Enough to replace everything in your unit, as new, at today's prices, and never less than what's actually in there. With our Contents Protection, if you declare less and need to claim, the settlement is cut in proportion: declare half the true value and you recover half the loss. You can take our Contents Protection when you book or use your own policy, so you don't need home insurance to store with us. You can change the figure later, and if you're adding things, raise it before they go in; how a change is made and when it takes effect isn't published, so ring 0800 2545585 first.
What our terms say, and why the figure matters
Clause 30 starts: "The Goods are stored at Your sole risk and responsibility and You shall be responsible for and bear the risk of any and all theft, damage to, and deterioration of the Goods caused by any reason." Where a loss results from our negligence or breach of contract, "Our liability will be limited to the sum of £100 in total". So the cover you declare is what stands between a loss and your own pocket.
Clause 31 makes it "a condition of this Agreement that the Goods remain adequately insured by You at all times for their Replacement Value (as set out on the Cover Sheet) while they are in storage", and you warrant "that the aggregate value of Goods in the Unit from time to time will not exceed the insured value". In plain words: the total in the unit, at any point, must not be more than the figure you've declared. It also says "You must make Your own judgment as to adequacy of cover even when arranged by Us."
Clause 48 says our own policy covers "the value stated as the full total replacement value of the Goods as new on the Cover Sheet", that "We do not carry out any valuation of the Goods", and that "You are responsible for ensuring that insurance cover for the value of Goods insured is maintained at an adequate level throughout the period of this Agreement."
What "replacement value" means
The figure goes on your Cover Sheet, part of your agreement, whichever cover you choose; our FAQs call it your Maximum Replacement Value. For most things it's the cost of buying them new, not what you paid.
| What you're storing | How it's valued |
|---|---|
| Furniture, appliances, electronics, books, kitchenware, tools, bicycles | The current cost of replacing it new |
| Clothing and household linen; cars, motorbikes, boats, caravans, motorhomes and "any other motorised vehicle" | Allowing for "age, quality, degree of use, existing damage and consequent market value" |
| Things you can't buy new, such as antiques and works of art | "the current market value" |
| Documents | The cost of replacing or reprinting them, "excluding the value of the information contained in the documents" |
So an old sofa counts at the price of a comparable new one, while clothes allow for wear. Whether an e-bike counts as "any other motorised vehicle" isn't published; ask us.
Things you can't store, and valuable single items
Our terms don't let you store "currency, deeds and securities" or "items which are unique in nature and/or where the value to You cannot be assessed on a financial basis" (clause 18(i) and (j)), so these can't go in the unit at all. Whether there's a limit on any single item isn't published; if one piece is worth a lot, ask on 0800 2545585 before you store it.
Adding it up: a worked example
Photograph each room, list what's going in, and price each item on the rules above, including any loads still to come. Then round up. These one-bed flat figures are illustrative only.
| Item | Basis | Illustrative figure |
|---|---|---|
| Sofa, bed, wardrobe and drawers | Comparable new | £1,900 |
| TV and laptop | New price | £1,100 |
| Two bicycles | New price | £1,000 |
| Kitchen items and small appliances | New price | £400 |
| Clothes and bedding | Allowing for wear | £600 |
| Ten boxes of books and belongings | Priced by what's in them | £500 |
| Total | £5,500, rounded up to £6,000 |
Keep the list and photographs of anything valuable: if you ever claim, they're your evidence of what was there.
What a higher figure costs
Contents Protection covers your stored goods up to the replacement value you declare. The charge depends on that value. It is not published as a rate, but it appears in your quote once you enter the value, and it is billed every four weeks with your rent.
The Association of British Insurers describes the sum insured as "the maximum your insurer will pay out if you claim". It's a ceiling, so declare what's really there rather than a padded round number.
If you're storing business stock
Declare your stock at what it would cost you to replace it today, not its selling price and not what you originally paid: our guide puts it as "what it would cost you to replace the stock at today's cost". Our terms exclude our own liability for "lost profits or business interruption" (clause 30(a)), and nothing we publish says Contents Protection pays for them; that's for your business insurer. Our Summary of Insurance isn't published online, so for how a stock claim is settled, ask us on 0800 2545585.
Our online sellers' guide says "Update your declared value as your stock grows". If your stock rises and falls, you can declare your peak all year (nothing to remember, but you pay for peak cover in quiet months) or change the figure with the season (it can cost less, though whether a mid-cycle change is pro-rated isn't published; and the raise has to come before the stock, every time). Compare the charge at both figures in a quote. If you use your own policy, check that it covers business stock kept in a storage unit.
If you're storing someone else's belongings
Clause 31 counts "the aggregate value of Goods in the Unit", so a parent's furniture, a friend's boxes or an estate's contents all go into your declared figure, valued on the same rules. See storing someone else's belongings for the rest.
Changing the figure later
If what you store goes up in value, raise your declared value to match; our terms require it to cover everything in the unit. How a change to your declared value is made and when it takes effect isn't published; ring 0800 2545585 before you bring the extra goods in. If you've taken a lot out, ask on the same number about lowering it.
With your own policy, its sum must cover what's in the unit now. Our Contents Protection page says "Maintaining valid and up-to-date storage unit insurance documentation is your responsibility", so send us updated proof when your policy renews or changes.
Our cover or your own
Our insurance FAQ says "All customers require contents protection for their stored goods", and you either take our Contents Protection or "arrange insurance at your own expense".
Contents Protection is Wigwam's own policy, underwritten by RSA under its "Self Storage Customers' Goods" scheme. The Summary of Insurance isn't published online; you're given it when you take the cover, and you can ask for a copy on 0800 2545585.
Contents Protection covers your own goods. Nothing we publish says it covers damage your goods cause to other people's property; clause 32 of our terms makes you responsible for that.
If you take our cover first, "we will refund you the Goods Protection charges in full once proof of cover is supplied within 14 days of your move-in". Our Contents Protection page says your own policy "should cover goods stored in a self-storage facility and specify the storage company's name along with the full postal address of the premises."
If a claim is made under our policy, clause 48 limits what we pay you to "the amount that We recover from Our insurer under Our insurance policy in relation to the Goods".
Before you book
Once you have your total, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585 and tell us the value you want to declare.
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