Insurance for a bike in London?

[ssd]

Can anyone recommend insurance, the bike cant be locked against anything as there's only a small wall outside the flats, so its just locked with a chain and leans against a wall.
Any advice, ds needs it to commute and last bike was stolen.

Our bikes (well DHs') are just insured as an add on under our home contents policy.

I can't remember the details of our policy offhand, but I think they can be very picky about bikes being left locked up outside your home property and they need to be in a proper lockable bike shed or inside. In our old flat our neighbour put a bolt into the outside wall to lock his bike to, but his insurance wouldn't cover it so he ended up having to put a high rack on the wall in the communal area.

Have you looked at Sundays insurance? They're a bit more specific to bikes and you pay monthly

My insurance only covers the bikes at our home address if in a locked shed, garage or in the house. Outside the house it needs to be secured to a fixed bike stand, railings or similar. Wouldn't be covered ever how you describe

Yeah, you're not going to get insurance for a bike that isn't locked to something solid, and even then you'll struggle if its not inside something secure.

Usually it’s covered under contents insurance when it’s outside your home, may need to add it on though, check the policy.

But would it not better to think of another solution? It’s almost certainly going to get stolen again if it’s not locked up properly and IDK if insurance would cover that either. We had a bike stolen that was chained to a railing, and they just took the railing too!! Insurance did pay out for that but still, shows how determined they are. Can he not take it into the flat? Any council bike hangers on the road nearby? Or give up owning his own and use the shared ones eg santander or lime?

I’d also think of another solution. Our council puts bike sheds in the street if enough residents ask for one.

Its a rented flat there's no room for the bike and he can't fix things to the walls..no bike sheds nearby either

That’s not insureable. Can you or the landlord put in a ground anchor? Is there any reason why you can’t bring the bike into the flat? That’s what we did with our bikes as students in London when there was no secure bike parking outside.

Theres no room for the bike unfortunately

Has he already bought a replacement bike after the theft? If not I’d tell him to look at a Brompton as they fold small enough to bring into the flat.

Unless he's in a studio where the bed reaches the walls, there is room in the flat. There might not comfortably be space but there will be space.
If it's just left outside and not secured to anything, it will get nicked, so it seems obvious why insurers wouldn't be interested.