Adrian Flux and Tokio Marine HCC International (TMHCCI) have launched what they described as the UK's first home insurance cover for domestic humanoid robots.
The cover is available through Adrian Flux’s home insurance and underwritten by TMHCCI. It covers damage to and theft of the robot, sudden damage the robot causes to the home or belongings, and personal liability if the robot injures someone or damages someone else’s property. It also pays for emergency recovery or safe disablement of the robot after a sudden or unforeseen malfunction.
The companies said it appears to be the world’s first policy to protect both the home and the robot.
Domestic robots are expected to arrive in UK homes from 2027. In the US, robotics and AI companies have already launched humanoid robots for the home, with early models available to pre-order for around $20,000.
“A robot that costs thousands of pounds is not something you want sitting outside your insurance policy,” said Stuart Heath, head of distribution, international at TMHCCI.
Heath said insurance had traditionally reacted to new markets rather than helping them develop.
Gerry Bucke, general manager of Adrian Flux, said the aim was to provide clarity on who is responsible if something goes wrong. He said the policy would be updated as the technology and risks evolve, as Adrian Flux did with the driverless car policy it launched in 2016.
Bucke’s point about responsibility goes to the heart of the risk. When a robot damages property or injures a visitor, liability could fall on the owner, the manufacturer, the software provider or a combination of them.
Home insurance typically covers the policyholder’s own legal liability. Where a robot causes harm because of a design or software fault, the injured party, or the homeowner’s insurer, may look to the manufacturer under product liability law. How those claims are shared will depend on facts that are hard to establish, such as whether the robot was misused, poorly maintained, running out-of-date software, or simply malfunctioned.
There are also risks the policy description doesn’t address. Robots that move around the home, with cameras and internet connections, raise questions about cyber security and privacy, including what happens if a robot is hacked.
Humanoid robots won’t be common in UK homes for some years, so the immediate impact is small. But the product is an early sign of how home insurance may need to adapt to expensive, connected and autonomous devices.
For brokers, the questions this raises apply well beyond robots: whether a high-value smart device is covered under a client’s existing contents limits, whether accidental damage or malfunction is included, and whether liability cover responds when a device, rather than the policyholder, causes harm.
As more AI-driven devices enter homes, brokers can add value by checking clients’ contents limits and asking what happens when technology goes wrong.
