Insuring your Shed or Garage

You paid good money for it…Make sure you’re properly insured!

So, you enjoy a spot of DIY at weekends and you have an impressive collection of power tools to tackle any job.

Or, you have a ride-on mower, hedge trimmer and the other garden tools to keep a large garden under control.

One way or another, it all adds up to quite an investment of your hard earned cash. But where do you keep it and just how safe is it?

And the answer is possibly not safe enough.

Unless you have a steel shed. And it is properly insured.

If you are storing tools in a wooden garden shed that has seen better day, they can be stolen all too easily.

Your shed door may look a lot better than this one but the fact is that a wooden shed door is not made to withstand pressure from a crowbar.

That’s why the incidence of tools stolen from wooden sheds is so high.

And unfortunately it’s on the increase.

And it’s not just tools that the thieves are after. Bicycles are also a prime target. The success of the bike-to-work scheme and the rise in popularity of cycling as a hobby means there are a lot more expensive bicycles being stored in garden sheds.

A Garda spokesman told us:

“Thefts of bikes are up substantially. A lot of these thefts occur in garden sheds. They may be stolen and in a few hours they’re up on Done Deal or sold to students. We would ask people to secure their valuables properly”  

As safe as a house?

So how do you keep your valuables really safe?

Well the first thing is you need a secure building to keep them in. And a steel shed is the ultimate in security.

Steel is chosen as the best material for protection from extreme weather all over the world but it has another major advantage.

Steel is very, very tough.

A steel shed with a locked steel door is a burglar’s worst nightmare.

We know from the Gardai that thieves will spend an average of two minutes trying to break in. If they fail, they leave and find somewhere easier.

And that’s real peace of mind.

But what if the worst happens?

Our Insurance Specialist answers some questions:

Q. What happens to my insurance policy if I leave my shed unlocked?

A. Keep it locked!  Sounds obvious but get in the habit of always locking your shed securely. Even during the day. A shed that is left unlocked or window left open can make your insurance policy invalid.

Q. Are the contents of my shed covered by my house insurance?

A. Check with your insurance company what cover your particular policy provides. Your shed contents may already be covered under your house policy. Many policies will provide that cover. But that’s not always the case, so always check before you have a claim! And if your house policy doesn’t cover your shed, it’s a very small additional fee to extend your cover.

Is everything I store in the shed covered?

Again, check your policy but often mechanical items over 5 horse power are not covered, which would include items such as outboard motors/ motorbikes.

I play in a band and I keep my guitars and amps in my shed.  

Does my insurance cover them?

If the contents of your shed are used for ‘professional’ purpose as in this case, they may not be covered.   

The best advice seems to be always check with your insurance provider!

All the Best,

  Sean