Contents insurance covers your belongings against theft, damage or loss. It can protect items like:
You’ll be covered a standard against theft and losses from things like fires, floods and weather damage.
You probably won’t be covered as standard for accidental damage, or for your possessions when you take them away from home, so check your cover and buy these features as optional extras if you need them.
In May 2019, the average price paid for an annual contents only home insurance policy purchased through GoCompare was £79 a year.
The actual cost of your contents policy will depend on things like the value of your possessions, the security of your home and the amount of voluntary excess you are willing to pay.
The value of cover is sometimes limited for particular types of item, such as high-value bicycles or jewellery. Check your policy cover and limits on the following. You may need to add them specifically to your policy.
A home emergency insurance policy will cover the cost of urgent repairs for issues with your boiler, heating system, plumbing or electrics. It isn’t always included as a standard part of contents insurance and might need to be added as an optional extra.
Legal cover can assist you financially in cases where someone’s negligence has caused damage to your possessions and you’re looking to sue. Some contents insurance policies include this as standard so it's worth checking.
Personal possessions cover insures your belongings outside of the home against loss, accidental damage and theft.
It’s an optional extra to your contents insurance, which generally only covers your things when they’re inside your home or garden.
You might already have personal possessions cover with a packaged bank account or credit card so double check before you take out a new policy.
High-value goods such as laptops, jewellery and bikes will often need to be added on top of your contents insurance policy, as their value often exceeds the limit you’ll be able to claim for any one item.
The limit is usually quite high - out of 401 contents insurance policies listed on Defaqto, 96% have a single article limit of £5,000 or more but you should still check your policy's limit is high enough for your belongings.[2]
Accidental damage cover is designed to insure your possessions against unintentional or unexpected damage such as spillages or breakages.
If you’re a tenant, buildings insurance isn’t your responsibility, but you might want a contents insurance policy to protect your belongings.
Find out more >For students in rented accommodation, you might require cover for books, gadgets, clothes and more, particularly as students are often the targets of thieves.
Find out more >Home appliance insurance covers electrical and mechanical failures. It can act as an extended warranty, offering replacement and/or repair for your items.
Find out more >Business equipment often won’t be covered by a home contents policy, so you might require something more specialist.
Find out more >Stolen or damaged phones are sometimes covered as standard on home insurance policies, or you can get the cover as an add-on.
Find out more >Pots, plants, furniture and tools all have a value and could be an easy target for thieves.
Find out more >Contents insurance will cover you for the damage, loss or theft of your possessions that belong in your home or garden.
Contents insurance isn’t compulsory. However without insurance, your contents won't be covered if your possessions are destroyed by something like a fire or flood, or if they’re stolen.
Why you’d want it
You won’t need it if you’re a landlord, because your tenants are responsible for insuring their own property. You also won’t need it if you’re happy to just pay for replacements and repairs yourself.
The average value of possessions insured on contents insurance policies purchased in May 2019 was £48,260.[3] How much cover you need will depend on the value of your possessions. Use our contents calculator to work out the value of your items.
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[1]The average value of possessions insured on home contents insurance policies purchased via GoCompare between 1-31 May 2019.
[2]Last checked 10 June 2019
[3]90% of customers were quoted a monthly contents instalment amount of £14.18 or less with Gocompare.com (01 Jun 2019 to 31 Aug 2019)