Do I need any special insurance for my log cabin

One of the biggest misconceptions about log cabins is that they are automatically covered by your regular household insurance for both buildings and contents. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case and if you don’t have the right insurance in place any claim that you may need to make for damage, theft or more, could be completely rejected.

So what type of insurance do I need?

As we are sure you already know, insurance is a tricky topic with a whole spectrum of shades of grey. Because of this, we can only offer general advice and highly recommend that you speak to your own insurer regarding your personal circumstances. This is because every insurer has their own terms and conditions for each policy, and you need to ensure that you are sufficiently covered by the terms and conditions set out by your personal insurer.

When it comes to insuring your log cabin, one of the biggest determining factors is what your cabin will be used for:

• If it has a bathroom, kitchen or sleeping quarters then most insurers will consider it a separate dwelling, and because it is of wooden construction, some regular insurers will refuse to cover it. However, there are a number of specialist insurers that will happily provide buildings insurance for log cabins.

• If you plan on using your log cabin as a base for your business, for example as a beauty treatment room, workshop or office, then you will probably need a completely separate insurance policy for contents. However, you will need to think carefully about how you are going to secure your cabin in order to ensure that your insurance is valid. Most buildings insurance policies also cover outbuilding, but it is certainly worth clarifying this with your own insurer.

Depending on the type of services you are offering, you should also look into personal liability insurance to cover your back if something you are offering goes wrong!

• If you plan on using your log cabin for recreational purposes or storage, then you probably won’t need any additional insurance for buildings, but you will need to make your insurance provider aware that you want your cabin covered too. It is also worth checking if your policy includes a complete rebuild of your cabin, as well as repair. However, when it comes to your contents insurance you must make your insurer aware of what items you plan on storing in your cabin, and in particular anything of value. Your insurance company will probably ask you several questions about your security for your cabin, and typically you can expect the better your security is, the lower your premium will be! Check out our article ‘how can I secure my log cabin’ for more advice on how you can protect your log cabin from break-ins.