Bike insurance with a detached garage (or "en bloc")

[Wolf616]

Just in the process of buying a house and it has a detached "en bloc" garage - i.e. the garage is set away from the house and with the garages for all the other houses on my row. I don't really want to keep my bikes (2) inside the house and am trying to work out the best place to keep them that is as secure as possible but will be covered by insurance if they get nicked. The bikes aren't worth that much money in the grand scheme of bikes (one is £850 new, other £450 new) but I'd still want to be covered should they be stolen.

However every single specialised bike insurance and/or home insurance company I can find seem to exclude detached garages from their cover. I sort of understand why this might be - presumably they are more risky than a garage attached to your house - but it's pretty frustrating. Does anyone know of an insurer that would cover this? My other option would be an Asgard shed or something in the back garden, but realistically I'd like to avoid spending the money on one of those if I can avoid it.

 

[Milkfloat]

My garage is detached (not en bloc) and I have never had a problem with household insurance. The contents are insured for £50K.

 

[vickster]

My garage is detached (not en bloc) and I have never had a problem with household insurance. The contents are insured for £50K.

But is the garage still on your land, rather than communal?

@Wolf616 try a broker maybe rather than a specific insurer

 

[fossyant]

Same here, detached garage (on drive) no issues. Just make sure your locks etc are better than the next door garage, but not 'obviously so'. Insurance doesn't even ask that the bikes are locked down (they are), just locked away.

 

[numbnuts]

I live in a flat and have a garage in a block, I can't get insurance, I've got ground anchors and locks on everything, an alarm that sends a text to my phone and a garage defender on the outside.......so far so good

 

[ianrauk]

My other option would be an Asgard shed or something in the back garden, but realistically I'd like to avoid spending the money on one of those if I can avoid it.

Don't discount an Asgard shed, though they do cost a bit, they are well worth the money.
I also have an en block garage, with an Asgard shed inside. It will be tough enough for anyone to get onto the garage, and even harder to get into the shed.

 

[Milkfloat]

But is the garage still on your land, rather than communal?

I think that is the issue rather than being detached. If the OP is unlucky they may not find suitable insurance without it being ridiculously expensive and may have to self insure. If getting commercial insurance I would recommend proper like for like cover as if the insurance pays out an adjusted for age amount it may be less than the excess whilst the true cost of replacement is well above new costs.

 

[Wolf616]

Don't discount an Asgard shed, though they do cost a bit, they are well worth the money.
I also have an en block garage, with an Asgard shed inside. It will be tough enough for anyone to get onto the garage, and even harder to get into the shed.

Haha, I was actually reading an old thread about this where you stated this and did consider it. I need to measure whether the garage is even tall enough to fit one in, but it's certainly an option. Not least because the floor is concrete so I could anchor it in, whereas in the garden I'd have to lay a concrete base and that seems a lot of effort.

I guess my one concern is Asgard sheds aren't impregnable and inside a garage where a thief can take their time makes it more vulnerable than, say, in my back garden?

What kind of security do you have on your garage door itself? I would need to check when the purchase actually goes through, but I suspect the one on my garage is a pile of shoot.

But is the garage still on your land, rather than communal?

@Wolf616 try a broker maybe rather than a specific insurer

Well technically I will own the land the garage stands on and the land in front of it (for a parking space I guess), but it's still not where my "home" is as such. These policies are often frustratingly vague.

Same here, detached garage (on drive) no issues. Just make sure your locks etc are better than the next door garage, but not 'obviously so'. Insurance doesn't even ask that the bikes are locked down (they are), just locked away.

Who are you insured by? To be fair, detached but next to your house probably counts because it often specifies "within your home boundaries" or some such. But it's unclear - as above - whether my "home boundary" is what's specified on the trust deed or the bit of land my house literally stands on.

 

[ianrauk]

Haha, I was actually reading an old thread about this where you stated this and did consider it. I need to measure whether the garage is even tall enough to fit one in, but it's certainly an option. Not least because the floor is concrete so I could anchor it in, whereas in the garden I'd have to lay a concrete base and that seems a lot of effort.

I guess my one concern is Asgard sheds aren't impregnable and inside a garage where a thief can take their time makes it more vulnerable than, say, in my back garden?

What kind of security do you have on your garage door itself? I would need to check when the purchase actually goes through, but I suspect the one on my garage is a pile of shoot.

I have 2 big, very strong Asgard locks (the same locks as for the bike shed) and a ground anchor lock for the shed door, which is an up and over.
Someone would have to have some very serious tools and make a lot of noise to break into the shed. The locks are covered in steel also so they cant be cut open.

The sheds are not that tall, about chest height for my 4 bike shed. So will easy fit in your garage no problem.
they are damn heavy too, certainly no moving them once they have bikes inside.

 

[fossyant]

I'm Co-op and Barclays (Barclays 'home contents' addon for my more expensive bikes). Both just say secured in locked building, or secured when outside.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I'm going through the same process now, my existing insurer (Admiral) does and one potential (Aviva) also does though I've not decided which one to go with at the new place yet. I have decided pretty much on an Asgard shed, not just a bike one, and will have a camera similar to this and an alarm like this.

My bikes aren't worth that much either so not going overboard but going off friends experiences it's somthing I want to do.

 

[Alex321]

I think my Aviva home contents insurance would cover your situation, though I would want to talk to them to confirm this.
What it actually says is:

• If your schedule shows you have cover for pedal cycles they won’t be covered for theft unless:
- in your immediate custody and control; or
- securely locked to an object that can’t be moved; or
- locked inside a concealed boot or concealed luggage compartment of a locked vehicle which has been broken into by using force and violence; or
- in a locked building

Our garage is attached to the house and fully within our property boundaries, so mine is definitely Ok, but it doesn't say there that it has to be a locked building inside your regular property boundaries.

 

[steverob]

Well technically I will own the land the garage stands on and the land in front of it (for a parking space I guess), but it's still not where my "home" is as such. These policies are often frustratingly vague.

Who are you insured by? To be fair, detached but next to your house probably counts because it often specifies "within your home boundaries" or some such. But it's unclear - as above - whether my "home boundary" is what's specified on the trust deed or the bit of land my house literally stands on.

I have a similar thing where my garage is the middle one of a block of three - the ones on either side belong to neighbours and their properties (or at least their back gardens) do abut their garage's wall. However mine is not directly connected to my house or garden; I have to go out my back gate and walk 10 metres down the close to access it. The deeds do show it as part of my property; it's not marked as a shared space or anything like that.

I've looked through the documents for my insurer previously and I didn't see any terms and conditions that explicitly said about that the garage had to be contiguous with the house/property, just that it had to be on your property (e.g. not a rented garage) but this discussion has prompted me to maybe give them a call (it's up for renewal in about two months anyway) and double check.

 

[DCLane]

My bikes, whether in the storage unit, outside storage or under cover, are all covered on the household insurance. Bike limit is £20k, with up to £10k for one bike.

 

[Wolf616]

In case anyone is reading this from the future, in the end Aviva home insurance covered them in the garage. Don't forget to double check any policies though!