An education in home insurance

Nationwide Building Society is urging parents not to let their offspring forget about home insurance as they prepare for university over the coming weeks. By checking if student possessions are covered under their own home insurance policy, parents could avoid paying extra to insure those possessions while the student is away from home.

Students starting university this year may take with them expensive items such as a home computer, television, DVD player, hi-fi system, games console, study books and music downloads. With a potential total value in excess of £1,500 it makes sense to ensure that these belongings are insured while being kept in temporary student accommodation.

Students whose parents have a Nationwide home insurance policy are automatically covered for possessions kept in their temporary place of residence that are lost or damaged as a result of theft or other insured incidents named in the policy. Students should return to the parents' home with their belongings during holidays. Furthermore, Nationwide provides the added security that any music paid for and downloaded onto a mobile phone, MP3 player or other home entertainment equipment will be covered as standard up to the value of £1,000.

Robin Bailey, Nationwide's insurance director, said: "With the cost of tuition fees, accommodation fees and books to pay for, university is without doubt a very expensive experience for both students and parents. As a result, many parents may overlook the importance of their child having home insurance while temporarily away at university and take the risk that they will never need to make a claim. However, with expensive items such as computers, televisions, games consoles and stereos, student homes have become a prime target for burglars.

"Parents may be unaware that their child's contents could be covered under their own home insurance policy and therefore may not need to take out additional cover while they are living at university. Student policies can be expensive but, if cover is provided under their own policy, parents can make sure their child's possessions are insured while in their student accommodation without extra cost."

Tips for students on how to protect their belongings while at university:

Lock doors and windows whenever leaving your room or student house.

Speak to your landlord about replacing any old or broken locks which may make it easy for thieves to break in.

Mark possessions with the initials of your university and student ID number. This can help police return stolen items to their rightful owner and can make it harder for a burglar to sell on stolen goods.

If having friends over, lock any expensive items away to avoid damage.

Don't leave cash and valuables on display in your room. If you are on the ground floor, don't put your TV and other high value goods where they can be seen from the window.