Does Contents Insurance Cover Sheds and Outbuildings?

If you’ve got a shed full of garden tools, bikes, or power equipment, it’s natural to wonder whether your home insurance has it covered. The answer depends on what you’re asking about: the shed itself, or the things stored inside it. These are two very different questions with two very different answers. Here’s what you need to know.

When does contents insurance cover sheds?

Contents insurance covers your personal belongings: furniture, clothing, electronics, appliances, and valuables. These are movable possessions inside your home.

A shed is a structure, not a personal belonging. It’s classified as an outbuilding, which means it falls under building insurance rather than contents insurance. If your shed is damaged by a storm, fire, or vandalism, it’s your building policy you’d need to look at, not your contents cover.

What does building insurance cover for sheds?

If your shed is damaged by an insured event, your building insurance may cover the cost of repair or replacement of the structure itself. Events typically covered include:

Event	Likely covered under buildings insurance?
Storm damage	Yes, usually covered
Fire	Yes, usually covered
Vandalism	Yes, usually covered
Flood	Depends on your policy. Check if flood cover is included.
Subsidence	Sometimes, but may require specific cover
Wear and tear or neglect	No, this is a maintenance issue

It’s worth checking whether your buildings insurance policy explicitly includes outbuildings. Some policies cover them as standard, others require them to be added. Confirm this with your insurer before assuming the shed is included.

What about items stored inside a shed?

This is where contents insurance can come in. Some policies extend cover to personal belongings stored in outbuildings like sheds, garages, and summerhouses, but it’s not universal and conditions almost always apply.

What’s typically covered	What’s typically not covered
Gardening tools like lawnmowers and hedge trimmers	The shed structure itself
Garden furniture	Theft without signs of forced entry
Sports equipment and bikes	Wear and tear or poor maintenance
DIY tools and power equipment	Items above the single-item limit unless declared separately

For example:

Your lawnmower is stolen from your shed overnight. The door was padlocked and the lock was forced. That’s a valid theft claim under most contents policies, provided outbuildings are included in your cover. If the door was left unlocked with no signs of forced entry, the claim would likely be rejected.

What about accidental damage?

Accidental damage to items stored in a shed, for example dropping a power tool or knocking over expensive equipment, is not usually included as standard under contents insurance. It’s typically an optional add-on.

If you store valuable or fragile items in your shed, it’s worth checking whether accidental damage insurance is included in your policy or can be added. Without it, only sudden events like theft, fire, and storm damage are likely to be covered.

What about items left outside?

Garden furniture, tools, or equipment left outside temporarily, on a patio, in a garden, or during use, may not be covered under a standard contents policy. Most policies that extend to outbuildings are specifically referring to items stored inside a locked structure, not items left in the open.

If you regularly leave items outside, check your policy wording carefully. Some policies include limited cover for items in the garden, but this is often subject to conditions and lower limits than items kept inside.

Security requirements

Insurers generally require evidence that you’ve taken reasonable steps to secure the shed before they’ll pay out on a theft claim. Here’s what helps:

• Fit a sturdy padlock on the door.
• Install motion-activated security lights.
• Cover windows to hide valuables from view.
• Consider a security camera overlooking the area.

It’s also worth photographing valuable items and keeping receipts. This makes the claims process significantly smoother if something does happen.

High-value items

Most policies include a single-item limit, typically between £1,000 and £2,000. If any item stored in your shed exceeds this, it needs to be declared separately on your policy to be fully covered.

For example:

You’ve invested in a high-end ride-on lawnmower worth £3,500. Your single-item limit is £2,000. Without declaring it separately, the most you’d receive on a claim is £2,000, regardless of the actual value. With Lemonade, the single-item limit is £2,000, so anything above that needs to be added as a specified item.

Detached outbuildings and garages

Detached sheds, garages, and greenhouses are treated differently depending on the policy and how the structure is used. They may not be automatically included in standard cover, particularly if they’re used for business purposes or store high-value items regularly.

Always check your policy wording carefully and confirm with your insurer whether detached outbuildings are included before assuming you’re covered.

What to do if your shed isn’t covered as standard

If you check your policy and find that outbuildings aren’t included, here’s what to do:

• Ask your insurer about adding outbuilding cover. Many insurers offer this as an add-on rather than a standard inclusion. It’s usually straightforward to add.
• Check the limits. Even if outbuildings are included, there may be a separate lower limit for items stored outside the main home. Make sure it’s adequate for what you store.
• Declare high-value items separately. Anything above the single-item limit needs to be listed individually.
• Review your building insurance. Confirm whether the shed structure itself is included, particularly if it’s a detached outbuilding.

Bottom line

The shed structure itself isn’t covered by contents insurance. That’s a buildings insurance matter. Items stored inside a shed may be covered under contents insurance, but only if your policy extends to outbuildings, the shed is properly secured, and items don’t exceed the single-item limit without being declared.

Check your policy, secure your shed properly, and declare anything valuable separately. Lemonade’s home insurance is designed to be clear about what’s included, so you always know where you stand.

Frequently Asked Questions