Short answer: only if you have it. Accidental damage is an optional extension on most Irish home insurance policies, not a standard peril. Many policyholders assume they have it; many do not. Here is what accidental damage means, when the cover applies, and what to do if you are not sure whether yours is in force.
What accidental damage actually covers
Accidental damage covers sudden and unintended physical damage to your buildings or contents that is not specifically excluded. It is the safety net for the everyday accidents the named perils (water, fire, storm, theft) do not cover. A child puts a toy through a TV. A ladder is dropped on a tiled floor. A bookcase pulls a section of wall away as it falls.
The cover usually has separate limits and excesses for buildings and contents accidental damage. Read the schedule; the two are often priced as separate optional extensions.
What is excluded
The exclusions catch out more claims than the cover does:
- Wear and tear (the inevitable result of normal use)
- Mechanical or electrical breakdown without external cause
- Pet damage on most standard policies
- Damage caused while a property is unoccupied beyond the policy threshold
- Damage to mobile phones, jewellery, money (often capped or excluded)
- Damage caused by tradespeople (their own public liability cover applies, not yours)
How to confirm whether your policy has accidental damage
Pull the policy schedule, the document that lists each section of cover with its sums insured and limits. Accidental damage will be listed as a separately-priced item if it is in force. If the schedule shows only the standard perils (fire, water, storm, theft, etc.) without an accidental damage line, the cover is not in force.
If you are unsure, write to the insurer or your broker and ask. Get the answer in writing before relying on the cover for a claim.
What to do when you have an accidental damage claim
The standard sequence applies: photograph the damage, note the cause, notify the insurer in writing, and if the loss is significant, engage a loss assessor before the loss adjuster visits. Accidental damage claims are commonly under-settled because policyholders accept the first figure offered without challenge.
For accidental damage tied to a wider water-related event, the natural cross-reference is to water damage claims; for the broader category, see accidental damage claims.
When to call a loss assessor
For accidental damage claims above 5,000 euro where the offer looks low, ring before signing. The insurer’s first figure is rarely the final figure on a properly contested claim.
Two minutes today
Pull your policy schedule and look for “accidental damage”. If you don’t see it, you don’t have it. Decide before renewal whether to add it; the premium addition is small, the claim impact can be substantial.
Written by the team at N.J. Carroll & Associates, insurance loss assessors and quantity surveyors, established 1988.
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