When you're buying new bathroom items, having decorating or building work done, or just purchasing anything of value in general, it might be worth considering taking out insurance on the contents of your home, or adding these items to your inventory for a small fee if you already have a premium.

For what is often a surprisingly low figure, you can cover yourself for thousands of pounds worth of damage, which might mean the difference between being able to replace damaged or stolen items and not having the resources to do so. Furthermore, brokers such as Legal and General actually offer specialised bathroom deals as part of their home insurance packages, which goes to show that all different kinds of property can be covered by insurance policies.

But this is not the only reason why insurance relating to the bathroom is something that is worth considering. Water damage as a result of leaking or condensation can have a devastating effect on the walls and surfaces beneath a bathroom, and in the event of this kind of situation happening in your home, you may find it comforting to know that your policy might in fact provide the funds for repairing, repainting, and ensuring that something like that does not happen again. Similarly, if you live in a block of flats and water damage from an upstairs apartment is damaging your own property, you might be required to have particular cover to claim on the costs to rectify the situation.

An alternative way of protecting yourself from these kinds of domestic catastrophes is by maintaining your equipment in good condition, rather than taking out insurance to protect yourself if they do in fact break. It could be a good idea to check on a regular basis whether your bathroom tiles are badly affected by rot and have lost some of their impermeableness, letting water in through the cracks to soak into the wood below. Similarly, shower enclosures can be badly affected by the pressurised jets that come out of some showerheads, and they can sometimes let water seep through the gaps between the panels and the base. On a similar note, leaking taps don't only create unwanted wet pools, but their inefficiency can also result in wasted water and heating bills.

Insurance is most definitely a worthwhile investment, as you don't want to be stuck with paying for costly essential repairs straight from your own pocket. Legal & General home insurance offers standard accidental damage, high risk item cover and a 24 hour emergency helpline, so could be worth investigating. It can also be backed up by keeping your possessions in good condition and checking where there are areas which could result in damage.