Marylou]

Presumably there is an upper limit to the cover, do you know what it is? It seems to be hidden in Terms & Conditions which can't be viewed before signing up.

I've just e-mailed them - it's £2,000 for instruments. I would imagine most policies would have an upper limit, but given the value of some instruments I'd have expected it to be a bit higher...still, it's being offered as a "perk" of membership and might be adequate for most students' needs.

[solimum]

My violin & bow and my son's bassoon have been insured through Allianz's specialist musical instrument cover (used to be Zurich but it's the same policy ) for several years and you specify the value with no upper limit I believe (proper valuation or recent purchase details needed). Useful to have cover inside/outside the house, even if stolen from a car (and not necessarily in the boot). As son once left his bassoon on the train (the bassoon went to London without him but was safely recovered by Chiltern Railways) and bassoons don't come cheap that was a vital reassurance! Rapid and helpful response when my bow fell on the floor during a rehearsal and snapped!

Fortunately the piano doesn't get taken out of the house very often so that is covered under the usual contents insurance ...

[mike1880]

One point about musical instrument policies:

Our home contents insurance covers daughter's musical instruments more or less anywhere, the sole exception is when it's locked in the instrument store at school. However, when I looked at more specialised music policies to cover that loophole I found that NONE of them cover the instrument when it's in the instrument store, so it's essential to check the small print about when an item is covered and when it isn't.

Mike

[silverysea]

So if there is a fire flood or dishonest fellow musician (there's a code in the door and dozens must know it, though it is changed from time to time ), we aren't covered. That's