Which mobile devices are covered by Aviva home insurance?

Today we will deeply analyze the property insurances of the very popular insurer in United Kingdom: Aviva which sells their products by HSBC.

Aviva policy terms – damaged phone, smartwatch, laptop – careful analysis

First we will analyze the insurance from Aviva. In next parts we will compare it with the offer of another insurers from United Kingdom.

We decided to starts from Aviva because it is the biggest insurer in UK in 2020 – according to official data.

Aviva – property protection included in standard home insurance

  • Fire, explosion, lightning, earthquake and smoke damage
  • Storm and flood damage
  • Riot, civil commotion, strikes, labour and political disturbances
  • Damage by malicious persons or vandals
  • Collision by aircraft or other aerial devices, vehicles and animals (not including domestic pets)
  • Theft or attempted theft from the home
  • Falling radio and TV aerials
  • Subsidence, heave or landslide
  • Damage caused by falling trees or branches
  • Escape of water
  • Leakage of heating fuel

Does Aviva will cover the accidental damage of the phone?

According the general terms and FAQ on the Aviva Issuer’s website we will find out that in standard home protection we have only the limited accidental cover which includes: accidental damage to any fixed glass, sanitary fittings or service pipes and cables.

What does in mean in practice? If you accidentally break your hand basin a shower cubicle, stove or other element of the house permanently attached to the walls or other structural elements of the building you will be covered

For contents it covers only accidental damage to non-portable home entertainment equipment, mirrors and glass in furniture.

Is the TV set a non-portable equipment ?

Yes, because it is not designed to be portable – in simpler words – nobody is moving around with the TV set in everyday life so if you accidentally drop your TV while moving it to decorate or home improvement process you will be covered.

Is laptop, smartphone or smartwatch covered in this kind of insurance?

Now let’s take a look about other devices that are portable and are not included in standard (limited) terms?

Portable items – definition by Aviva

‘Items designed to be portable’ means things like laptops, tablets and smartphones , smartwatches which can be used outside the home on battery or solar power.

Cover for these items is available only under ‘Extra’ accidental damage.

So for full protection of any moving property in your home – you need to purchase extra addon called “Extra Accidental Damage

For buildings extends the “Limited Accidental Damage” cover to over accidental damage to the rest of the building. For example, putting your foot through the ceiling while in the loft.

For contents this extends the limited cover to cover accidental damage to most contents. For example, spilling a glass of red wine on your carpet or sofa.

Please notice that all those protection (even Extra) is applied only to event that happened inside your home / flat. If you are outside and your phone has been stolen by robbery on the streets you need another insurance product.

Protection of belongings outside the home – Aviva

Under PERSONAL BELONGINGS you will have the widest cover both inside and away from home.

So if you would like protect your belonging if you are away from home you will need to select Personal Belongings cover.

Personal Belongings cover is cover for your personal items (e.g. mobile phone, laptop, jewellery, camera equipment) while you are in or away from your home. Any personal item worth more than £2,000 will need to be specified on your policy


So you need to prepare a list of your electronics items worth more than 2000 GBP that you want to be covered and provide it the moment you sign the agreement.

What is the maximum sum insured for portable electronics in Aviva policy?

We need to clarify some terms that you can find in Aviva booklet

What belongs to Personal Belongings ?

Personal belongings includes: clothing, jewellery, watches, mobile phones and gadgets like laptops and tablets, sports, musical and photographic equipment, luggage bags and other items designed to be worn or carried. All items must belong to you or be your legal responsibility.

So the personal belongings are almost all portable property. If you take a look in benefits sections (and cover sums) you will find that Personal belongings are divided into 3 sub-categories:

Personal belongings = personal money + valuables + home office equipment

The standard sums for the categories listed below is as follows:

Personal money – cash, cheques, postal orders, unused postage stamps, savings stamps and certificates, premium bonds, luncheon and gift vouchers, season and travel tickets, pre-loaded cash cards and phone cards, all held for social, domestic or charitable purposes.

750 GBP

Valuables – jewellery, watches, items of gold, silver or other £10,000 (but a higher limit is available if you need it) precious metals, stamp, coin or medal collections, pictures, other works or art)

10000 GBP

2000 GBP is maximum cover per one item

Home office equipment – Office furniture, computers and other keyboard based office equipment, printers, fax machines, photocopiers, telephones and answerphones that you own or are legally responsible for and used for business or professional purpose

5000 GBP

So the standard limit for category called Home office equipment is 5000 GBP. The source PDF is here

Is Smartwatch a home office equipment or valuable in Aviva terminology?

You may be wondering if smartwatch is valuable or home office equipment. Well, in our interpretation it belongs to home office equipment because it has battery and charging. So it will be covered up to 5000 GBP.

Of course an exclusive watch from a well-known company that has a collector’s value, such as ROLEX, will be considered valuables.

Please be advised that those limits are standards and you can increase them by custom negotiation – but remember that increasing the sum cover will automatically increase the insurance premium