Insurance for Laptops in Shared Accomodation?

Hi

My son has recently started his first job as a newly qualified teacher and is currently living in shared accommodation along with some postgrad students. He's invested in a new Dell Laptop (value around 600) which he needs to get insured.

I wondered if anyone could recommend a decent low cost insurance policy which will just cover the Laptop for all risks in and outside his accommodation. He tried the NUT company (Norwich Union) but they won't handle shared accommodation directly. I did approach our own insurance company (L&G) but they won't cover him if he lives mostly away from home.

Many Thanks Jeff

Reply to
Jeff
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Endsleigh.I think my daughter is paying 30 or 40 for similar, eg just a laptop, though that is for inside the house only, but they do do it outside as well.

Reply to
Tumbleweed

Insuring one laptop usually isn't worth it. You might as well not bother and just buy another if something does happen to it.

Reply to
Peter Saxton

One thing to consider when getting such insurance. If the insurer then requires the room he occupies to be locked when he is not there - does this give rise to him needing a TV licence in shared accomodation? That will be quite an extra cost per annum.

Reply to
Colin Forrester

He would need a separate licence only if he has a TV in his room (or a TV card in his laptop) and if the room counts as a "separately occupied space". Simply having a lockable door does not make it count as that. Having a separate tenancy agreement does, regardless of whether the door is lockable or not. Shared accommodation does not always involve individual tenancy agreements for each tenant/room. Where there is a joint tenancy agreement for the whole flat, on which all the occupants are listed, it would count as a single space and need only a single licence regardless of how many TVs are in use.

Surely students don't have time to watch telly. They're too busy studying, or else going down the pub (where there's a telly anyway) or having wild parties.

Reply to
Ronald Raygun

I use this lot:

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And I've found them to be excellent. I had cause to make a claim two years ago when I put my thumb through the screen of my wife's laptop. I expected hassle, but they sent a courier to the house to collect the laptop and returned it repaired within a week. No signs of any scratches or damage to the case, a first class repair.

They cost about £50 a year per laptop.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Absolute hogwash, the premium of £50-60 a year for most laptops is well worth paying to cover for accidental damage, and given the increase in theft of laptops from car boots, it's well worth the premium.

A colleague has his laptop stolen from the boot of his car at a motorway service station last year. It took the thief just a few minutes to drill the lock and take the computer.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Surely he can use a TV card (or preferably a DTV USB dongle) in his laptop and run it from batteries? He can then watch TV covered by his parent's TV licence.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Indeed he could. But will he? If he's caught recharging his batteries at the same time, he could get into trouble. Besides, is there not an implied requirement that the internal aerial must be used? So no cable and no satellite could be watched.

Reply to
Ronald Raygun

True, but I can watch TV without mains for up to 2 hours on my laptop, and I don't like to sit immobile for even that length of time. I'd hope a young person would not be as sessile as I.

I don't think that is stated and if it's implied if doesn't count.

Hmm, these blokes that drive into the countryside near me to watch TV from bizarre satellites must be all reckless criminals.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Many thanks for all the useful resposnes.

The CompuCover site looks particluarly interesting and I've passed it on to my son.

The question of TV reception is also interesting. He does indeed have a TV dongle for his laptop (and alren't they amazing) but at the moment he is clearly covered by the licence for the house.

Thanks again Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Another one to try is

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.

Reply to
Barry Ward

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