Robots in the home, and the question your home insurer will ask
A UK home insurance add-on for domestic humanoid robots has arrived before the robots have. It is a useful prompt to check how your policy treats any expensive, connected device.
Picture a robot that loads the dishwasher, drops a pan and scorches the worktop. Who pays for the kitchen, and who pays for the robot?
On 29 October Tokio Marine HCC International and the broker Adrian Flux launched cover for domestic humanoid robots, added to an Adrian Flux home policy, according to the Tokio Marine HCC announcement. It covers damage to and theft of the robot, sudden damage it causes to the home or belongings, personal liability if it injures someone, and safe disablement after a malfunction. The firms expect domestic robots in UK homes from 2027, with early American models on pre-order at $20,000.
The Adrian Flux product page puts some models at the equivalent of £15,000 to £20,000, and caps sudden damage the robot causes to your home or belongings at £5,000. Pricing is bespoke.
Here is the detail worth sitting with. Most people will never own one of these robots, but almost everyone already owns something that behaves a little like one. A robot vacuum, an e-bike charging in the hall, a smart heating system. Standard contents cover usually has a single item limit, and a high-value item above it needs to be listed by name.
When a machine rather than a person causes the damage, a claim can also become a question of fault. Insurance Business noted that liability could fall on the owner, the manufacturer or the software provider, depending on facts that are hard to establish.
The question is not whether a device is clever, it is whether your insurer knows it exists. Keep the receipt, keep the software updated and tell your insurer about anything worth more than your single item limit.
A claim is far easier when the policy already knows what it is protecting.