Contents & Accessory CoverProtect Your Personal Items

Understanding Contents & Accessory Cover

Contents and accessory cover is an optional add-on to your trailer insurance that protects personal items, equipment, and belongings stored inside or on your trailer. While comprehensive trailer insurance covers the structure and mechanical components of your caravan or trailer, it typically doesn't cover the personal belongings you pack for camping trips.

If your caravan is broken into and camping gear is stolen, if fire damages your furnishings and personal items, or if an accident destroys contents, contents cover reimburses you for those losses. This add-on is particularly valuable for caravans and camper trailers that regularly carry expensive equipment.

Most major NZ insurers including AA Insurance, AMI, State Insurance, Tower, and Mariner offer contents cover as an optional add-on. The additional premium is typically modest compared to the value of protection it provides.

What Does Contents Cover Include?

Standard Camping Gear

Contents cover protects typical camping equipment including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, camp chairs, tables, cooking equipment, and food storage containers. This covers both items stored inside your caravan and gear secured to the exterior.

A typical camping trip might include $2,000-$5,000 of gear and equipment. Without contents cover, losing this in a break-in or accident would be an out-of-pocket loss. With contents cover, you'd be reimbursed for replacement costs.

Caravan Furnishings

Many modern caravans come with beautiful furnishings including fixed and portable furniture, cushions, bedding, curtains, and soft furnishings. While the trailer structure is insured, these furnishings are your personal property and aren't covered by standard policies.

Quality caravan furnishings can be expensive. A set of curtains might cost $500-$1,000, bedding and cushions another $1,500-$3,000. If damaged by fire, water, or theft, contents cover reimburses replacement costs.

Built-in Appliances

Many caravans have built-in refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, washing machines, TVs, and entertainment systems. These are typically considered fixtures of the caravan and covered under the structure insurance. However, portable appliances you bring (electric cookers, fans, portable TVs) are covered under contents.

Check with your insurer what's considered built-in versus portable, as this affects coverage under different policy sections.

Electronics & Technology

Contents cover protects laptops, tablets, smartphones, cameras, binoculars, portable speakers, and other electronic devices. In today's world, people often bring thousands of dollars in technology on camping trips. Accidental damage or theft of these items is covered.

A single laptop can be worth $1,000-$3,000, and a good camera with lenses might be worth $2,000-$5,000. Contents cover protects against total loss of these items.

Personal Clothing & Toiletries

Your personal clothing, footwear, toiletries, and general personal items are covered. This includes clothes you pack for trips, cosmetics, medications, and other personal care items. For a week-long trip, you might have $1,000-$2,000 in personal items that are protected.

Valuable Items

Many policies include optional coverage for valuable items like jewelry, watches, artwork, and collectibles. These items might have sublimits on standard policies (e.g., $500 per item), and you may want to increase coverage for particularly valuable items.

Accessories & Attachments

Trailer accessories including spare wheels, equipment racks, awnings, outdoor furniture, and external storage boxes are covered. These items can be expensive and are vulnerable to damage or theft.

What's Not Covered?

Important exclusions typically include:

• Items left unattended outside the trailer (e.g., camping chairs left outside overnight)
• Perishable goods or food items
• Items damaged through lack of care or maintenance
• Items used for business purposes
• Cash, credit cards, and financial documents
• Items in unlocked or insecure locations
• Damage from vermin, insects, or gradual deterioration
• Items already covered by home or contents insurance
• Items removed from the trailer for extended periods

Calculating Contents Value

To properly insure contents, you need to estimate the total value of items typically carried. Here's a breakdown for a typical caravan owner:

As you can see, typical contents can easily total $9,000-$20,000+. Without contents cover, you'd lose all this value in a theft or major accident. With contents cover, you'd be reimbursed.

How Contents Claims Work

If you suffer a loss involving contents:

1. Report immediately: Notify your insurer within 24 hours of discovering the loss or damage
2. Document the loss: Take photographs of damaged or stolen items. If theft, get a police report number.
3. List affected items: Make a detailed list of what was lost or damaged, including purchase dates and original prices
4. Obtain receipts: Provide proof of purchase or value estimates from retailers if you have them
5. Get repair quotes: If items are damaged but repairable, obtain repair quotes from qualified providers
6. Submit claim: Complete the claims form with all supporting documentation and submit to your insurer

Chosen Sum Insured Method

Most contents policies use "chosen sum insured" where you declare a total contents value when you buy the policy. If you claim, the insurer will pay up to this amount for covered losses. It's important to assess contents carefully when setting this limit.

If you declare $10,000 in contents value but actually lose $15,000 worth of items, your claim will only be paid to $10,000. Conversely, if you declare too high a value, you'll pay unnecessarily high premiums.

New for Old vs Actual Value

Some policies offer "new for old" (replacement) cover while others pay "actual cash value" (depreciated value). New for old is more valuable but costs more. For example:

• Sleeping bag original cost: $300. After 3 years, depreciated value might be $150.
• New for old cover: You'd receive $300 to buy a replacement
• Actual cash value: You'd receive $150, requiring you to pay $150 more for replacement

For older caravans with used items, new for old cover is much more valuable. Ask your insurer which method their contents cover uses.

Cost of Contents Cover

Contents cover is typically an optional add-on that costs $50-$150 annually depending on:

• Total sum insured (higher value = higher premium)
• Type of caravan/trailer
• Security measures (alarm, locks, tracking)
• Your claims history
• Where you store the trailer

For typical contents of $10,000-$15,000, you'd pay roughly $100-$150 annually. This is excellent value considering the potential loss without cover.