Whether you’ve recently made property upgrades or added a few new items to your home, it is time to spring clean your insurance policies to check that you are adequately covered.

Your short-term insurance policy is automatically renewed almost every year but it is up to you to check that your cover is still sufficient and that you meet the policy’s terms and conditions, to avoid a claim being rejected.

Make sure your home contents are insured for the correct replacement value. For most people, the contents of their home will most likely change from year to year, as new items are bought. The replacement value of old items may also change over time.

The correct replacement values of your possessions must be provided to the insurance company to avoid being penalised for being underinsured, in the event of a claim.

It’s worth asking your insurer to send an assessor to undertake a full assessment of your household contents.

Test your home alarm system on a regular basis. If theft takes place as a result of a faulty alarm, then the claim is likely to be rejected. This also includes an alarm with a flat battery.

Claims where the loss is determined to have been as a result of poor home maintenance or negligence, are also most likely to be rejected. Failing to properly maintain your home could result in an increased risk of a rejected claim.

When it comes to car insurance check whether your policy stipulates that cover is only provided for a specifically named driver. An insurance claim will only be successful if this driver was behind the wheel at the time of the incident. If other people will be driving the vehicle from time to time, it is important to check what the implications of this are for the policy.

You pay for insurance, so make sure you put the correct measures in place to a guarantee a successful claim.