What is Contents Insurance?
Contents insurance protects your personal belongings at home. It helps pay to replace or repair things like furniture, electronics, clothes, and valuables if they're stolen, damaged, or destroyed by events like theft, fire, or floods.
Unlike buildings insurance, which covers the structure of your home, contents insurance is just for your belongings.
What’s usually covered by contents insurance?
Contents insurance helps protect your belongings against risks like accidental damage, theft, and loss. Cover may vary, so check your policy details for more information.
Here’s what’s can be included:
What isn’t usually covered?
There are usually exclusions to a standard contents cover, this can include:
- Loss or damage by livestock or pets
- Loss or damage that occurs during any period where the home is unoccupied for longer than the permitted period as outlined in your Policy Wording
- Loss or damage caused by water overflowing as a result of taps being left on, unless you have accidental cover
- Damage caused by yourself, domestic pets, your domestic employees, lodgers, paying guests or tenants
- Damage to trees or branches or the surrounding area due to branches being cut-back
What isn’t usually covered?
There are usually exclusions to a standard contents cover, this can include:
- Loss or damage by livestock or pets
- Loss or damage that occurs during any period where the home is unoccupied for longer than the permitted period as outlined in your Policy Wording
- Loss or damage caused by water overflowing as a result of taps being left on, unless you have accidental cover
- Damage caused by yourself, domestic pets, your domestic employees, lodgers, paying guests or tenants
- Damage to trees or branches or the surrounding area due to branches being cut-back
How does it work?
Contents insurance protects your belongings from theft, fire, and damage. It’s helpful for both homeowners and renters. Homeowners often combine it with building insurance, while renters use it for their personal items.
To get a quote, you’ll need to list your belongings, their value, details about your home, and any high-value items if you wish to include them. If you make a claim, you’ll be paid based on the market value or replacement cost. A contents calculator can help. High-value items may need to be listed separately with proof of value to get full coverage.
Still not sure? Find answers to your questions.
Contents insurance isn’t required by law, but it’s very helpful. It protects your belongings from risks like theft, fire, or damage. With it, you’ll feel safer knowing your possessions are covered if something happens.
High-risk items are valuable or easily stolen items. For example:
- Jewellery
- Expensive electronics
- Artwork
- Designer goods
These may need extra cover due to their value and risk of being lost or damaged.
It’s important that you don’t underestimate the value of your contents as you could lose out on a lot of money. For example, if you only insure half your possessions but you experience a flood or fire, your insurer may only pay out for half the value of the claim.
Try to be as accurate as you can when valuing your home contents. Be sure to weigh up the cost of your clothing, artwork, jewellery, electrical equipment, big kitchen items and furniture.
Many insurers may offer discounts to policyholders who haven’t made any claims. But please note that a discount at renewal is not guaranteed.
If you’re in a rented property, your personal belongings are your responsibility, so you may want to financially protect yourself with a sufficient amount of insurance in place. The building and permanent fixtures inside the building are your landlord’s responsibility. This means you won’t need to get individual building insurance unless your rental agreement stipulates that it is required.