A recent student survey suggested that the current generation of University-goers take an average of £1,400 worth of possessions with them. This may be in the form of musical instruments, computers, printers, MP3 players, speaker systems, just about anything that you can think of has probably been taken to University by a student. This makes universities prime targets for thieves and burglars. A number of British universities have relatively old apartment blocks with downstairs windows that don’t match up to modern safety requirements and even without breaking and entering it’s very easy to be let into a block claiming to be someone’s friend.

For that reason one of the things that should be high on the list of things to do before going to University is make sure that you have the correct insurance. Sometimes this can easily be done with your existing insurance provider and items can be listed on your home insurance policy. Many Universitites have connections with specialist insurers that can offer you good deals, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the cheapest out there. Additionally, any insurance policy that you get should only be for one year, most students at most universities live in private accommodation in their second and possibly third years and this poses different insurance implications.

Most landlords will have their own buildings insurance, but your contents will not be covered. “Student” areas in cities are targets for thieves, and it can be difficult to sort out conventional insurance as each room is essentially a different person’s “home” and no one wants to have their policy affected by someone else’s possessions. If you talk to an insurance provider more often than not they will be able to help you out, but if you have particularly expensive items it might be cheaper to have them insured individually rather than included in the costs of your own contents, as single expensive items can lift the premiums quite significantly. Theft is a very real danger for students, and nothing could be more disruptive to the first few weeks away from home in an entirely new place than having your laptop stolen. Make sure that you take a few moments to look around and get a good insurance policy, and it will take a weight of your mind.