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COVER YOUR GADGETS AND POSSESSIONS WITH STUDENT CONTENTS INSURANCE
Also known as tenants insurance or renters’ insurance, this type of home insurance provides financial protection for your belongings while you’re at university.
University life often involves sharing accommodation with others, which increases the risk of damage to your things and, with lots of people coming and going, it can make the property you’re living in less secure.
Student contents insurance takes these factors into account. It’s designed to cover the cost of replacing your items if they get stolen or damaged in your student house or room in halls.
Students typically have expensive items like laptops, tablets and smartphones, so student accommodation can often be a target for thieves.
Research from Save the Student in 2022 shows that 7% of students experience some sort of burglary or break-in while at uni.
According to national crime statistics between 2018-2020, the student cities and towns where you’re most likely to experience theft and burglary include Aston, Bradford, London and Teesside.
If this happens to you while you’re at uni, having the right contents insurance can save you money and stress.
This type of policy covers the typical items you might keep in your student house or room in halls. So things like your gadgets, books and clothes.
Student insurance will pay out if something unexpected happens to your things - like damage from fires, floods and storms, or they’re stolen.
You can tailor the policy to suit your needs and add cover for high-value items like laptops, gadgets, bikes and musical instruments.
Policies don’t typically include cover for accidental damage or taking items outside of your accommodation, but you can usually add these as optional extras if you need them.
Here’s what you can choose to include in your policy to tailor your cover:
Gadgets
Get cover for your gadgets anywhere in the UK and worldwide for up to 90 days. Gadgets can be covered for loss, theft, accidental damage and liquid damage. It can also provide protection for your digital downloads.
Personal possessions
Away from home cover usually means your belongings are covered if you take them anywhere in the UK and for up to 90 days worldwide. You can choose to cover your everyday items, your valuables worth more than £500, or both.
Musical instruments
Cover your instruments and accessories for theft and damage. You’ll also be able to hire a replacement while yours is being repaired or replaced.
Bicycles
While contents insurance will usually cover your bike at home, if you want it insured when you take it out and about, you can buy this as an optional extra. It includes cover for theft, loss and accidental damage and can cover the cost of repairs and replacement.
Room key cover
In halls of residence or a student house, you probably have a lock on the door to your room. This covers you for losing your keys. It’ll also help pay for a locksmith to get you back in and for replacement locks.
Tuition fees, coursework and rent protection
If you have to leave your course because of an accident or illness, this will cover the money you’d lose in course fees and rent. Plus, the cost of resits. It can also payout for reproducing lost or damaged coursework.
According to our data, the average standard contents insurance policy costs £74 per year[1]. However, it will depend on a number of factors, including:
When you’re taking out cover for your student belongings, there are a few things you need to be aware of:
This is the amount you’ll pay towards any claim. It’ll be deducted from any payout you get. The higher the excess, the lower your premiums usually are. But make sure it’s an amount you could afford to cover.
Read the small print and check the exclusions so you understand what won’t be covered. For example, you won’t be able to claim for items left unattended outside your residence.
This is the maximum amount you can claim for a single item - which is usually around £1,500. More expensive items need to be listed separately on your policy to be fully covered.
This is the total value of your contents if you had to claim for everything in one go. It’s how much they’d cost to replace as new, not what they’re currently worth.
Standard contents insurance policies don’t typically cover accidental damage. If you want cover for this, you can usually buy it as an optional add-on to your policy.
Contents insurance is designed to cover theft, and damage from events like fire and flooding. You won’t be covered for damage caused by wear and tear.
You won’t be able to make a claim if your things are stolen or damaged because you haven’t taken good care of them. For example, leaving your bag unattended or your door unlocked.
Student contents insurance usually only covers items while they’re in your room or student house. If you want cover when you take them out and about, you’ll need to pay extra.
This is your landlord’s responsibility. It’ll cover any damage to the property’s structure and fixtures and fittings. It won’t cover any damage or loss that happens to your belongings.
Your policy will have conditions around how long your accommodation can be unoccupied for - usually around 30-60 days. After this period, your items will no longer be covered.
We need to know a few simple details to help you get the right cover:
Including your age, name and email address
Which university you’ll be studying at and the type of student accommodation
Tell us about the cover you need and any expensive items you own
Tailor your cover with extras like accidental damage or outside of the home cover
Tell us what locks and security measures your room or accommodation has
Student budgets are often stretched, so here are some ways to help lower the cost of your insurance:
Getting the right locks and making sure doors and windows are secure can help to reduce your premiums.
Making a one-off payment rather than paying monthly reduces the cost because you won’t be charged interest
Estimating too much or too little for your belongings could mean you’re left out of pocket.
Find out if you’re already covered on your parents' home insurance so you don’t end up paying twice.
Taking care of your valuables and keeping them out of sight can help you avoid making a claim.
We’ll compare policies from a range of providers to help you get the best deal.
You should make sure you have cover in place starting from the date you’ll be moving into your accommodation. That way you’ll be covered from day one.
Page last reviewed: 07 February 2023
Page reviewed by: Jasmine Hembury
[1]The average price paid annually for home insurance purchased in June 2023 by type of cover. For buildings and contents insurance, it was £180. For buildings insurance only, it was £141. For contents insurance only, it was £66.