Students - Belongings, bikes and breakdown
With the race for university places at an all-time high, thousands of youngsters will once again be heading off to unfamiliar towns and cities this autumn with all their cherished possessions in tow. Clearly security and insurance aren't going to be top of the student list, but statistically they are one of the most likely groups to fall victim to crime - one in three students will become a victim every year, with mugging, vehicle-related theft and burglary accounting for the majority of all crimes.
So if the worst does happen make sure you are properly covered
Parent's policy could give you protection for free!
Many students do not realise that their parent's home contents insurance could also provide cover for other must-have items commonly found in student rooms, including games consoles, televisions and laptops.
A standard household contents policy with Aviva gives £5000 worth of cover for items "temporarily removed from the home." This includes belongings in a student's room, at their shared house or halls on campus and covers them for all standard perils like fire, storm, flood, or malicious damage. Theft is also covered, but only if someone physically breaks into or out of the accommodation.
Parents and personal belongings outside the home
Again if you want your laptop, mobile phone and iPod to be covered when you are out and about you will need to have additional Personal Belongings cover, but if you normally live with your parents and they have it on their policy you will be covered too.
If not, they can add Personal Belongings cover to their Aviva policy from around £15 a year for £2000 worth of cover, including £500 for cash, and a single article limit of £1500. (The overall limit can be increased to £10,000 and individual items can be specified on the policy if worth more than £1500).
Jonathan Cracknell, household underwriter at Aviva, says: "After paying out for all the tuition and accommodation fees it might come as a surprise to many parents to discover that they might not have to pay anything extra to insure their children's belongings, be it their bedding and clothes, TV or iPhone.
"And if the family policy has personal belongings cover too that means the student's bits and pieces outside their digs are also protected - all for no extra cost!"
On your bike
They're the student's favourite form of transport, but according to the annual British Crime Survey there were 540,000 bike thefts in 2008/09 - up 22 per cent on the previous year.
With Aviva, bikes are covered as standard when they are kept within your home or shed - both at your parent's home or your student accommodation, but you might want to consider adding extra bike cover for when you are out and about, as most policies won't cover for theft or damage to your bike outside your student house or permanent home.
Aviva bicycle cover can be added to a home policy from around £10 a year and will cover each of the family's bikes up to your chosen limit (from £300 to £2,500) this also means your cycles are covered anywhere in the world.
For further information on direct insurance from Aviva please go to aviva.co.uk
Breakdown cover for students
If you are lucky enough to have four wheels instead of two here are some facts you might want to consider:
RAC data reveals that young drivers, age 18-25, are:
60% more likely to run out of petrol
A fifth more likely to need assistance with punctures
Three times more likely to get locked-out of their car compared to older members.
David Hawes, RAC patrol manager, said: "The most common time for young drivers to purchase breakdown cover is around December, which indicates they're waiting until the cold weather hits or the ‘bank of mum and dad' are buying the membership as a Christmas gift.
"However, running out of petrol or locking yourself out of your car can happen at any time of year, so breakdown cover is a wise purchase for any student driving off to university this September."
Breakdown cover is available online from £28 a year and could buy students and their parents extra peace of mind this autumn. For more information visit rac.co.uk
Health Cover
For parents who want to extend their private health insurance cover to protect their son or daughter at uni, Aviva's Healthier Solutions policy allows students in full-time education to be covered on their parent's policy.
Under Aviva's family cover, parents only have to pay for themselves, any dependants over 20 and their eldest child under 20. All younger children are covered free of charge.
Alternatively, if they do not want cover for themselves they can take out a personal policy for their child.
It costs from £17.99 a month to cover an 18 year old on an Aviva Healthier Solutions policy with a £500 out-patient cover limit. A wider range of lower costs and enhanced cover options are also available. For more information visit aviva.co.uk/health
Travelling abroad?
The Aviva UK Health ‘Semi-Gration' study of UK 18 to 30 year olds reveals that nearly six in ten (56%) now believe there are better prospects abroad, with over half (54%) saying they are considering a stay in another country. With many university courses now offering international work placements it's essential to ensure that students have the right health protection in place.
Teresa Rogers, international sales and marketing manager at Aviva UK Health says:
"Worryingly, one third (34%) of young workers considering working abroad didn't feel that it is important to take out additional medical insurance. The danger is that, should the worst happen, those people could find themselves in unfamiliar territories, often not speaking the local language, not knowing how to arrange medical treatment or indeed being able to pay for it.
"International health insurance such as Aviva's International Solutions policy helps provide individuals with the peace of mind that they have the medical support they need when they need it most."
A typical cost for a 19 year old taking out an Aviva International Solutions policy with core cover and compassionate travel benefit based in Australia is £62.06 a month.
A wider range of lower costs and enhanced cover options are also available. For more information visit aviva.co.uk/internationalsolutions